The Pros and Cons of Marine Autopilot Systems

Whether you are planning an offshore fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico or planning to sail around the world, you need an autopilot system. Sitting at the helm the whole time just isn’t an option because you will miss out on so much. You need to be able to take care of various tasks around the boat while it pushes onward through the water.

There are two ways to let the boat coast along. You could use an electrical autopilot system or a windvane. Each of them with their advantages and disadvantages, but I will be focusing on the pros and cons of the electrical systems. Though there may be a few cons, you will see that the pros definitely outweigh them.

Most people prefer to use an electrical autopilot simply because it is easy to use and is usually very accurate. Once it has been installed all you need to do before you take it out to sea is go through a short setup. After you have done this, you can get out on the water and finish the setup. In less than 15 minutes the system will have learned nearly all it will need to know about how the vessel handles on the water. It will know the turning limits as well as the various speeds it can handle. Whatever it doesn’t learn in the setup, it will pick up along the way.

Another good thing about an autopilot is that it adapts easily to the environmental conditions that the boat is subjected to. Though wind and waves may threaten to through the boat off course, the autopilot will have a specific heading. It will make the slightest adjustments that will maintain course so that you can get to where you are headed. The only time that it may fail in this task is when the boat is going at very slow speeds. This can easily be remedied though with a GPS system.

Yet another plus to an electrical autopilot is that once you have pushed a few buttons, you are good to go. But, what if something ends up in the way of the boat? Most systems are so easy to use that you can simply take over the helm, navigate around the obstacle, and the auto pilot will take over again. You don’t need to reset the course. It’ll just pick up where you left off. It’s that easy.

Of course, there are some down sides. Installation can be a little tedious and labor intensive. Plus, if you happen to get a system that isn’t the right size, then you could easily be steered off course. But these are merely the least of your problems when it comes to an electrical autopilot.

The biggest problem that you will have with an autopilot system is power. It takes a sizeable amount of power to keep the autopilot going for an extended period of time. This may not be a problem if you are only planning a short fishing trip. But if you are planning an extended sea voyage on your sail boat then you may want to consider getting a windvane in addition to an autopilot system. That way, you can conserve power when the weather is favorable and use the auto pilot when it isn’t.