# Autopilot -raymarine



## BHAPPY (Feb 10, 2008)

does anyone have a Raymarine evolution auto pilot on their boat?
we went to the boat show in Cleveland today and spoke to a Raymarine dealer who said it the newest one on the market.
price was comparable to a garmin ghp-10

any thoughts on which one to buy?

did some research at home on the raymarine and couldn't find much about different autopilot courses (zig/zag, figure 8's) that i think other autopilots may have

for the record i plan on having it installed by a dealer maybe in Huron (garmin) or Cleveland (raymarine)

thanks for any thoughts/info on this matter
Brian D


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## Workdog (Jan 10, 2007)

Well, I installed the Garmin GHP-10, so I can tell you some benefits of that one...and considerations you should ensure are in the Ray before you buy.

1st, the Garmin is a real quiet unit. The wheel does NOT turn when the pilot is operating, and the only sound is some pulsing of hydraulic fluid thru the lines every once in a while. It is not real noticeable on my boat. If I had shorter lines or could stabilize the lines the whole way (by anchoring the lines to bulkheads the whole way) there would be no sound--Ask how loud the Ray unit is.

2nd, the Garmin will do multiple preprogrammed patterns. Check the GHP-10 manual in my link at the bottom. Patterns include: zigzag, circles, U-turn, and man overboard (angles off then turns back around to the MOB point). With a GPS attached, the unit will also steer a route, orbit a point, cloverleaf, and conduct a search pattern about a point.

3rd, the Garmin has "Shadow Drive." This allows you to take the wheel while the autopilot is engaged, to turn quickly to avoid an obstacle in the water without disengaging the autopilot first. Once you let go of the wheel the autopilot automatically takes over again--See if the Raymarine unit will do this...shadow drive is a very nice feature.

4th, Garmin uses NMEA 2000--I see that the Ray unit does too...very nice!

5th, I don't know if the Ray unit operates with a hydraulic pump or an electric one, but, the hydraulic pump on the Garmin allows you to turn three screws on a manifold to isolate the hydraulic side from the pump. This allows you to disconnect the pump to service it without losing your hydraulic fluid.

6th, and one of the most important...how slow will the Ray unit allow you to troll? The GHP-10 will troll as slow as you can go--Make sure the Ray unit will slow troll! This is very important!

Here is the link with my writeup of the Garmin GHP-10 with embedded links to the owners manual: http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=216227

Good luck with your decision.


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## BHAPPY (Feb 10, 2008)

Thanks workdog for the detailed information--it was much apreciated...will be sending you a pm as well...thanks again
brian d


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