The Tiller Pilot must be close to horizontal between both ends.
#Autohelm 2000 tiller pilot install
Which part you need, the pin or a bracket with pin, depends on your tiller and its height relative to where you will install the mounting socket for the stationary end of the Tiller Pilot.
![autohelm 2000 tiller pilot autohelm 2000 tiller pilot](https://dkutenx65dka0.cloudfront.net/product-media/C3Y/1000/1000/Raymarine-Tiller-Pilot-Tiller-Pin-each.jpg)
This is where the moving end of the Tiller Pilot attaches to your tiller and pivots. The first step is to measure and mark the location on your tiller handle for either the tiller pin or one of several possible tiller brackets. Lay out the tiller pin/bracket hole locations It will be steering your boat, after all. So take your time on this project to do it right – don’t cut any corners. For it to work correctly, the location in all three dimensions needs to be pretty accurate.
![autohelm 2000 tiller pilot autohelm 2000 tiller pilot](https://i0.wp.com/www.raymarine-navigatie.nl/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Autohelm_3000_stuurautomaat_tiller_helmstok.jpg)
It’s suspended in the air by the mounting hardware. The “something” holds it in the correct position. With most sailing gear, you can just screw it onto something and it works fine.
#Autohelm 2000 tiller pilot how to
This is a long post but I describe details about how to install the Tiller Pilot correctly that the manual leaves out. Together with this post, you’ll know everything you need to do the job. I recommend that you download a copy and study it before you embark on this project yourself. The Raymarine manual is pretty good and easy to find and download online. For other years and models, you can use the same methods described here but your measurements may be different. I’ll explain below what’s needed for a typical C-22 (pre-’86). But you will still need to buy any extension rods, mounting brackets, and tiller brackets separately that are necessary to install the Tiller Pilot in your sailboat. If you buy the Tiller Pilot new, that’s not as much of a problem, of course. I wound up buying them retail online from Defender but any Raymarine dealer should also be able to get them for you. It wouldn’t be so bad if the parts were inexpensive, but they are not and they’re also rare on eBay. Some of those parts are probably still on the boat where the Tiller Pilot was originally installed and the previous owner didn’t remove them to include in the sale. The not so obvious disadvantage of buying a used Tiller Pilot is that it’s rare to find one with that comes with the mounting socket, tiller pin, wiring socket, and any of the extension rods or tiller bracket that you may need to install it properly. When I thought of how convenient it would be for cruising with my wife who has no desire to take the helm, I concluded that it might free me up to attend to the many other responsibilities of single-handed sailing. I hadn’t seriously considered an autopilot for Summer Dance until I discovered the affordable Raymarine ST1000+ Tiller Pilot and that they could be had for half the cost of new on eBay.