Signature 350/370 Auto Pilot

Ontariochaparral

Ontariochaparral

Member
Has anyone installed Auto pilot on their 350 370 chaparral.

My boat has twin 8.1 V drives
 

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I had a Sig 290 which was rack & pinion. Is the 370 hydraulic? They do make a mechanical one to drive the steering.

Hydraulic is much easier to install. You cut into the lines, add Tees and add more oil. Than make up your connections.

I never had one before until I got this boat. I would go with Simrad's A.P. unit. Some of my friends have Simrad and its very responsive in corrections. In other words, if the wind, waves and current push you the AP reacts very quickly.

You do understand that you will need a NMEA2k network, A.P. control display and a electronic compass.
 
I would go with Simrad, you will not regret it! Most boaters do not use the chart plotter to have the A.P. fellow a route. More so if the boat is as fast as yours. Safety first as they say. In other words, you can mix brands.

Even if you go with Raymarine, you want a separate controller for the A.P. If your chart plotter fails you can still use your A.P.

Good luck!

 
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I will definitely look into it. We will be doing very long crossings. Auto would make it much easier. It would be nice to have lunch, play some guitar and such. I would mostly be running at 14km on pilot. Up on step I would feel better holding onto the wheel. Good point regarding failure.
 
Having lunch is one thing, but playing the guitar?

The A.P. does take some of the strain out of a long trip. Waves, wakes, wind and current don't affect the boat that much when using the A.P. It corrects the course faster than I ever could! A great tool when your in the fog! Keeping you going starlight on your route.

Is that 14Km speed or distance?
 
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Ha, absolutely, I was kidding about the guitar. I typically run 14 Km per hour or 44 kph. They are the two best hull speeds for the boat. Another thing that is nice in fog and also when running directly into a sunset is Flir night vision. I find it totally value added.
 
I don't have Flir. The more I think about it, yes a nice tool. I do have to say, radar and AIS are must haves. Flir is a great option, pricy still but prices are coming down.
 
Ontariochaparral said:
Ha, absolutely, I was kidding about the guitar. I typically run 14 Km per hour or 44 kph. They are the two best hull speeds for the boat. Another thing that is nice in fog and also when running directly into a sunset is Flir night vision. I find it totally value added.
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So did you install the AP?
 
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