cetiedeman

Jim,

I have a 25' Grady with twin Yamaha 150 HPDI's that we use to fish offshore in South Carolina. I am interested in adding an autopilot that will get us from point A to B, but also have the capability to complete fishing patterns. I have two GPS units, Garmin 2006C and Raymarine C80. I would prefer to link the unit to the Garmin as I use the Raymarine primarily for radar and a back up GPS. Please let me know your recommendation within reason financially.

Thanks,
Clay

yachtjim

Well, there are three main systems to choose from that do patterns. The Simrad AP24, Garmin GHP10, and Raymarine S1000. They are priced in that order too. The GHP 10 is the best pilot on the market in my opinion and it will cost you about $2400 plus hoses. The Raymarine S1000 will work for faster trolling over 3MPH but can be sluggish abd even shut off for trolling slower than that. Otherwise its a great pilot and should work on your boat although you'll be pushing its limits. It is under $900! The AP24 is nice too, but more expensive than the GHP10 with fewer features.

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cetiedeman

Thanks for the response! Do you have any experience with Raymarine's X-5 Sportpilot with the ST70 controller? I understand that it will do what I need it to do and is less expensive than the Garmin unit.

Thanks,
Clay

mechanic31

Since you want to link the autopilot with your gps, the one you want is the tr-1 autopilot. Garmin owns tr-1 and it is a direct hook up to your gps.

yachtjim

The Garmin TR1 (GHP10) won't integrate with a Garmin unit any better than any other unit.

Clay, I would not personally consider the x-5. First, it is not out yet so there is no track record. 2nd I am just not a fan of this type of pilot when you can get a traditional hydraulic pilot. I don't like the way the sport pilots take over your wheel and make it spin. I have also found prior models to not work nearly as well as pumped pilots.

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