MacGregorSailors.com

Does anybody have any thoughts on the "SportPilot Plus" autopilot?
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... /629/628/3

Search the archives - there is a plethora of threads there. Most like it.

Love mine, for my money it is the perfect pilot for a mac both functionally and looks wise.

I have no experience with the Sportpilot, but it is designed for power boats. If you mostly power, it will probably be fine for you.

If you spend more time sailing, for about the same money the ST4000+ has way more functionality and is designed for sailboats. There's little doubt it is considerably more difficult to install.

Again, I can't personally say anything against the Sportpilot, but I have a friend with a 26X who is fed up enough with his that he's unloading it on eBay so he can replace it with an ST4000.

Installed mine last winter. It's probally my favorite mod. It comes in handy since I single hand a lot. It's fairly easy to install and as Dwain said it looks as though it's made for the Mac pedestal. I would highly recommend it.

And that way more functionality of the ST4000 is what Chip?

From what I can tell you get a display, with info I don't find very useful that is already shown on my GPS, and you get an auto tack button. If there's more let please let me know. I already know the ST4000 gives you a wheel with no room to grip it unless you upgrade to a larger diameter and that the mounting hardware shipped with the ST4000 is not compatible with the shape of the Mac pedestal.

The Sport Pilot performs great under sail. It easily holds a course under power or sail at all speeds where you can have the centerboard and the rudders down. It struggles, just like a human pilot with the fins up at speeds of 8-10 knots. At higher speeds it is again back in full control and does a great job.

It also steers far better when following a GPS based course than it does just holding a compass course. This actually lets the pilot take you where you want to go rather than just keeping you pointed in the same direction. You don't have to use a full route. You can simply move the cursor on the chart to where you want to head and select navigate to cursor and the pilot will take you to that point. If you want it will follow a full route prompting for permission to turn at each waypoint. The NMEA connection between the GPS and the pilot is two simple wires.

Do I need a "plus" or is the normal sportpilot good enough for the Mac? Any thoughts?

Rich

I went with the standard SportPilot and had to return it 3 times. The last time the company replaced the motor with the Plus model. So far, no more problems.

The remote is definately worth considering. It's great being able to steer from below.

I also started with the non-Plus and it went bad. Raymarine replaced it with the Plus and recommends the Plus for slow boats, i.e. sailboats. I am happy with it.

I have a question on using the sportpilot with GPS. If you are following a GPS course which specifies a turn does it make the turn automatically or does it just ask you if you wish to turn. If it does it automatically I assume the turn is made at whatever speed you are doing--or does it turn wider at high speed?
Thanks,

From what I can tell you get a display, with info I don't find very useful that is already shown on my GPS, and you get an auto tack button.

The data is not the same as on the GPS unless you set it up that way, and although you could , I don't know why you'd do that. I find the data displayed quite useful. If you have Raymarine or other brand electronics with NMEA, you can set up custom pages on the ST4000 display to show the data from those instruments as well, and step through them whenever you like. The display also serves as a rudder position indicator, and can give you diagnostic data whenever there'a a problem.

IMO the autotack feature alone would be worth the additional trouble on the installation. But that isn't the only button. You get plus and minus one and ten degree incremental buttons, so you can make either minor or major corrections, or (for instance) one, hit the +10 three times and the +1 three times and the AP will make a precise, 33 degree course change.

Seems like a lot to me, especially considering the price is pretty much the same.

It's true as I stated it's more difficult to install. I always thought the dinky stock wheel deserved to be replaced anyway, so the larger wheel was not a problem for me.

Billy / Jack,

When you say that it went bad, did it completely stop working or was it just not doing a good job?

Rick

There are +/- 1 degree course change buttons on the Sport Pilot as well, they are on the top of the stalk. There are not the 10 degree ones.

I feel another advantage of the sport pilot is the ability to just grab the wheel while the pilot is engaged and change to any course. The pilot will not fight you when you do this. When you have the new course you just release the wheel and the pilot will now hold the new compass course (not in GPS Nav Mode). As I understand it you have to disengage the ST4000, change the course, then re-engage the ST4000 to accomplish this. I find the abilty to still steer while in cruise control mode an important feature. Making a quick course change is simpler which I find useful around here as you often are right on top of floating logs and junk up here before you see them.

Also, as with any of the Raymarine pilots you can add the fixed ST4000 type control head, the wired remote type control head or the wireless control head to the Sport Pilot and have all the same functions. These all connect to the SeaTalk bus and you still have the NMEA bus for the GPS connection. You can also connect the Sport Pilot to any other SeaTalk Raymarine instruments you might have on board. It has all the same connectivity as the ST4000.

Rick,

In reference to going bad
--the first time my became difficult to turn and the tech @ Raymarine said it could lock up at any time.
--the second time I was on Biscayne Bay. I could hear the motor humming but no feedback to the wheel.
--third time, (having trouble remembering but I think) the motor itself went out and the factory installed the Plus motor instead the standard.

I like the unit and would probably buy it again for a Mac. The only thing that bothers me is the slight wobble in the wheel. My guess is this is allowance for the internal clutches.

CHIP:does your friend still have the unit,might be interested in a private sale,and avoid e-bay fees,if so use PM feature and will reply with an e-mail,,thanks mark,97x