Built by a sailor who was tired of paying too much for an autopilot

Nautinect is a small Dutch company run by Pieter Oskam. The autopilot started as a personal project on his own boat and grew into a product that now steers boats in 33 countries.

Why it exists

A reliable autopilot for a normal sailboat should not cost as much as the boat. Commercial systems are closed, expensive to buy and even more expensive to repair. The idea behind Nautinect was simple: take proven, widely available electronics (an ESP32, a motor driver, a good compass), write solid software, and make the whole thing so straightforward that any owner can install, operate and repair it.

Proven at sea

The autopilot has thousands of sea miles behind it, including ocean crossings, on boats ranging from small tiller-steered sailboats to steel motor yachts with hydraulic steering. Every firmware release is tested on the water before it goes to customers.

Accessible by design

Accessibility is the idea behind every decision. The price is fair, so a good autopilot is not reserved for expensive boats. You control it with whatever you have at hand: the phone app over Bluetooth, the waterproof wireless remote, a tablet or plotter over Wi-Fi, or your own software through the API. And the installation is designed so that any boat owner can do it in an hour, with manuals, videos and Pieter on the phone if needed.

The controller is built from standard modules, so a repair costs euros instead of a new unit. Tinkerers can flash a minimal firmware and use the published GPIO map; everyone else simply orders the finished unit.

Support from the person who designed it

Questions are answered by Pieter, not a call centre. There is an active owners’ group on Facebook where people share their installations, and you can always call or email. Every product ships with a 1 year warranty and 100 days to return it if it does not fit your boat.

Company details

PO Development (trading as Nautinect)
De Eenhoorn 56, 1462 ER Middenbeemster, The Netherlands
Chamber of Commerce 81941846 · VAT NL003623376B22