installing ST 2000 tiller pilot (CD25)

[John B]

I just returned from a 9 day tour of (parts of) Lake Erie.

The ST2000 worked wonderfully. I singlehanded the trip and in the end used it at least 90% of the time (under both sail/power or combination of both.)

I used it for 35+ mile legs...ie: all damn day.

I returned to a port, powered the battery up to a charger. She charged fully in minutes. So the st 2000 can't be drawing much power.

To cruise singlehand w/o one would be using poor judgement I feel. It allows you to avoid being "game-on" for hours and hours.

GREAT investment.

Now I need a bigger boat and more time!

JB

[KDreese]

Awesome. I am definately going to get one for next season because I single hand 99% of the time.

Just wondering.... do you use it when you raise the sails? If so what is the process you follow (e.g. point the boat into the wind and press a button on the tiller pilot to set the course... then go raise the sails?)?

[Warren Kaplan]

Awesome. I am definately going to get one for next season because I single hand 99% of the time.

Just wondering.... do you use it when you raise the sails? If so what is the process you follow (e.g. point the boat into the wind and press a button on the tiller pilot to set the course... then go raise the sails?)?

If I don't raise the sails at the mooring I do exactly as you mentioned. Point the boat directly into the wind, fit the pilot onto the tiller pin, and press "auto". Then I raise the sail.

To me its more useful lowering the sail at the end of the day. Same thing.....point into the wind and let the pilot steer while I douse the sail.

Then I let the pilot start to steer the boat directly back to my marina while I get sail ties on the main, clean up and stow the lines in the cockpit, and straighten everything up.

When I reach the marina I steer by hand and pick up my mooring, but by that time the boat is mostly put to bed and all I have to do is a few more things before I close up the boat and call the launch to go ashore.

[John B]

Exactly.

I generally bungee the taller to center while raising the sails while day sailing. The TP also works fine when hoisting (better actually.)

CRUISING is where the TP changes everything.

I sailed a beat from Port Colborn Canada to Dunkirk NY last week. The TP held my course for 3+ hrs into a 10-15kt breeze, w/ gusts to 20....4 footers w/ an occasional 6-8ft rollers. To singlehand this course w/ no rest would beat the heck out of a younger guy than I.

Buy one.

JB

[Lee Kaufman]

I have a TP-2000 and an alternator on my Nissan 6hp outboard. The alternator will not keep up with the tiller pilot even running 1-1.5 hrs to get out of the waterway to sail and the same to come back in. I use a charger to top off the battery occasionally.

[John B]

That is good to know. I considered adding an alternator to the motor but probably won't.

At this point unfortunately, I may be selling this beloved boat. My 2 young kids and wife are making things a bit cramped. They love the boat but its too small for a young sailing family.

I plan to move to a 30-something.

[Joe Myerson]

I installed my ST-2000 at the beginning of the season, but didn't get it properly calibrated until mid-July. So far, I've only used it to raise and lower the sails (I used to use a bungee to raise the main).

I've only run for a little more than a half-hour while under power, and used it under sail for about the same length of time. (The wind started shifting dramatically and gusting, so I disengaged the autopilot.)

For me, the most useful thing so far has been when raising the mainsail. As it's impossible for me to sense the full force of the wind on the bay from my mooring, I used to reef on the mooring and then shake out the reef if necessary when I got out on the bay.

Now, I head out onto Buzzards Bay, point the boat into the wind and use the ST-2000 to hold it there. If necessary, I can reef as I'm raising the sail.

It promises to be a wonderful crewmember when I go on long singlehanded trips.

--Joe

[Ron Churgin]

Joe,

When you raise the main and use the tiller pilot to keep you into the wind, is the engine running and are you in gear?

What I am asking is if you need to be motoring while using the tiller pilot to keep you into the wind for raising your sail.

[Neil Gordon]

What I am asking is if you need to be motoring while using the tiller pilot to keep you into the wind for raising your sail.

For the tiller pilot to work, you need water moving over the rudder. I'm not sure how you'd have steerageway pointed right into the wind unless the motor was running.

[Joe Myerson]

Ron,

Yes, I forgot to mention one key factor in using that ST-2000:

I have the engine running and in gear. I often try to fine-tune the engine speed so the boat is either standing still or moving slightly forward.

--Joe

[Ron Churgin]

Well, of course that makes sense, there must be some motion for the tiller to have effect. When single handing and going forward to raise the main I feel more comfortable with the engine in neutral. This does present problems if there is a strong wind or current, however.

[Neil Gordon]

When single handing and going forward to raise the main I feel more comfortable with the engine in neutral. This does present problems if there is a strong wind or current, however.

I'm a fan of getting some momentum into the wind, putting the motor in neutral and going forward. If I can get the main partly up as the bow falls off, the boat will sail itself back into the wind and I can get the main up the rest of the way.

[Warren Kaplan]

I have the engine running and the throttle set at dead slow (or idle I guess) so the boat makes some headway keeping it going in the direction I want. Without making headway the tillerpilot cannot work and an alarm will go off when that happens.

[Dick Barthel]

I installed my ST 2000 precisely as Warren has shown. It has worked flawlessly for 4 years now. If you move it closer to the stern you are making it work harder (as Stan pointed out). The unit can probably handle it given the overkill on a 25D but I see no disadvantage to putting in on the cover with a backing plate. Dick

[jerryaxler]

As Warren pointed out , if not in gear the alarm goes off because of being off course. In addition, if the auto works hard enough to return to course, you will likely blow the circuit breaker.