Choosing · 6 minute read
Fishing boat autopilot operation
Use fishing boat autopilot modes for trolling, patterns and contour tracking. Review hydraulic controls, kicker systems, power supply and manual takeover.
Fishing boats use autopilots differently from cruisers. The pilot runs the boat out to the shelf while the skipper watches the sounder, holds a trolling line while baits are rigged, orbits a bait ball, tracks a contour along a drop-off and takes the fatigue out of the run home. The take-the-wheel override matters more than any sailing feature, and the alarms matter more than the patterns.
Key facts
- Steering
- Hydraulic outboard; cable steering is the exception
- Override
- Shadow Drive (Garmin), Safe Helm (Furuno), Standby elsewhere
- Patterns
- Orbit, zigzag, cloverleaf, spiral, figure-eight, square
- Contour
- Simrad depth contour tracking
- Bars
- Never on autopilot
The three hydraulic outboard pilots
Garmin's Reactor 40 Hydraulic with , Furuno's NavPilot 300 with and , and Simrad's AP44 packs cover almost every hydraulically steered fishing boat in Australia. None needs a rudder feedback unit on standard outboard steering. All follow a route, hold a heading and steer patterns. The choice usually follows the plotter: GPSMAP owners buy Garmin, NSS owners buy Simrad, and Furuno appeals to heavier boats and commercial-minded operators. Raymarine's EV-100 Power and EV-150 suit Axiom boats.
Patterns and contour tracking in practice
An orbit around a marked bait ball or a wreck keeps the boat circling at a set radius while everyone fishes. A zigzag across a reef edge covers ground when trolling. A cloverleaf works a mark from four directions. Simrad's depth contour tracking follows a chosen depth along a drop-off, which is where snapper and pearl perch live off most of the east coast. Set the pattern size and direction before engaging, and keep watching, because the pilot will orbit through another boat's drift.
Kicker pilots for trolling
Boats that troll on a small auxiliary outboard can automate it with the Garmin Reactor 40 Kicker, which fits an actuator to the kicker and leaves the main engine untouched. It is a niche product but the estuary and reef trolling fleets in Queensland and the barramundi boats in the Top End use it hard.
Batteries and installation on a trailer boat
A single cranking battery is not an autopilot supply. Fit a house battery with a VSR or DC-DC charger, run a fused, correctly sized feed to the pump, and mount the course computer somewhere dry. Trailer boats live outdoors: dielectric grease on every connector, drip loops, and a cover on the control head. Ask the installer to set the alarms and show you the override before you leave the shop.
- House battery and charger separate from cranking battery
- Fused feed sized for the pump's peak current
- Course computer mounted dry and away from the engine
- Off-course, XTE and shallow-depth alarms set
- Override demonstrated and practised at the ramp
Bar crossings and traffic
Never cross a bar on autopilot. Disengage well outside, hand-steer through with the throttle, and re-engage in clear water. The Gold Coast Seaway, Wide Bay Bar, Swansea, Lakes Entrance, the Tweed and every river mouth in between have caught out boats whose skipper was watching the sounder while the pilot steered. The same applies in the Broadwater, Moreton Bay's channels and any ramp precinct on a Sunday: the pilot does not see PWCs.
The lookout does not fish
Questions
Frequently asked
Which fishing boat autopilot is best?
The one that matches your plotter. Garmin with a GPSMAP, Simrad with an NSS, Furuno if you value Power Assist and heavier build. All three are reliable.
Can I add an autopilot to a cable-steered boat?
Only the Navico Outboard Pilot cable-steer pack when available, or by converting to hydraulic steering, which most owners do.
Does the pilot work at trolling speed?
Yes, though heading hold is looser at 2–3 knots. Patterns and contour tracking are designed for trolling speeds.
Practise autopilot operation with an instructor
Habits are learned at the helm with someone watching. The training section explains what a good instructor covers and where to find one in your state.