Installation cost auto pilot

R

RVP

New member
Simrad AP 14: cost of unit $1463.00 and $1050.00 for installation.
Installation price seems a little steep, would like to know what others have paid.
Hate to pay more than us plumbers make per hour.
 
I did not install my auto pilot as I ordered it with the boat, but I could do it my self. There is nothing that hard about it and no "special tool" needed. I have de -installed and reinstalled most of mine this last year and nothing was to hard to do. I would not spend that type of money to have it done.
 
The price is way out of line. Either the outfit is unknowledgeable in the installation and plans to sub it out or they just don't want to do the work.
Think about it a minute....1050 divided by 24 man hours = $43.75 per hour....that is almost Plumbers Rates after all :sad

Find a good boat handyman if you don't fell confortable doing it yourself.
 
There was an article in the Wall Street Journal which claimed The average teacher's salary was $34.50 an hour. The local marine electronics quoted us $1250 to install a Raymarine pilot and their labor is billed out at $80 an hour. They claimed it would take two days for installation.

Agree that autopilot installation is an easy do. The hardest part is bleeding the hyraulic system, and many dealers have a teleflex unit which has resivoirs and a pump, which makes the bleeding much easier. The compass has to be mounted in a satisfactory place. There may be fabrication of brackets for the pump set and the rudder feedback unit can be difficult to install. I would go with a virtual feedback unit--both TR1, Raymarine and Simrad have these units.
 
Of all the marine electronics...auto pilots are the trickiest....rudder reference...pumpset plumbing....gps wiring....compass..bleed the system..................best to be left to the pro's...even they have problems sometimes..............all the rest....chartplotter..radar...sounder..are fairly straight forward and easy to do your self. If you pay to have a expert to do it....if there is a problem...they have to fix it. worth every cent.

Dick E
Orinda,Ca
 
K1PNS


maybe for you.... but for most of us 8 to 5 employed weekend skippers taking on a auto pilot install is NOT a piece of cake! By all means try it if you can't afford it ....but if you can...... leave it it to the experts. How much is YOUR Time worth?? Add up the # of hours it will take to troubleshoot your install and FUTURE problems and it might not be worth it!!

Dick E
Orinda,Ca
 
The longest it took was four or five hours. Whats more difficult about an autopilot than adding a radio with and external antenna? It is certainly easier than adding a fishfinder with a through hull transducer. When I see all the fantastic mods that c-brats have made with other items an autopilot add is a walk in the park.
 
The going rate for motorhomes, boats, etc., repairs and mods is $80 per hour. You may find a steal at $75 per hour here and there. The installer rarely makes even a third of the amount charged. There's the immediate overhead and then insurance, liability, and red tape coming out of that.

John
 
Squidslayer, I think it is what your experience is. I have been installing auto pilots since 1962 (about 45 years)--One of the early ones I had was from a B 24 bomb site. The reason I prefer to install my own electronics (including auto pilots) is that when they break, you have a much better idea how to fix them. I have sailed over 100,000 miles under auto pilot control, and there are breakdowns, even in the best. (One of which is the Will Hamm).

Since I already have the circuits in place, and know where to put the bracket for the flux gate and the pump set, the rest is basic plumbing and setup. Even if the dealer sets up a pilot, there may be times when you have to re-calibrate it, so it is very good idea to know how. Agree however, that a TC 255 is different than a passagemaker--and the loss of a pilot is not a big deal--and is the reason so far I have not put a pilot on the TC 255. (I don't like to run fast boats on auto pilot for safety reasons. If you consider the boats which are run aground each year, a surprising number were on auto pilot.
 
I taught the high school sciences for 35 years, but the job changed so much from 1966 to 2001 that it severly taxed my ability to cope and adjust.

There still were a lot of fun memories and great experiences that were very satisfying, along with the difficult times and issues.

The changes in our society, family structure, and technology have put so many pressures and demands on the educational system that it's a wonder anyone chooses teaching as a career anymore.

People often have very different views of teachers and schools these days, and it seems to vary with their degreee of understanding and empathy with the nature of the changes we have endured.

So much has changed. Is the glass half empty or half full?

Or is the level even down to the mid-glass mark at all considering what we're asking teachers and the schools to do?

*******************************************************************************

I'm not at all asking for a debate here, nor will I respond to negative comments or adversarial argumentation. I just feel it necessary to defend the work and endeavors that I spent half my life doing. Sorry if it offends anyone. Joe.

:rainbow
 
My daughter left a very high paying job in advertising to become a teacher. She was unable to get a full time job (at least in a school which was acceptable to her in the Los Angeles area) mainly because she had a double master's degree and was an older person with no teaching experience (other than being a TA in college and the usual student teaching). She subed at all levels for a year, and now is working, for less pay than the public school system, in a high end private school So there are some young people who are fortunately called to do teaching.

What Sea Wolf says holds for many professions. Medicine is much different today than when I started my Residency in 1962. I had the opportunity to talk with a young Internist who was practicing the way I was for a number of years--that is at least an hour for a new patient, and at least 15 minutes for a return patient. She was having a very difficult time making her expenses. In actual dollars many physicians are making considerably less than they were in the 1970's. The world changes and not always for the better.
 
http://www.raymarine.com/raymarine/Defa ... 6&Parent=5

Above is the link to the Raymarine Autopilot installation. It is for a Hydraulic system (which is for the 2006's and newer in the 22' program). It looks like about a 2 hr job (OK, it LOOKS like 30 minutes, so I did the times 4 thing). This is for the Raymarine C70/C80/C120/ and E series.
It is in this very situation that getting the seemingly pricey composite system will pay off in a big way.
I know it doesn't help the older boats with mechanical steering, but I thought the video was worth the time.

Hey, if I messed up the link, please don't hesitate to resubmit it.

Fair Winds...
John
 
Putting an Raymarine S-1000 autopilot on my 22 Angler was the BEST upgrade besides trim tabs I did during my years with the boat. Out here off San Francisco with Fog...big winds..waves...an autopilot REALLY helps relieve driver fatigue and is a great asset..... In fog ..when you cannot see any thing..just head the right GPS course....push the button...and you're on! Then you can concentate... keep your eyes on the water and radar ..and not worry if you are oncourse all the time!! Also with trolling ....a autopilot is a must...don't have to keep running back to the helm to straighten out. On long runs.... with cross winds and currents and waves ...you can just kick back ..keep your eyes on the water and not have to continually fight the sea to stay oncourse. Just let it do the work....if something comes up...push standby..boom! you are in controll!
As long as you are alert to what is in front of you......
Autopilots are the BEST thing since sliced bread!!

Dick E
Orinda,Ca
 
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