auto pilot options

[viper1]

Boats a v22 .1 1989 Starcraft Islander hard top. 3.0Mercruiser alpha 1 gen 1 out drive. Rack and pinion steering And the question is what's the best auto pilot for this boat that won't cost an arm and a leg. As I see it I have 3 options. A kicker motor and autopilot, an autopilot for the main motor and a Minn Kota i pilot.
So whats your thoughts on these and best way to go.
A little more info.... I mainly troll 1.0 - 3.5 MPH or walleyes. Rarely troll bigger then 2 ft waves Which would be the main use. I do have a yamaha 8 hp 2 cyl tiller if that's an option.

 

[GA_Boater]

Chemicalwire put an Ipilot on his Chieftain starting at this post - http://forums.iboats.com/forum/owne...rcraft-chieftan-18-rebuild/page56#post9917664

He also added a remote throttle control to his Honda kicker, sort of like a remote controlled plane except it's wired, not wireless. Starting here - http://forums.iboats.com/forum/owne...rcraft-chieftan-18-rebuild/page62#post9970229

 

[Georgesalmon]

I have a Raymarine sport pilot +. Have a merc 9.9 pro-kicker and use a tie bar from the main motor. The sport pilot steers the main motor and the tie bar moves the kicker. Works perfect in up to about 3 to 4 foot seas. After that it does need a little help at the helm. I troll Walleyes like you 1- 1.5mph and also salmon 2.5-3.5mph with this.

Have a friend with an 8hp Yamaha and an ipilot on the bow. His outfit works fine to for walleye trolling. But it does take him a bit longer and more fiddling to get it all working right each time. He is good for 4-6 hours with his trolling motor battery setup where I can go forever on mine.

 

[viper1]

I have several charter captain buddies who use the kicker and ipilot. Set up right the batteries last all day. Its rarely ever run hard as the out board does the work. And i do like the anchoring feature that would help with perch fishing. Only real advantage I see in an autopilot would be for running to and from. Not sure id use it for that. As Erie has a lot of water obstacles especially after a hard blow. Not sure how much gas id save between a 8 horse kicker and a 4 cyl 140 hp mercruiser at almost idle.

 

[laurentide]

I have several charter captain buddies who use the kicker and ipilot. Set up right the batteries last all day. Its rarely ever run hard as the out board does the work. And i do like the anchoring feature that would help with perch fishing. Only real advantage I see in an autopilot would be for running to and from. Not sure id use it for that. As Erie has a lot of water obstacles especially after a hard blow. Not sure how much gas id save between a 8 horse kicker and a 4 cyl 140 hp mercruiser at almost idle.

Yeah, exactly. I have this setup (that GA boater linked to above) and it works all day long. I run the ipilot on 4 and adjust speed with the kicker. In heavy wind I'll bump it to 5. My batteries have never gone below half charge (2 group 29's). Granted I've only run this setup for a couple of months, but I love it so far.

Pros of the kicker+ ipilot rig are: steering from the bow is much more effective in wind and waves. Spot lock, it's awesome. Putting batteries in the bow of a starcraft improves the ride tremendously.

Since you already have the t8 you're halfway there. Feel free to ask questions about my setup on my SC cuddy, or check out my thread that GA mentioned. I did get the self-deploying ipilot due to the limited bow access.

Remember that you'll likely need hydraulic steering if you go with a traditional AP.

 

[GA_Boater]

viper - I just noticed this is in the Mercruiser section. Gonna move it to Boat Topics and Questions so more members see it.

 

[viper1]

Ok thanks, wasn't thinking. chemicalwire Hole long of shaft and lb thrust you using. I have been told I need to buy 1he 105 thrust then another said he is using a 60lb with no problem. Wish i could afford a four stroke kicker. Hate mixing fuel. Then i could run straight from main tank with no extra tank needed. Did i understand correctly
? you have a 24 volt set up not 36?