# raymarine s 1000



## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

got a new (old) boat a 1991 welcarft 233 eclipse. i troll by myself quite a bit and thinking of adding an autopilot. anyone familiar with the raymarine s 1000. don't want to spend a ton of money, mainly interested in holding it straight when setting lines and bringing in fish. thanks for any thoughts


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## FreeByrdSteve (Jun 28, 2004)

The Raymarine S1000 pilot is a pretty entry level autopilot. It will struggle at speeds below about 1.8 MPH. They claim it will work down to about 1.2 MPH. It is desigend for hydraulic steering outboard boats. (not sure if that is the set up on your boat or not??)

Raymarine has reintroduced the old Sport Pilot wheel pilot that will work with other types of steering. I've not personally used one of the newer Sport Pilots but understand they work much better than previous versions of the Sport Pilot.

Autopilots are truly something that the old saying "you get what you pay for" is a very true statement. The hardest thing for an autopilot to do is what a walleye fisherman wants - good boat control at SLOW speeds.

The entry level pilots will likely work well enough for you to "set lines / net fish" and will work better going with the waves. The more expensive pilots (between $3,000 - $4,000 installed) have better capabilities for the real slow speeds and also for going into / quartering waves and running troughs.


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## Dawitner (Apr 25, 2004)

I have the S1000 on my boat, (bought the boat used and it was installed) and I really like it. I troll with 1 or 2 amish bags and the majority of the time it works just fine. It does have some trouble if there is a lot of wind and big waves. Occasionally it does lose its mind and wants to turn the boat in a big circle. It does have to be going approximatley 3mph or above to set it then you can slow down from there. The remote control is very handy, keep it around your neck and you can control the boat from anywhere, as long as you keep a good eye out in front of you.


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## Keith R (Feb 19, 2006)

I have the Raymarine X-5 on my boat (23' Trophy) and it works pretty good. The unit was recalled in july for some safety issue's and they sent me a new unit which will be back on in the spring. The cost was somewhere around $1600 for the unit. Everyone will also tell you money very well spent, no matter which unit you need and buy for your boat.

Keith R.


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