Rain City
Crew Member
I was told the power steering on the mains isn't the same pressure or process as the kicker so that's not possible.
Can you add autopilot to a seastar kicker steering?
- Thread starter Rain City
- Start date
BCI
Well-Known Member
Rain if you have a hydraulic sea star steering for your kicker only, it is a simple process to add it's own autopilot to the kicker. You cannot easily tie into the main engine autopilot so a second autopilot for the kicker alone is required.
I have the same set up on my Eaglecraft - used the Garmin Compact Reactor kit to run my 25hp Yamaha HiThrust. Keeps the boat on track no problem in winds and waves as large as I care to fish in. Budget a few grand supplied and installed. Boat weighs 17,000 pounds and is 38' LOA and it handles it no problem.
I have the same set up on my Eaglecraft - used the Garmin Compact Reactor kit to run my 25hp Yamaha HiThrust. Keeps the boat on track no problem in winds and waves as large as I care to fish in. Budget a few grand supplied and installed. Boat weighs 17,000 pounds and is 38' LOA and it handles it no problem.
ship happens
Crew Member
Rain City
Crew Member
Yeah sorry I just realized I answered your last question wrong. It's power steering for the mains.
BCI
Well-Known Member
Happy to show you the setup next time you find yourself in Vancouver.
ship happens
Crew Member
Yeah ok. Then you can tie in that auto pilot pump right into the rear helm pump. You'll need 2 run-tee's, some ORB fittings ( depending on which pump you have, seastar made a change to their fitting input/outputs on their helm pumps ) and 3 short hoses. You can mount the pump close to the helm pump.
Rain City
Crew Member
I don't think I want anything tying the motors or steering together at all. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
ship happens
Crew Member
You have a rear helm pump for your kicker. Kicker has a seastar ram on it . Correct?
Rain City
Crew Member
Seastar manual ram no pump
ship happens
Crew Member
The rear steering helm is a pump
The back of the helm pump there is a return in/out that will be plugged. Its in the centre of the helm pump. this is used when adding another pump. Such as another helm, or autopilot pump. The auto pilot pump has 3 in/outs. the centre one goes to the return line on the helm pump. The other 2 get tee'd in with your existing hoses
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Rain City
Crew Member
Oh I see. Sorry clearly I'm not good at explaining this stuff. It's all new to me.
ship happens
Crew Member
Really easily done. However making the fittings nice and simple will depend on which helm you actually have. They switch to an o-ring style straight thread. Older pumps were NPT
BCI
Well-Known Member
Hey Ship, for Rains' boat - it is a twin diesel I/O with power steering running from the running main engine, and not from a SeaStar Power Steering pump. In order for the power steering to be working his main engine must be running.
When you try to tee the kicker hydraulic helm into the main engine helm / autopilot you run into some issues with 1. the load on the pilot to turn two legs on a power steering system when the power steering pump isn't running, and 2. you run into issues setting a hard over time for the kicker ram vs the main power steering rams. There has been some work done at IMC/Ocean Sport boats with manually operated hydraulic selection valves inline to isolate the mains from the kicker and the kicker from the mains depending on what you are doing (fishing vs. cruising) but it introduces some liability for accidents when the valves are accidentally put in the wrong configuration and again some hard over time issues between the two systems.
In this case it might just be easier to keep the kicker steering discrete from the main steering, and have a discrete autopilot for the kicker.
When you try to tee the kicker hydraulic helm into the main engine helm / autopilot you run into some issues with 1. the load on the pilot to turn two legs on a power steering system when the power steering pump isn't running, and 2. you run into issues setting a hard over time for the kicker ram vs the main power steering rams. There has been some work done at IMC/Ocean Sport boats with manually operated hydraulic selection valves inline to isolate the mains from the kicker and the kicker from the mains depending on what you are doing (fishing vs. cruising) but it introduces some liability for accidents when the valves are accidentally put in the wrong configuration and again some hard over time issues between the two systems.
In this case it might just be easier to keep the kicker steering discrete from the main steering, and have a discrete autopilot for the kicker.
ship happens
Crew Member
He says he has a rear helm that is only for the kicker. The kicker having a seastar cylinder. Thats what he's saying.
Can forget about the main steering. You cannot do anything because its power steering.
I asked him initially what we were working with. He said he has 2 hydraulic systems. One for the main and one for the kicker. But he doesn't. Thats where the confusion is. Add that auto pump right into the rear helm. If the rear helm is only for the kicker, which thats what he says.
BCI
Well-Known Member
Gotcha - we are saying the same thing then. Thanks!
ship happens
Crew Member
smokey0418
New Member
I don't ride in the ocean but I do fish in larger lakes.
I have a trophy 2352 with a 9.9 ht, that I have adapted a front mount seastar and helm to it and run a stand alone simrad nac 2 and itroll for throttle.
My biggest issue is just remembering to turn it off when done as I will find my kicker hard over to one side.
When the wind is blowing I have to choose a direction that my boat and I both enjoy , but that pilot and kicker will keep my boat straight as an arrow on a heading as we blow sideways .
fishin solo
Crew Member
You know there’s a setting to correct/compensate the course when your blowing sideways but still going straight as an arrow ? Just thought I would mention that as I have the same pilot and it’s unbelievable what you can do with it. Have to say I would never own a boat without one ever again. I love it.
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