Autopilots

Time for a yearly update. I had a Bombardier Utopia - an 18'
jet-powered runabout that I added an autopilot to, but while it did work
at higher speeds, it failed miserably for trolling and fishing in
general. Last year I sold it and bought a center console Cobia, a 21'
with a 150 hp Yamaha outboard. I added a 15 hp (smallest I could get
without ordering) Suzuki outboard to use as a trolling motor. It is
tied, mechanically, to the larger Yamaha and sips fuel from the same
large tank. It works pretty well, and steers a straight course with no
hands on the wheel.

Still, I'd like to add an autopilot IF (and only if) it can operate at
trolling speeds (about 1 knot or 1.5 mph). ComNav makes a few units
which look like they'd work, but I'd like to hear that from someone
other than the manufacturer or salesman, preferably someone who owns
one. The boat is equipped with a Garmin 540 combination fishfinder/GPS
chartplotter which issues NMEA sentences.
--

Larry
rapp at lmr dot com