CONTINUOUSWAVE

Now that the Lowrance Outboard Pilot [auto-pilot] has been out and people have had a chance to use it, what are the reviews of it?

How well does [the Lowrance Outboard Pilot] hold course at 1.5 to 2.0-MPH in two-foot seas heading into the wind?

[I would be installing] on a 2015 Starcraft Superfisherman 186 with a Yamaha F150 and 9.9-HP auxiliary.

Several users give their first-hand comments about the Lowrance OUTBOARD PILOT auto-pilot in a prior discussion of that device at Lowrance Auto-pilot for HDS. I doubt that you can find anything close to that same price point that would work any better.

How well does your 18-foot aluminum boat hold coarse into two-foot seas and headwinds at 1.5-MPH when you are steering it?

Re running 1.5- to 2-MPH in choppy conditions: that's a lot to ask of ANY autopilot. I've never tried running this slowly with the autopilot engaged, but I suspect you'd be doing a lot of fish tailing, as the unit would try to overcompensate course changes.

In the conditions specified--1.5-MPH boat speed into 2-foot seas and head winds--is the boat being propelled by the center-mounted main engine or by the off-center mounted auxiliary engine?

The reason for my inquiry: I suspect that when the boat is propelled by the off-center mounted auxiliary engine, the response to helm input to turn left or right is not symmetrical. For example, if the auxiliary engine is mounted on the starboard side of the transom, I suspect it can make the boat turn to port more easily and faster than it can make the boat to turn to starboard. Can an auto-pilot learn this anomaly in the boat steering and compensate for it?

I don't think these systems are heuristic, at least not ones that cost only $900 for the whole shebang.

I understand what everyone is saying. I won't be using [the Lowrance OUTBOARD PILOT] all the time at those speeds. Most of my trolling is done at 5-MPH. When I get a fish I will slow down to above idle, but running planer boards the boat has to stay decently straight. I'm not asking it to stay dead on in those conditions because I know its nearly impossible. When it's rough out I use the main engine more.

NEW TOPIC: Is the Raymarine EV100 a better [auto-pilot] unit than the Lowrance?

I am NOT familiar with the RAYMARINE EV-100 autopilot. Since you mentioned it, I did a bit of reading about it. I think the EV-100 is a bundle of products that consists of the following:

--EV-1 sensor core, a nine-axis magnetic and inertial sensor and course computer

--ACU-100 autopilot control unit, an interface between EV-1 and steering system;

--p70R autopilot control head dedicated to running the autopilot, setting course, and engaging and disengaging the autopilot;

--0.5ltr hydraulic pump to interconnect with your hydraulic steering system; and

--Evolution cabling kit to connect the above elements of the system.

The retail price seems to be about $1,500, which is at least $500 more than the Lowrance OUTBOARD PILOT. An important distinction between the EV100 package and the OUTBOARD PILOT: the EV100 has a dedicated autopilot control head, while the OUTBOARD PILOT must be controlled through a compatible Lowrance multi-function display, chart plotter, and SONAR unit.

The EV-1 sensor core appears to not contain a GPS receiver. The wiring diagram shows the EV100 operating without any external components connected. This suggests that its control is strictly based on magnetic heading input. The Lowrance OUTBOARD PILOT interfaces with a GNSS receiver and is said to be able to steer the vessel along predefined routes or to follow certain patterns when trolling. I don't know if the Raymarine has that ability.

I think you can interface the Raymarine EV-1 to a NMEA-2000 network, and perhaps on the network you could have chart plotter that could control it. Most chart plotters can output commands to an autopilot when the chart plotter is running in a GO-TO-WAYPOINT mode. I don't know if those commands are universal and if the Raymarine autopilot can respond to them. You'd better talk to Raymarine about this aspect of system integration. Or, browse the instruction manual for the p70R control head for clues.

A professional marine installer comments favorably on the EV-1 in his blog.

I have two HDS-8 Gen2's on the dash so [I] have [a compatible Lowrance chart plotter] to run the Lowrance OUTBOARD PILOT.

The Raymarine EV-100 can be hooked up to a Lowrance [chart plotter] and EV-100 has--I believe--four patterns that it will go on. Plus, you can lock onto a waypoint and go to it.

The feature on the Lowrance that has me even thinking about it is depth contour tracking. This allows the autopilot to follow a certain depth off of the readings of your SONAR--not the map, which we know is not accurate a lot of the time. That feature alone would allow me or someone to go back and set rods and know my boat will be trolling in, let's say, 15-feet of water. If [the Lowrance OUTBOARD PILOT] works the way [Lowrance] says it does, [the OUTBOARD PILOT] is a game changer.

Todd Yester

The Raymarine EV-100 is a bundle of components. Which of its component do you connect to a Lowrance chart plotter to control the auto pilot? How do you connect them?

Re following a depth contour: I believe [the Lowrance Outboard Pilot auto-pilot] follows the contour from the chart card, not depth readings from the SONAR. How would [an auto-pilot] know where to steer the boat if it's only looking at what's under the boat?