Auto pilot for 2004 240 Sundancer

I would like to put an auto pilot in my 2004 240 sundancer. Has anyone put one on theirs and if so what brand and type. I have power assisted steering. Any advise would be appreciated.

I would check with your current chart plotter and see if there is some compatibility... or at least the big name Nav units

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To be honest they are all going to perform about the same. I would second the comment above and go with your electronics brand. I have used Garmin, Raymarine, Simrad, and Furuno. Not a ton of differences in the brands but interfacing with the chart plotter is nice.

Recently replaced my Raymarine AP with the newer Garmin AP plus the Shadow Drive and Smart Pump. Performance is spot on, setup was way to easy. I am interfacing with a pair of Garmin 12" plus all Garmin sub components so everthing is talking to each other via NEMA 2000. The Shadow drive feature is great for steering around obsticles without having to reach down and hit Standby. The Auto Guidance feature is a nice touch an go and routing bonus, but you do need to upgrade your charts for it to route properly. Very happy with the whole set up and would highly recommend.

Thanks everyone! I have a color Lowrance LMS-527cDF iGPS from 2005 or 6. I don’t know right now if it will interface with an auto pilot but will consider replacing it with something that does down the road if it doesn’t. I’m not totally sure if I need an auto pilot that does more keep a heading. The first question I have to answer, and I think I know the answer now, is what type of auto pilot I need. Since my boat has cable steering with power assist, meaning it has hydraulic cylinders that are mounted between the engine and out drive that apply additional force when you turn the wheel, I’m thinking I need a dash mounted drive for cost reasons alone.
I am in contact with a company called octopus drives for more information. I was hoping I would find someone in club sea ray that had my same exact situation that could (pardon my pun) steer me in the right direction and away from hazards. .

hi all
Still on my quest to install an autopilot on my 2004 240 Sundancer. Done a ton of research and am down to one question. Looking at putting in an Octopus type r below deck drive vs a dash drive but Octopus says you can’t use this drive on steering systems that are a NFB or non feed back steering system.
Would anybody know whether the rack steering with power assist on my 2004 240 Sundancer is a NFB system?
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,Karl

LuckyDuck said:

hi all
Still on my quest to install an autopilot on my 2004 240 Sundancer. Done a ton of research and am down to one question. Looking at putting in an Octopus type r below deck drive vs a dash drive but Octopus says you can’t use this drive on steering systems that are a NFB or non feed back steering system.
Would anybody know whether the rack steering with power assist on my 2004 240 Sundancer is a NFB system?
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,Karl

Click to expand...

I believe The BIII Sea Ray system is NFB, in addition I found out our 280 was too heavy for a steering hub type system.

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