auto pilots

[rookie]

ok the last auto pilot I used was an old iron mike system "Freemen"??? i think that was its name now. I have a hydaulic system i will need two stations. I do not want to keep pulling my hair out on a ""potty word "" electronic. i want to do it right the first time. I know some of you know the feeling please place me in the right direction thanks craig kudson cove

[tacorajim]

The old Wood Freemans get a lot of flack these days. But . . .

My old running partner from the early 60's and I still use the Wood Freeman Model 11. We've run and trolled with WFs for over 75 years (combined) from San Pedro to Yakutat. We have Michael Freeman's phone number (founder's grandson), not that we should ever need it. I recently reset the compass shaft, cleaned and lubed the gearbox, tightened the chain, so I should be good to go a few more seasons, except for a little unscented kerosene injected annually into the compass every year to reduce the bubble.

I've adjusted the clutch so that when I'm in the pit, turning the wheel back there overrides the motor so I can dodge in a hurry, and reset my course.

Seems like every year, some boat comes in with their hydraulic pilot belly up. Most of them work fine, so I'm sure you'll have plenty of testimonials on many different units. I hope this is helpful.

[ambition]

I use the Simrad AP28. It has been a great unit for trolling. I fish alone so a good quality autopilot was very important to me, and so far it has lived up to my expectations. It was easy to install and calibrate myself, though the remote cable was not long enough for my needs from the factory. I must admit the Simrad remotes are not nearly as good as comnav remotes. The one I have is adequate for trolling but not the best for longline. Comnavs are a great pilot to but I liked the quality, accuracy, and the simplicity of the Simrad.

[salmon4u]

I fished with a model 11 WF for 5 years, met old doc freeman down in Fircrest and bought a new compass, had them look at the pilot.... then I bought a new Comnav... all I can say is.. I'll never fish again without a Comnav!

[rookie]

thanks the prices are about the same for both models So I have a month or two until i pull the boat still want to get a few more winter king to help pay for this craig

[Salty]

I installed a comnav 2001 in 1987 or 88, the second one in Sitka according to John Teas at Sitka Electronics Lab. I am still using it.

[rookie]

Comnav 1420 any thoughts

[ericv]

Rookie,
About 5 years ago I installed a ComNav 1420 in our 34' troller. She's a lighter boat than some weighing in at I believe 11 gross and net 8 tons, we draw about 3.5' as she was a former gillnetter built by Daniels in 1976. I contacted the company who assisted me in what steering ram application was appropriate as the 1420 could also be used with outboard motors. I was concerned that it wasn't going to be beefy enough for commercial use but the company indicated based on our weight and blinding speed of 6 knots that the system was fully capable. I also ordered a secondary remote for the aft work area.
I did all the install myself, the directions were pretty straight forward. I hired Eric Holmgren here in Sitka who owns Current Navigation Systems (907) 738-9257 to do all the final wiring connections. He is an exceptional source for info, troubleshooting and 100% quality work and worth what ever the charge may be.
The only glitch I had was when the time came to zero in the fluxgate compass, which by the way has worked just fine for me so far in these northern latitudes. Per directions, I went out and did a slow, tight turn over a period of a minute or what ever it called for, and was unable to get it to lock in. After several attempts I returned to the dock and called Eric. He tactfully informed me that what I had done was unnecessary, "just unbolt the fluxgate at its location and slowly rotate it in your hand for it to lock on". Well, it did the trick right there at the dock after I had spent an afternoon in Silver Bay looking like a circling idiot. It further illustrated that it pays to consult with quality folks.
We do not troll full time so our 1420 has not seen as much heavy use as what you may be doing. Each boat takes a while to get dialed in and you must be patient and allow the 1420 a few minutes of hunting around as you make your first time adjustments. At first I had it adjusted where it oversteered then I adjusted it where it wasn't enough. Over time and patience I found a happy medium setting for a variety of sea conditions and have been very pleased with it. I suggest you do these adjustments far away from traffic as it appears from afar like one has a 2 yr old kid at the helm. It is a simple unit, low cost and quite user friendly if one reads the manual.
I pretty much use it just to hold a steady course heading, if I need to shift direction, I disengage it, make the helm adjustment, hold that course bearing just a bit and then re-engage the pilot. I know there are easier options on it but this has allowed the best course hold for me. Of course during that phase, any current, wave or wind action will influence your intended course and may require a few tweaks to get your heading just so.
To transfer to the remote, I simply head back to the work area and press and hold the port/starboard colored buttons to transfer control from the helm to where I now am. This takes about 3 seconds and I have learned the hard way when I failed to do this. Example being a giant kelp wad dead ahead and me frantically holding my breath as I push and hold the buttons to allow me gain helm control to get clear of the looming mess. I've tried to drill it into my thick, blockheaded skull to do this transfer as soon as I get back to the work deck.
The drive motor is a bit noisy, kind of like a hammer drill sound and I have heard rumors that they don't last long. I made sure that the fluxgate and motor were placed in easy access, replaceable spots. So far the motor has done fine, there have been times in the summer that I bet it has ran a good 10 to 12 hours nearly non-stop without fail.
I have read some reviews in the past where folks didn't think it worked well, in nearly all cases these were in high speed outboard or inboard/outboard operations but for us at our slower speed and especially at troll speed it had been a godsend. I can scarcely believe I power trolled for 2 seasons w/o a pilot and managed to not piss off the entire fleet in the process of wandering about.
I'd recommend contacting ComNav and lay it all out to them about your vessel size, displacement, speed etc. 5 years ago they were a big help. I ordered mine from Consumer Marine Electronics and the total cost, including Eric's fine work ran far less than I expected. I depend on it seriously at all times as I single hand fish 100% of the time. Working the gear, cleaning, icing fish in the hold all take my eyes off my course and the 1420 has held true. Countless times I have had some Snafu or fubar event go on usually in heavy weather and that 1420 kept me on a safe tac while I resolved the problem.
This has been a bit on the wind-baggy side but hope it helps, good luck on what you did decide to get

Eric - F/V New Hope - Sitka

[rookie]

Thank you Eric
See top speed for me is only 8 knots I only want it to do is drive straight when im pulling gear etc etc etc. Right now i have a few young boys that like to pull gear. Right now i have to be at the helm an watch them miss with the gaff, pull the hook out of there mouth. The best thing not bait hooks or check to see if they are sharp. Oh my god Im sounding like my dad. again thanks Eric It looks like a done deal craig Ktn

[itchyscratchy]

Before going into much detail, my experience with autopilots started with Woodfreeman, then a comnav 1001, and now I've got a Furuno 511.
After talking with several other owners of boats just like mine (40' hard chin snoball), they all said an pilot can't keep up in a following sea more then a few feet high. Meaning, if you're going with it, you are forced to hand steering to keep the boat on course.

I'll have to disagree.

My furuno is fantastic. Off Cape Cross, in a following 10'-12' sea, the pilot kept me on course at trolling speed hour after hour without a problme. From what little I've read about the pilot, the software “learns” as the boat moves thru the water. The controls are straight forward and easily include a remote which is easy to install and very flexiable with regards to locations.

With any pilot, there is a learning curve, but my money is with the Furuno 511. fact is, i'm hooking the 511 to my Chart plotter (Fugawi) which will integrate waypoints, tracks and navigation between the chart plotter and pilot. Sheeze, it's just 3 wires. One sends data from the pilot to the chart plotter, the second wire is a ground, while the 3'd wire sends data from the chart plotter to the pilot.

How simple is that? ..

[Kelper]

How difficult is it to install a Com Nav 2001 auto pilot?

Thanks!