autopilot purchase

[Sallysea]

Hello again,
It is so nice to have this forum support when working with my electronics. I find this resource as valuable as the electronics.

I plan to purchase an autopilot, either the ev-100 or 150. Both have pumps that would meet the 8.3 cu. in. requirement of my Seastar hydraulic system. I have twin Yamaha 150s on my 26 aluminum boat.

Is the ev 100 adequate or should I get the 150? I was on a vessel recently that had an apparent underpowered pump on the autopilot. When the weather kicked up, it could not hold a course at cruise, so I don't want to be in that position. The 100 is less expensive to purchase if possible.

Last, doe the autopilot come with the network connections I need to connect to my c127?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome back to the Raymarine Forum Sallysea,

Thanks for the compliment.

When initial introduced, Raymarine had specified the Type 0.5 Hydraulic Pump for use with steering rams larger than 6.7 cu. in. and has subsequently pulled back on this recommendation. As you can see from the FAQ found here, the Type 0.5 Hydraulic Pump (the highest capacity hydraulic pump which may be used with the ACU-100) is rated for steering systems having a steering ram with a cubic capacity not exceeding 6.7 cu. in.. As the vessel's steering ram has a cubic capacity of 8.3 cu. in., this would require that a Type 1 Hydraulic Pump be installed. As 8.3 cu. in. well below the upper limit of the Type 1 Hydraulic Pump's maximum rated ram capacity, it should be a good fit for your vessel's steering system. While both the ACU-150 and ACU-200 may be used with a Type 1 Hydraulic Pump, owner of vessels having a 12VDC power system will benefit from using the ACU-150, as it is offers cost savings over the ACU-200. Accordingly, it would be recommended that a T70330 EV-150 Hydraulic be installed with this vessel.

The SeaTalkng Networking components supplied with the T70330 EV-150 Hydraulic feature sufficient SeaTalkng networking components to create a powered and properly terminated SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 backbone having sufficient spur sockets to power and interface the Evolution autopilot components. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing how one may add additional spur sockets to a SeaTalkng backbone to permit additional devices having a SeaTalkng / NMEA 2000 communications interface to the backbone.