Tiller autopilot Wheel autopilot Hydraulic autopilot Existing drives Backup autopilot

Backup autopilot: the spare pilot that keeps steering

On a multi-day passage the autopilot is the crew member you cannot do without. When it fails a thousand miles out, hand steering in watches is all that is left. A Nautinect set is the spare autopilot that covers that day: a complete second pilot with its own compass, controller and drive, so it shares nothing with the system that just died. Many owners keep it on board as the backup; some, like Roger below, never switch back.

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Backup autopilot: the spare pilot that keeps steering
Started as a 'backup autopilot' for a fried H5000 set, which seemed unrepairable for lack of parts, and has now grown to a reliable day to day autopilot, with some less functionalities but also a lot less clutter and calibration headaches. Installation in less than 10 minutes and it was fully functional, so it will stay on board for the rest of its life.
★★★★★ Roger, owner review on the Autopilot Controller v4 · read all reviews

Fits

  • Bluewater cruisers who want a spare autopilot next to their Raymarine, B&G, Simrad, Garmin or NKE pilot
  • Boats whose old control head died while the drive is still fine (see Existing drives)
  • Wheel-steered yachts with an emergency tiller: the tiller drive becomes a backup for the steering gear as well
  • Boats where the plotter and NMEA backbone are a single point of failure

Installation in four steps

  1. 1
    Mount the controller and give it its own fuse from the battery. It has its own compass, so no instruments are needed for it to steer.
  2. 2
    Sharing the existing drive? Fit a three-pole rotary cam switch for power, motor and rudder sensor (diagram below).
  3. 3
    Prefer a drive of its own? Add the tiller drive on the tiller or the emergency tiller and plug it straight into the controller.
  4. 4
    Test it on a calm day: switch over, press +1, confirm it holds a course. Then leave it set up, ready for the day you need it.

What you need

Autopilot Controller v4
Autopilot Controller v4 Start here
The second brain: own compass, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NMEA and motor driver in one waterproof box. Through the changeover switch below it drives your existing linear drive, wheel drive or pump.
€275,00
Remote control
Remote control Recommended
Waterproof wireless remote, so the backup is as easy to use as the main pilot.
€29,00
Rudder reference unit
Rudder reference unit Optional
Second rudder sensor if you prefer not to share the existing one through the switch.
€105,00
Tiller drive
Tiller drive Optional
Own drive for the backup: on the tiller, or on the emergency tiller of a wheel-steered boat, as in the video below.
€170,00

Changeover with one rotary cam switch

Sharing the existing drive between the two pilots is the neat solution: one knob, three positions. A three-pole rotary cam switch (the kind used for 3-phase motors) carries the power feed, the two motor wires and the rudder sensor at the same time, so the two pilots can never both be connected to the drive. The centre position is off.

Rotary cam changeover switch: existing autopilot, off, Nautinect. Three poles for power, drive motor and rudder sensor. Existing autopilot Raymarine, B&G, Simrad … Power + Motor out Rudder in Nautinect controller own compass, own app Power + Motor out Rudder in Battery 12/24 V one fuse per pilot Drive motor linear, wheel or pump Rudder sensor 3-wire potentiometer Rotary cam switch · 3 poles · 1 shaft Power Motor Rudder ◀ existing off Nautinect ▶ Turn one knob: the drive, the rudder sensor and the power follow

Which rating? You only turn the knob with both pilots switched off, so the switching-under-load rating does not matter; the continuous (thermal) current does. Match it to the fuse of your drive: a 10 A switch covers tiller and wheel drives, take 16 to 20 A for a linear drive or hydraulic pump. Keep a separate fuse for each pilot. If your existing autopilot drives a clutch, add a fourth pole for the clutch wire or let the Nautinect controller drive it from its own clutch output.

Spare autopilot on the emergency tiller of a wheel-steered yacht

This owner keeps a Nautinect controller with its own tiller drive as the spare autopilot for a wheel-steered yacht. Fitted to the emergency tiller it does two jobs: it is a second autopilot, and it steers the boat when the wheel, cables or quadrant fail. The main pilot keeps its linear drive; this set touches nothing of it.

Questions from owners

One that shares nothing with the main pilot: its own compass, its own controller and its own power feed. The Nautinect controller with the wireless remote is that second pilot for a few hundred euros. Share the existing drive through a changeover switch, or give the backup its own tiller drive, on the tiller or on the emergency tiller of a wheel boat.

A spare drive only covers the drive. The course computer, the compass, the control head, the NMEA backbone and the wiring are all still single points of failure. A second complete backup autopilot with its own compass and power covers all of them for about the price of a spare drive alone.

Yes, as long as only one is connected at a time. A three-pole rotary cam switch does that in one turn of a knob: power, the two motor wires and the rudder sensor move together. Two pilots live on the same drive at once is never allowed, and two Raymarine pilots cannot even share one SeaTalk network.

No. The controller has a built-in compass and holds a heading by itself, which is exactly what you want when the backbone or plotter is what failed. Connect NMEA 0183 or 2000 if you also want wind steering or route following from the backup.

Yes, on the emergency tiller. If the wheel, cables or quadrant give up, you ship the emergency tiller and the spare autopilot steers from there, as in the video above. That makes it a backup for the steering gear as well as for the main pilot.

Once a month on a calm day, and before every passage. A backup that has not been switched on for a year is an unknown, not a backup.

The remote control is out of stock right now, but it should be available again next week.

Yes, the controller will work with the Raymarine T2 actuator and the Raymarine rudder feedback unit.

Yes. The control unit and remote control will work with the Raymarine T2 actuator and the Raymarine rudder feedback unit.

Yes. The Raymarine rudder feedback unit can be used with the system.

Not answered? Send a photo of your steering and get a personal recommendation, usually within a day.

Ready to hand over the helm?

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