Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

Yes, I did.

I originally ordered the new Newaveco solenoid, but it still wasn't available before our crossing, so I switched the ecopilot instead. I can't say how much it saved us because we never operated the autopilot without it. There is no doubt that the pilot draws very, very little power in calm conditions, but when the seas are rough it can still eat up the amps. I think it is still possible to use 75 amps/day in rough weather and maybe as little as 15 in calm conditions, but those are rough numbers because I had a lot of variables and the consumption varies constantly. I felt the power consumption was quite reasonable considering the sea state we had much of the time and how well the autopilot was steering.

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