Outboard / trailer boat · Furuno
Furuno NavPilot 300
The outboard pilot with a gesture remote and no rudder feedback to fit.
- Indicative price
- $3,600–$5,200 unit
- Fitted
- $4,800–$7,000
- Rated for
- Sized by drive or pump
- Editor score
- 77 / 100
Furuno built the NavPilot 300 specifically for outboard and sterndrive boats with hydraulic steering, and it shows. removes the rudder feedback sensor entirely: the pilot learns the steering system and infers rudder angle. senses you turning the wheel and pauses the pilot; turns the autopilot pump into power steering at low speed, which on a heavy twin-outboard boat is a luxury you notice in the marina.
The control head is a small colour display, and the pack includes a handheld gesture controller that changes heading by pointing it left or right. The Fish Hunter modes (orbit, figure-eight, spiral, zigzag, square) are aimed squarely at the offshore fishing market, which in Australia means Furuno's strongest customers: charter and commercial operators, and serious private anglers on the Gold Coast, in Port Stephens and out of Fremantle.
Verdict
Furuno NavPilot 300 drive sizing
For hydraulically steered outboard and sterndrive boats, typically 6–10 m, with a Furuno pump matched to the cylinder volume.
Specifications
Autopilot components, voltage and steering modes
- Sensor
- Processor with built-in heading sensor (external Furuno SC or PG heading sensor optional)
- Control
- Colour control unit plus GC-001 gesture controller
- Drive
- Furuno reversible hydraulic pump
- Feedback
- Fantum Feedback: none required
- Voltage
- 12 V DC (24 V pumps available)
- Network
- NMEA 2000, NMEA 0183, Furuno NavNet
- Power draw
- 1.5 A typical, 10 A peak. Pump draws only while correcting; Power Assist mode adds draw when in use.
- Steering systems
- Hydraulic; Outboard (cable or hydraulic)
Modes
- Auto (heading)
- Nav (route following)
- Fish Hunter patterns: orbit, figure-eight, spiral, zigzag, square
- Safe Helm and Power Assist
- Dodge and turn
Features
- Fantum Feedback: no rudder sensor to fit
- Safe Helm pauses the pilot when you grab the wheel
- Power Assist low-speed power steering
- Gesture controller for hands-free heading changes
- Fish Hunter pattern steering
For and against
Autopilot strengths and limitations
- Easiest installation of any hydraulic outboard pilot
- Power Assist is genuinely useful on heavy outboard boats
- Furuno reliability and long service life
- Strong support in the commercial and charter fishing sector
- Fewer recreational dealers than Garmin or Simrad
- Control head is small; some owners want a bigger display
- Sailing use is not what it is for
Who fits it
Boats and places where this system is recommended
Boat types
- Trailer boats and outboards → Best for heavy twin-outboard boats and owners who want Power Assist.
Australian waters
- Queensland → Power Assist for heavy outboard boats and the charter fishing sector.
- Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens → The pick for a hydraulic outboard game boat working the shelf. Fantum Feedback saves fitting a rudder reference on an outboard, and Safe Helm lets you take over instantly when a bait ball or another trolling boat appears.
- NSW South Coast: Jervis Bay to Eden → Well suited to the hydraulic outboard boats fishing off Bermagui and Narooma. Safe Helm and Power Assist mean the transition between pilot and hand steering is immediate, which is what you want as you approach a bar.
- Gold Coast and Tweed → Strong choice for hydraulic outboard sportfish boats working offshore. Fantum Feedback avoids a rudder reference on the outboard, and Safe Helm gives you the instant takeover you want approaching the Seaway.
- Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast → A good match for hydraulic outboard boats working the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay. Safe Helm means the change from pilot to hand steering is instant, which matters when a whale surfaces two boat lengths ahead.
- Cairns and Far North Queensland → The option for hydraulic outboard boats fishing the closer reefs. Fantum Feedback saves fitting a rudder reference, which is one fewer thing to corrode in a tropical transom.
Questions
Furuno NavPilot 300: frequently asked
Does the NavPilot 300 work without a rudder feedback unit?
Yes. Fantum Feedback learns the steering system during a short calibration run and needs no rudder sensor. Furuno recommends a feedback unit on some larger or unusual installations.
What does Power Assist do?
At low speed it uses the autopilot pump to reduce the effort of turning the wheel, effectively giving hydraulic power steering. It is aimed at heavy twin- and triple-outboard boats.
Alternatives to consider
The systems most often weighed against this one.
Head to head
Comparisons featuring this system
Autopilot commissioning and operator training
A $7,000 installation with no handover is a gamble. Half a day on the water with the installer or an instructor covers the modes, the override, the alarms and a failure drill. It is the cheapest safety equipment aboard.