I have one season of use on my Autohelm ST1000+ Tillerpilot with no
problems. Here are the pieces/parts you need to order:
| Item |
Raytheon Part # |
Quantity |
Description |
| 1 |
A12004 |
1 |
ST1000+ Tillerpilot |
| 2 |
D007 |
2 |
5" Pushrod Extension |
| 3 |
D075 |
1 |
Pedestal Mount 3" |
In addition, you will need to wire in a separate fused 12 VDC circuit
to power the Tillerpilot & allow any other instruments on the SeaTalk
bus to talk to it. I have Autohelm ST-50 instruments. The ST1000+
owner's manual has pretty good installation instructions.
About a year ago, I paid just under $450 total from Defender
Industries, Inc. for my system.
You will have to decide which side of the cockpit, port or starboard,
to mount the unit. I have remote engine controls, mounted on the port
side of the cockpit. I didn't want to restrict access to the outboard
motor or the remote engine controls, so I mounted the Tillerpilot on
the starboard side. You will have to remember to remove the
Tillerpilot before folks start using your boarding ladder. Under sail,
this starboard side installation has worked well with the exception
of slightly reduced access to the backstay tension adjuster. Oh well,
nothing is perfect & the backstay tension adjuster is one of the
least frequently used controls.
The Rhodes 22 responds well to an autopilot & the ST1000+ Tillerpilot
seems to be plenty fast & powerful enough to steer the boat. The
nearly balanced rudder design & low required steering force make the
Rhodes 22 a good fit for an autopilot. It even does a fairly good job
of holding course on a fast 20 knot broad reach with a 4-6 foot stern
quartering sea. When steering manually, it is impossible to leave the
helm for even a moment under such the conditions. Under the same
conditions, the autopilot is also very busy & of course it isn't
smart enough to anticipate the next wave for the possibility of
surfing. So, you will average about 15-20% slower speed. But, it does
hold the set course at least as well as a human helmsman. By the end
of this season, I was growing sufficiently confident in the autopilot
that I was willing to go down below & use the head while
singlehanding. It's been a useful addition to Dynamic Equilibrium's
equipment & certainly makes long shorthanded passages much less
tiring.
If you have any specific questions on the ST1000+ Tillerpilot
installation, just let me know & I'll try to answer them as best
I can.
Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
12 Jan 2001
I have the ST1000+ and the old boat navico 300(in fact the 300 is
just collecting dust right now), I switched to the ST1000+ so it
could talk to the st60 tridata on the new boat, the navico 300 used a
little less power but the controls and operation are better on the
ST1000+ (the display a big big plus) along with the fact is gets
speed information make control much better. I like auto pilots. I am
a heavy guy and going below or forward will change the boat trim,
the auto pilot will handle it. Also when I trying to get somewhere It
is happy to steer for hour after hour. You have to balance your sails
for it and trim them to handle a wind shift. And time to time the
wind shift will get the unit, but it will hold a compass course
better then most people and will work under motor with on trouble
(great for making landfall at night, reading courses off a charts and
setting the unit, acts as a third hand, lets you watch the GPS,
charts and the outside of the boat instead of the compass). Ask me I
say to get it.
MJM
13 Jan 2001
Raytheon did not have a GPS that I liked 2 years ago, only chart
plotters with the expensive GPS heads, they claim that a gps to match
the st60 should be out about now, have not seen it yet. also they
came out with their 320 with waa a few months ago. give 6 foot
actuality without the whip antenna, I might do that and a sonic speed
transducer for spring.
As i do it now, I just take the portable "course to steer" and punch
it up on the autopilot, every once and awhile I add or subject a
degree when i am checking the too. It works. yes it does act as a
third hand, just watch out it is very happy to run over buoys (my
usual wave point), when you are making a daylong passage, it is
invaluable. I used it to fix a stuck furrier when single handling,
really making something to eat, taking a dump, plot my course, check
the barring or reread the guild while coming in to a new place. etc.
I like having a crew mate that does not wine, eat, get cold, talk
back(beeping maybe), now if it could just have kids it would be a
perfect wife :-)
MJM
13 Jan 2001
Have any of you (or anyone you know) put an Autohelm ST1000+ on a
Rhodes 22?
Primarily looking for actual experience. Ideas and opinions on
feasibility welcome. Not interested in wind vanes, etc. at this point,
but will explore them at another time.
Thanks for whatever help you can give.
Robert Skinner,
Rockville, Maryland
12 Jan 2001
