Plastimo, Autohelm, and Navico came on the scene in the early 1990s, but the field was gradually reduced to two major players, Simrad and Raymarine. Tillermaster owners either swore by or swore at their units and quickly learned to carry multiple replaceable fuses and drive replacements (made from fishing line) in the chart-table drawer. This small, lightweight tillerpilot attached to one side of the cockpit and could be quickly removed for stowage.Īlthough slow and vulnerable to water, the Tillermaster was the standard for more than 20 years, racking up thousands of miles on the worlds oceans. Tillerpilot Evolutionĭeveloped 50 years ago in Swede Johnsons garage in Costa Mesa, Calif., the first widely available tillerpilot was a heavy, boxy affair that spanned the cockpit and clutched the tiller in a sliding yoke, It was made by Signet for many years until the venerable Tillermaster came on the scene in the early 1970s. #Raymarine autohelm 2000 drive current output series#As we progress through our series of autopilot tests this year, we hope to return to these models again with additional tests. The 2008 June, July, and November issues of Practical Sailor documented Allans equipping Wildflower and the boats eventual loss.Īlthough the tillerpilots went down with Wildflower, Allan was able to save his notes and test data so that we might present this report of his experiences with these two pieces of gear. Wildflower, the boat hed owned for 30 years, was scuttled. Readers may recall that Allan ran into a gale on the return trip and decided the best course of action was to seek safety on a passing freighter. The autopilots were installed shortly before last years Singlehanded Trans-Pac Race (SHTP) from San Francisco to Kauai, Hawaii, which Allan won on corrected time. Contributing editor and offshore sailor Skip Allan equipped his 27-foot Tom Wiley custom-designed sloop, Wildflower, with two different entry-level tillerpilots: the Simrad TP10 and the Raymarine ST1000 Plus. Keeping in mind the difficulty of applying any single-boat findings to a larger universe of boats and conditions, Practical Sailor launched head-to-head sea trials last year. It would be nice to compare these devices at sea, but evaluating tillerpilots on the water presents significant challenges, as no two boats behave identically when steered by autopilot, and sea conditions can greatly impact performance. 1, 2001), testers concentrated on a series of bench tests evaluating thrust, current draw, and hardover times (the time it takes the ram to travel lock to lock). The last time Practical Sailor looked at tillerpilots (Sept.
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