Tom Smith wrote: > My only comment is it's good to figure out how >to perform critical activities such as heaving too and like maneuvers >without mechanized assistance, that way you always have backup. I agree. I've only used my tiller pilot a few times so far, but I wouldn't recommend depending on one for much more than a break from the tiller. They are not real convenient to engage and disengage (it takes a pretty good whack to snap it onto the tiller bracket pin, and a sharp yank to get it off) and you can't steer manually while it's on there. You can control the course with the directional buttons, but that's rather slow, especially in an emergency. I still use the homemade bungee/rope/jamcleat tiller tamer I copied from Tom Smith much more often. More convenient for a short break. The autopilot did make a recent 40 mile day much more enjoyable, especially since most of it was motoring. I was able to move around the boat, make a sandwich, watch the dolphins, etc....
Larry _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
