I have not had nearly enough time on the water with the new AP system for anything approaching a full review.
I'll add to this as I get more use, the first impressions exceeded my expectations. It is simply an amazing little device, doing everything from heading hold - at all speeds - to autorouting to a waypoint in a channel - sweeeeet!
The remote adds the wow factor as it even has gesture control albeit I prefer to press the arrows in the remote - to steer the boat. Very cool.
I am an okay DIY-er but decided to go with a professional installer for this project; Octopus Yachts of Belmar, NJ in my case. Glad I did, it was not a trivial job particularly with the second helm configuration. The guys did an outstanding job, picked best locations for everything, calibration are spot on, and they bled and re-bled my steering so it works better than new from factory. I also got the G3 Vision maps installed, and the new ACR OLAS MOB system, so I'm a happy camper.
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Next time you run your boat, start a “track” in your chart plotter existing your marina to where you reach open ocean. Best to do this on a low traffic day when you can steer your boat using heading mode with the autopilot engaged without interrupting exactly how you would like it to go, as in staying on the right side of the channel for the trip out to open ocean. Upon reaching open ocean, stop the “track“ save it as a “ROUTE” and name it “Exit”.
When you head back in, position the boat in open water in an ideal location to begin the route back to your marina. Now start another “track”, steer your boat back to the marina on autopilot staying on the right side of the channel. Upon reaching your marina, stop the “track” and save it as a route marked “Return”.
You will now have saved routes that your autopilot can follow leaving and returning to your marina.
WORDS OF CAUTION:
Depending upon the performance of your autopilot and how narrow your route is leading to the sea, will impact how effectively your autopilot can follow these routes and if navigating in tight spaces constant attention and monitoring of the pilot is require for both traffic and to make sure the pilot doesn’t stray and hit an obstruction.
In my instance I run about 3 miles to open ocean from my marina. For the last 7 years 90+% of the time I am on autopilot following my Ocean Exit or Ocean Return routes.
Once routes & autopilot performance are tested to work having these saved routes can be extremely valuable both at night and in the fog, two conditions I run in frequently. Having the autopilot removes the workload of holding heading manually and makes it easier to monitor the RADAR scanning for traffic/ obstructions and monitoring location on the plotter and sonar to confirm that the boat is where it should be.
When operating like this you can remain on auto pilot while transitioning back and forth to heading mode to make adjustments as necessary to avoid traffic & obstructions.
At ANY TIME that you feel overwhelmed managing the autopilot disengage it and steer the boat manually. The autopilot is designed to lower work load not increase it.
I think you will discover the more you use the autopilot and the more comfortable you become with it’s operation, the MORE you will appreciate how incredible of a tool they can be especially in low visibility conditions when the autopilot can lower your workload and allow you to concentrate more on the RADAR then holding heading with the helm.
On a typical day I will run my “EXIT” route to open ocean. Upon reaching ocean, without ever disengaging the pilot I will select “stop follow” in my plotter and then select the waypoint I am planning on starting my fishing at, typically 20+ miles away, selected “go to” and that’s it, boat is headed that way without me ever touching the helm.
Leaving fishing, 20, 30 miles offshore, I set the plotter up to follow my “Return” route and let it rip, boat on autopilot heads to that initial fix on my “RETURN“ route and then follows the rest of the rout to the marina.
Along the way I may have to alter course several times for traffic but I typically do so with autopilot still engaged just transiting back and forth to heading mode as required by the situation......
