On a previous boat I used a tiller pilot connected to the emergency tiller on the Hydrovane self steering as a second steering alternative. This worked well as a low current draw alternative to the main autopilot in light conditions when there wasn't enough apparent wind for the Hydrovane etc. The tiller pilot was a Raymarine ST4000 which was a bit of overkill for driving the relatively small Hydrovane rudder.

I am planning to set up my current boat with a similar arrangement and was wondering if anyone had experience of using such a setup with a smallish tiller pilot as I would like to limit the current draw as much as possible without compromising performance. Would for instance a ST1000 be man enough for the job?

The boat is a 40' longish keel cruiser around 10 tonnes displacement.

Thanks
Colin Campbell

Hi Colin,
The following url (http://www.selfsteer.com/products/monitor/autoPilot.php) is for a set-up similar to what you wish information about, but for a Monitor wind vane. I thought it might be helpful anyway.
Let us know what you do and how it works out.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy