QLD · Regional guide
Marine autopilots Brisbane and Moreton Bay
Autopilots for Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River: sandbanks and channels, south-east trades, summer storms, the catamaran fleet and local training options.
- State
- Queensland
- Waters
- Moreton Bay and its channels, The Brisbane River, Manly Boat Harbour and the bay islands
- Recommended
- 4 systems
- Reviewed
- September 2026
Moreton Bay is a shallow sand-floored bay protected by two big sand islands, and that geography shapes everything. There is rarely much swell inside, but there are banks everywhere, the channels wind, and wind against a running tide will stand up a nasty little chop in water you can nearly stand up in. Autopilots here spend most of their time in between marks rather than steering to wind.
The bay also carries one of the largest recreational fleets in Australia. Manly Boat Harbour is among the biggest marinas in the southern hemisphere, Scarborough and the river marinas add hundreds more berths, and this is the launch pad for boats heading north to the Whitsundays or offshore to the Pacific.
It is catamaran country too. Seawind cats are common, Lightwave builds on the Gold Coast just south, and a twin-rudder catamaran asks different questions of an autopilot than a keelboat: more windage, faster steering response and often a drive on each rudder or a single drive on a .
Waters covered
- Moreton Bay and its channels
- The Brisbane River
- Manly Boat Harbour and the bay islands
- Moreton and North Stradbroke Islands
- South Passage and the Rous Channel
- Scarborough, Redcliffe and Deception Bay
Browse all places on this map
Local planning notebook
Autopilot passage and installation planning in Brisbane and Moreton Bay
When preparing a Moreton Bay route, examine the boat’s starting position and the turn required to join the intended leg. The pilot follows data; it does not decide whether a shortcut or correction is suitable for the boat’s draft and surroundings.
What to ask at the handover
Practise recognising the active waypoint and proposed turn in clear water. Make a route review and a manual-takeover demonstration part of the owner handover.
Before Track mode →Before leaving Brisbane and Moreton Bay
This is planning context, not a live forecast or navigation instruction. Check the information that can change before each trip.
Maritime Safety Queensland ↗Bureau of Meteorology marine forecasts ↗Prepare a brief for a local installer →Regional equipment suggestions are editorial starting points. They do not identify a local branch, approved installer or business affiliation.
Moreton Bay trade winds, storms and shallow-water routes
From about May to October the south-east trades set the agenda, typically 15 to 25 knots and persistent for days at a time. That is fine sailing weather in the bay, but it means long periods of the pilot working on a reach or a run with the chop on the quarter. Set the gain for that, not for a calm morning on the river.
Summer brings the storms. A south-east Queensland thunderstorm can deliver a 40 knot gust front, lightning and zero visibility in ten minutes, and it will find you halfway to Tangalooma. The correct response is to disengage early, get sail off and steer by hand, because a gust front through a wind-steering mode is how people end up with a wrap around the rig.
Tides matter more than the modest range suggests. Water pours through the channels and over the banks, and with the trades against it the surface turns short and steep. Add a shallow bay with drying sand and you get the local rule: track steering is an aid to keep you in the channel, but the sounder and your eyes decide where the boat goes.
- South-east trades 15 to 25 knots through the dry season
- Summer thunderstorms with sudden 40 knot gust fronts and lightning
- Wind against tide chop in the bay channels
- Extensive drying sand banks and shifting channel edges
- Cyclone season from November to April, mostly felt here as swell and rain
Track mode does not know where the sand is
The Moreton Bay fleet
There is more variety here than almost anywhere. Cruising catamarans between 38 and 50 feet are everywhere, and their steering systems vary widely, which makes drive selection a job for someone who has measured your quadrant rather than guessed from a model name. Monohull cruisers from 35 to 50 feet fill the marinas, many being prepared for the trip north or for an offshore season.
Then there is the enormous trailer boat and small power boat fleet using the ramps at Manly, Cleveland, Scarborough and Redcliffe, and a big flybridge fleet on the river and at the bay marinas. For those boats, what matters is hydraulic pump sizing, fast override and a display that works in Queensland sun.
- Cruising catamarans 38 to 50 ft: below-deck drive sized for twin rudders
- Monohull cruisers 35 to 50 ft: below-deck linear or hydraulic drive
- Flybridge and sports cruisers: hydraulic pack with wheel-nudge override
- Trailer boats and centre consoles: outboard pilot, cable or hydraulic
Recommended
Systems that suit Brisbane and Moreton Bay
Fine for a 35 to 38 foot bay cruiser that mostly does Moreton, Peel and the Bay Islands. If the plan is a trip north next winter, step up rather than buying twice.
The right answer for a heavy 45 foot plus cruising catamaran or a serious long-range monohull. Cats carry windage and need authority on the rudders, and this is the pack that will still be steering when the trades are up and the boat is loaded for six months away.
The most common upgrade on bay power boats with hydraulic steering. Shadow Drive suits bay work where you are constantly nudging around crab pots, bait schools and the Port of Brisbane channel.
For the trailer boat and centre console fleet crossing to Moreton or fishing the artificial reefs. It removes the fatigue from a 20 mile run without pretending to be more than it is.
Passages
Typical local passages and the autopilot on each
Brisbane River to Manly
A busy, narrow transit with commercial traffic, ferries and a strong tidal flow. Keep the pilot off or on a mode you can override instantly, and remember that a ship coming up to the Port of Brisbane has nowhere to go. The river is the place to test alarms, not autonomy.
Across the bay to Tangalooma
About 20 miles of open bay that is a pleasure in the trades and unpleasant in a storm. Track steer between channel marks, watch the banks either side at low water, and stay alert for whales in season and the go-slow areas around the western bay.
Out through South Passage
A genuine bar with shifting sand between Moreton and Stradbroke. Timing and local advice are everything, and the crossing is hand steered. Check conditions with the local volunteer marine rescue service before you go, and be prepared to use another exit entirely.
North to Mooloolaba and beyond
The first leg of the Queensland cruise, usually 50 miles in the trades with the sea behind. This is the leg that shows whether the drive is properly sized, because a following sea on the quarter is what makes an underpowered pilot yaw and hunt. Fix it here, not at Wide Bay.
- The Port of Brisbane shipping channel and river traffic, including fast ferries
- Drying sand banks and channel edges that move with the seasons
- Marine park go-slow areas for turtles and dugong in parts of the bay
- Humpback whales through the winter and spring months
- Sudden summer thunderstorms with severe gust fronts and lightning
- The South Passage bar and the rip-tide areas near the island entrances
Autopilot instruction in Brisbane and Moreton Bay
Brisbane has Australian Sailing affiliated clubs around the bay, including the large squadron at Manly, plus RYA recognised training centres in the region offering Day Skipper and Yachtmaster courses. Several private instructors teach on owners’ boats, which is the format that actually fixes autopilot problems, because your gear, your quadrant and your settings are in front of you.
For installation and handover, the electronics trade clusters around Manly, Scarborough and the river marinas. Insist the sea trial happens in the trades, not on a still Sunday morning. Indicative costs: half-day handover $300 to $600, private on-water tuition $90 to $150 an hour, RYA Day Skipper practical over five days $1,800 to $2,600. Confirm current pricing when you book.
- Ask for the auto-learn to be run in open bay water, away from steel and power lines
- Have the installer verify pump or drive sizing against your actual quadrant
- Cover storm procedure: disengage, reduce sail, hand steer
- Check licence and safety equipment requirements with Maritime Safety Queensland
Questions
Brisbane and Moreton Bay: frequently asked
Can I leave the autopilot steering across Moreton Bay?
You can use it, but the bay is full of banks, pots, small boats and whale traffic in season, so it never replaces a lookout. Maritime Safety Queensland and COLREGs Rule 5 both put that duty on the skipper regardless of who or what is steering.
What is different about an autopilot on a catamaran?
More windage, faster yaw response and a twin-rudder linkage to drive. That usually means a higher rudder gain setting and careful drive sizing against the linkage rather than displacement alone. Most modern below-deck packs handle cats well once they are set up properly.
Do I need track steering in the bay?
It is genuinely useful between channel marks, especially with a cross tide on the banks. Just remember the pilot follows the line you drew, so the quality of the route is the quality of the navigation. Check every leg for depth before you engage.
What should I do when a summer storm front arrives?
Disengage early, reduce sail and hand steer. A pilot in wind mode facing a 40 knot gust front and a 90 degree shift will do exactly the wrong thing. Watch the radar, watch the sky to the west in the afternoon, and act before the front arrives rather than during it.
Recommended systems at a glance
- Wheel pilotRaymarine
Raymarine Evolution EV-100 (Tiller, Wheel and Power)
- Indicative
- $2,900–$3,900
- Editor score
- 77
- Below-deck systemRaymarine
Raymarine Evolution EV-400
- Indicative
- $8,500–$14,000
- Editor score
- 77
- Below-deck systemGarmin
Garmin Reactor 40 (Hydraulic, Mechanical, Steer-by-wire and Sail)
- Indicative
- $2,900–$5,200
- Editor score
- 83
- Outboard / trailer boatLowrance / Simrad
Lowrance and Simrad Outboard Pilot
- Indicative
- $1,700–$2,900
- Editor score
- 53
Nearby regions in Queensland
Instruction in Brisbane and Moreton Bay
The training section explains what a good instructor covers and the ten questions that sort them. Ask for a session on your own boat, in a seaway, with a failure drill.