- Mar 11, 2013
- 6,834
- Boat Info
- Sara Belle
2005 Weekender 215
- Engines
- Mercruiser 5.0 mpi, Bravo III
Good morning and an early Merry Christmas to all!!
I'm considering adding an Octopus mechanical/non hydraulic autopilot system, but I’m kinda stuck and have a few questions, if anyone had experience with the installation.
1. I am looking at their Type R https://octopusdrives.com/products/type-r-mechanical-remote-drives/. The manual states it’s not rated for boats that exceed speeds over 44mph. Any reason for this? I barely go over, but my Weekender can. It mainly would be used for trolling.
2. I am confused on the computer interface module. I have a Garmin Echomap Plus 73sv that has an autopilot option, but as I understand it, I just can’t plug the Octopus directly into it. What needs to go in between? The Garmin manual states the AP needs to be connected to the NMEA 2000 network to communicate properly (I have a network)
3. The AP electronics I find either are full systems with displays or are used for hydraulic systems. Do I need a full system with a small display to tie it into my Garmin? Can’t I just buy a computer interface?
4. If I can buy just the computer interface that the AP wires into, does it have to be Garmin for it to work on my 73sv? As mentioned earlier, Garmin interface computers only state hydraulic AP. I see a Simrad one, but I’m not sure if it would work for my Garmin display. ( I assume it would using NMEA 2000 protocols)
Thanks,
Ollie
I'm considering adding an Octopus mechanical/non hydraulic autopilot system, but I’m kinda stuck and have a few questions, if anyone had experience with the installation.
1. I am looking at their Type R https://octopusdrives.com/products/type-r-mechanical-remote-drives/. The manual states it’s not rated for boats that exceed speeds over 44mph. Any reason for this? I barely go over, but my Weekender can. It mainly would be used for trolling.
2. I am confused on the computer interface module. I have a Garmin Echomap Plus 73sv that has an autopilot option, but as I understand it, I just can’t plug the Octopus directly into it. What needs to go in between? The Garmin manual states the AP needs to be connected to the NMEA 2000 network to communicate properly (I have a network)
3. The AP electronics I find either are full systems with displays or are used for hydraulic systems. Do I need a full system with a small display to tie it into my Garmin? Can’t I just buy a computer interface?
4. If I can buy just the computer interface that the AP wires into, does it have to be Garmin for it to work on my 73sv? As mentioned earlier, Garmin interface computers only state hydraulic AP. I see a Simrad one, but I’m not sure if it would work for my Garmin display. ( I assume it would using NMEA 2000 protocols)
Thanks,
Ollie
