John, Am I missing something here? I thought an autopilot would hold a magnetic course regardless of boat trim. I just installed a Raymarine tiller pilot for that reason. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'll be mighty disappointed if it doesn't steer the boat when I go forward. BTW, for the tiller tamer discussion, I have used the Forespar tiller extension and lockbox which works well for quickly setting the tiller in any position. Of course, it still doesn't steer well if boat trim is changed. One other alternative to the "Tiller Tamer" is the remote steering system which a few cruisers have developed base on Doug Kelch's original prototype. It's basically a line from the tiller that goes through a block to port, then to a block at the bow, back to a block on starboard and back to the tiller. This simple system not only allows one to steer from any place on the boat, but with the proper tension will hold the tiller in any position. Rick M15 #337 Bluebird

Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:22:57 -0700 From: "John Gonzalez" <jgonzalez@usgimedical.com> Subject: Re: M_Boats: Tiller Tamer on M-15 To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Message-ID: <7066F24C86C9784FA880472BDFF4359485FF06@mail.usgimedical.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I have a tiller tamer and an autopilot. They work great as long as I do not shift my position in the boat.

But, when I need to go forward (e.g., to place the whisker pole), I easily upset the balance of the boat (I am no heavyweight, 185 lbs.), despite setting the tiller tamer or autopilot.

Conclusion -- the tiller tamer and autopilot are great to free my hands to enjoy a cup of coffee, etc., but are no help when I need to reef, go forward, etc.

Sincerely, John La Jolla, CA M-15, 628, Bella