History of Customer Testimonials
We decided to bring back the CPT because of its reliability, not only from personal experience, but from the abundance of testimonials. These are excerpts from some of the letters than have been sent to CPT over the years. Testimonials like these convinced us to bring back the CPT in 2008.
June 2010 S/v Shearwater, Conser 47 Catamaran
The CPT is very very good...and has become my main unit...
I'm in big seas....12-15 foot rollers on my port quarter with the odd series 20 foot and up. Hurtling down the faces reaching 17 knots today....3rd reef. CPT flawless.
Its amazing this boat...did 21.8 knots down a wave today...and amazing the CPT took it in stride.
So you see the sort of forces CPT is dealing with. So far I am pleased with Shearwater in those rather dangerous conditions...surfing...she has never seemed out of control...scary yes but always seems under control...nothing so far feeling like tripping over keels etc. Lets hope I’m right in my analysis so far.
Am closing in on Marquesas...have less than 1000 miles to go. all the best and thanks again for staying with me.
David
March, 2010, CSY 44
We must tell you that this unit works wonderfully for us! We used it on our recent trip from Florida to the Exumas. Even with strong following seas, it worked great. Better than having more crew! We named it Charlie P. (T for Tzareff), and he is now a most valued crew member. We're 40,000 lbs empty and were heavily provisioned for a month, so were much heavier than that at least on the way over. It performed exactly as expected and even surprised us at how well it handled the following seas, confused seas, and some pretty strong winds. Thanks for bringing it back! We love it!
Paul & Sue Tzareff
s/v ‘Not A Clew’
November 2009, Westsail 42
You sold me a CPT Autopilot last October for my Westsail 42 which was on a mooring in New York City. On November 1st I pushed off single handed for Bermuda and had the most hellacious voyage! I feel like I owe my life to the CPT Autopilot. The CPT steered flawlessly under power, under sail, while motor sailing, and even in very rough heavy weather conditions. The only break the CPT got when was I had to hove to in sustained 40 knot winds gusting to 56(!!!) for 2 days. After the storm I encountered a 52 foot, 40,000 lb sailboat in distress. S/V ‘Cha Cha’ had lost all steerage, engine, ability to raise any kind of sail, nav lights, bilge pumps, and had no way to generate electricity. She had been adrift for 2 days under bare poles. I (and the CPT) towed that boat 150 miles to Bermuda! The CPT Autopilot not only proved herself, but deserves a medal! Also, the drive belt tensioner worked fabulously.
Drake Roberts
s/v ‘Paragon’
2009, Ericson 38
Well, it’s in and I love it. …Sea trials went great! The unit is extremely quiet, I like that. Going between Richardson Bay and SF in 26 knot wind it performed pretty darned well. We had the belt too loose so it skipped some gears in a heavy wind, tightened it later so that problem should be gone. But it did an exceptional job. Using the remote for steering under power was a dream, kinda like using a computer mouse. Overall, it was very easy to install, it works, very well, has low power consumption, and it's quiet. Two thumbs up!
2009, Tayana 37
I was so happy to see the CPT back on the market. We bought ours in 1993 and installed it on our Tayana 37. I was concerned at first because anyone who has sailed the Tayana 37 knows how bad the weather helm is on these sea cows. But the CPT made us the envy of all the other Tayanas we encountered during our three year Americas tour. Those that had them, loved them.
We sold the Tayana when we returned in 1998 and the one thing that really tickled the new owners, was the CPT. and it continues to work flawless for them. It seems that electronics on a boat need to be upgraded or repaired every couple of years. But the CPT is the best investment I ever made, just turn it on and let it do the work.
We have purchased a 45 foot Europe sedan trawler, (another Tayana), and although the current course setter works most of the time, I found it inadequate in rough pacific NW storms, it just gives up!!! I read your info on the new systems and I think it will handle this boat with ease.
Thank you for making such a quality autopilot
Capt K.M. Murphy
Sea Hunter
2009, Valiant 40
Eron...Many thanks for the fine work that you or your guys did on my CPT. It is like working with a totally different animal. I used the pilot last weekend and was totally surprised with the precision and ease of finding a course and maintaining it.
Thanks for the manual dodger which works excellently as a fine course tuner.
Best Regards.....Jim Lavers www.bkvsailing.com/2009, Custom Perry 46
We did take our windvane off Content as part of the refit for two reasons, one the vane clanked in a seaway and at anchor and since we sleep at that end of the boat, it always kept us awake. The BOOM was shocking, even when the vane was lashed down hard, or soft with bungee cord. But, the second reason was—we got the CPT and it steered us flawlessly, under sail and power, on the nose with the Baja bash north and downwind in 40kts. So we didn't need the vane.
2008, Westsail 42
CPT crew: Nice work on such a killer product. We are just finishing a five night passage to El Salvador from Mex. We did the quick installation, dockside and sea trial, then left. We learned how to use the pilot easily and are very impressed. We did our trial run across the dreaded Tuhuantepec. I used the remote control to navigate up a canal following a bar pilot. We had about every condition variation on the trip. Thanks soooooooo much. It makes our other unit...seem like a toy.
2001, Morgan 50'
We are very happy with your autopilot. We use it all the time on our Morgan 50'… Last year in a gale enroute from Florida back to N.J., we were in very heavy weather for 28 hours and would have been exhausted hand-steering. The autopilot served us very well through it all. Kept us on course 100%!
1999, Hans Christian 33
During our voyage from Long Beach to Seattle we encountered two blue-sky August gales with winds over 55 kts. The autopilot continued to steer even though the cockpit was almost constantly thigh high in saltwater. In fact, the pilot spends its entire life mounted on the steering pedestal in the wet Pacific Northwest, and has never failed us in over 13 years. While it doesn’t have a fancy shaped case and a digital display, it is simple, robust and reliable, a perfect match for…our heavy cruising sailboat.
1998, 40' Center Cockpit Cutter Rig
Charlie:…we also had a very modern and sophisticated autopilot…and as a back-up, picked up a CPT from a cruising friend. The modern pilot failed on us again, repair was going to be expensive and parts not easily accessible in the middle of the Pacific. The CPT ended up doing a lot of the work in all sorts of conditions. Our cockpit was flooded at one point, but when we next needed the CPT, it worked as if nothing had happened. Interestingly, the CPT was the quietest unit, even quieter than the windvane, that has a quiet kind of clang to it. At the moment we are refitting and preparing for a circumnavigation. The CPT is coming with us…Our unit, though old is extremely reliable, strong and very quiet.
1998, Dutch Harbor, Alaska
The unit, which we affectionately call Otto, has worked endless hours without complaint over uncounted miles. It was originally purchased in Oct. ‘88, 10 years of virtually trouble-free operation. Thanks for a great product.
1998, 40' Sloop
Mr. Pukit…I’ve been using my CPT Autopilot for over 8 years now and in the last four years alone I have put over 15,000 miles under my keel while charting the islands of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. Of those miles…somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 to 90% were while under the control of the CPT Autopilot. From flat calms under motor to 40 kt winds and 15' seas, my CPT Autopilot has handled my 40' sloop, IV Play, safely and dependably. I really like the low noise of my CPT Autopilot. My other belt-driven autopilot, long ago regulated to a locker as a spare, would drive me crazy, buzzing and whining with each turn of the wheel. I originally purchased my unit because of your display at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show. Your display unit was mounted in an aquarium, underwater and running. Even with this I was skeptical that it would remain waterproof in the long run. I have to admit that through the years it has indeed proven waterproof. Rain, spray, even the occasional wave has failed to violate its waterproof integrity. All in all I wish most of the items that I have invested in for my vessel satisfied me to the extent that your product does. I am leaving…for the Turks & Caicos and my CPT Autopilot will definitely be doing most of the driving.
1997,Tayana 37
Jim: We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how wonderful we think your CPT autopilots are. We have now been cruising for about two years and the CPT has truly become a part of the crew! Several months ago, while at a marina in Ixtapa, Mexico, at least 4 boats were waiting for their autopilots to be repaired or had all gone to their back-up systems. None of them were CPT’s! The 3 boats at the dock that were all very happy with their autopilots ALL had CPT’s. We recently made a passage from Mexico to Costa Rica and encountered the Tehuanepec & Papagayo winds. Our CPT worked even in the 30+ knot winds. Thanks for making such a good product.
1993, CSY 44
CPT:…This unit has performed flawlessly and almost continually from Virgin Islands to Block Island, Rhode Island to Venezuela and back!!! It handles my 39,000lb CSY 44 in up to 50 knot winds! (for the past 2½ years).
1993, 35' Rasmus
CPT: Gwen and I would like to give a big “atta boy” to our CPT Autopilot for the flawless and efficient way it handled our 35' Rasmus, Princess Del Mar on our recent three ocean voyages. We used the pilot 100% of the time in all conditions from the mid-Pacific to Florida, via the Indian Ocean & the Cape of Good Hope. Even though Princess was equipped with a good workable steering vane, we chose to use the Autopilot for its ease of operation, its far superior course holding and its amazing reliability and economy of power.
While other cruisers complain that they cannot use their autopilot as much as they would like because of mechanical failure and/or high power consumption, we have found “The Autopilot” to be trouble-free and power efficient. Obviously we endorse your product very highly, and we now understand why it is called “The Autopilot”.
1993
Sirs:…The Autopilot I got is the old Orinda Control that you converted for me 3 years ago…13 years old, this month and 36,000 miles—not bad for the old girl!
1993, Countess 44
Sir: I just finshed a trip from the Bahamas to Europe and back to the Bahamas with it and I’m happy to report that on this first trip of any consequence that it really got used. It steered the whole way, over 8,000 miles, and didn’t have a problem until we were about 150 miles from our destination in the Bahamas. I simply removed it and installed the spare CPT which I had on board and within 15 minutes we were back in business.
1991, Irwin 37
Charlie: The unit worked perfectly during the cruise in all of the usual and unusual conditions one encounters with the best of planning. This cruise provided a situation where the remote of the autopilot allowed us to continue for 6 hours in a fog so dense the visibility was reduced in some cases to less than 50'. To make matters worse, we were in the middle of the worst crab trap field I have ever seen in many years of cruising the Gulf of Mexico. By standing on the pulpit with the autopilot remote we were able to successfully steer through the maze without a single close call. I do not believe we would have had the same success using a lookout on the pulpit giving directions to the cockpit. I’m certain the required reaction time or misunderstood instructions would have wrapped a number of lines around the prop. We were about ready to drop the hook when we decided to try the remote unit as stated with excellent results.
Our Irwin 37 deep draft sailboat which in honesty handles like a tank in smooth water under power. I can say the pilot performed beautifully under any and all conditions. We encountered a similar boat in Key West with a competitive unit, the motor of which burned out after 3 days.
1991
Jim: The unit has worked great until my new dog decided to chew (shred) the two wire bundles that come out of the bottom of the set. The unit is 4 years old and works fine. Also, I purchased a second unit for a German cruiser friend for his 36' sloop, and at last report he had gone several thousand miles and is delighted with the performance.
1991, 65'
Charlie: After the Trans-At, we decided to sail on to the Azores & Mallorca. Our [other brand] failed b/t Daytona & Bermuda. It’s the unit that was on the boat when we purchased it in 1990—3rd failure. We put CPT in service and all is well. The one sent to Bermuda was my back-up. We’re at 38 degrees N, 46 degrees W making 7 knots towards Horta, 12' to 15' following seas, 2nd reef in main, reefed jib, 15 to 20 kts of wind out of the SW, broad reaching. CPT has not slipped or groaned once, sure beats standing at the helm—Yes, this is a mid-Atlantic testimonial. PS—The Trans-At was too exhausting with a 65' and a wife and 2 kids for crew!
1991, Pearson 424
Sirs:…I would appreciate your servicing this unit…I have had the unit for 12 years and have been very happy with it. I also recommend this unit to anyone interested in purchasing an autopilot.
1991, 43' Perry
Mr. Pukit: I installed my Autopilot II aboard our 43' Perry designed cutter 3 years ago, and have since sailed through the Bahamas, 3 years in the Carribbean, up the Pacific side of Central America and then across the Pacific to Tahiti (current location) on our way to Tonga. The Autopilot II has performed flawlessly for over 8,000 miles through a 3 day, 45 knot gale with 15 foot breaking seas, as well as the prolonged calms of the doldrums. …I will highly recommend the Autopilot II for anyone considering serious off-shore cruising.
1990, Morgan 46
Mr. Pukit: The CPT worked superbly in heavy seas and winds in all directions of sail, exceeding all expectations.
1990, Vagabond 47
Charlie: I want to report the results of your recent “heart and brain” surgery upgrade to my 1979 Autopilot. As you know, I was most reluctant to have anything done to something that has worked so well for so long…I’m from the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” school.
Shortly after getting our 1979/1990 Autopilot upgrade from you, Ann and I set off for six weeks in the Exumas in our Vagabond 47. Your autopilot never missed a beat and it did perform better than our old friend (which I didn’t think was possible). Of all the gear I have aboard, your Autopilot is the lowest maintenance—all I do is hose it down every now and then…Thanks Charlie, for talking me into upgrading my old pilot. As good as it worked, your new electronics are better! We hope to see you in a couple of months at the Miami Boat Show.
1989, Ocean 60
Charlie: The good ship Alaskan Sea Cur was hardly ready for sea and it was three long weeks at Little Harbor Marine just to make ready for sea trials. On that momentous day, while the electronics tech was attempting to interface the $4,995 [other brand] Auto Pilot, we lost the steering. They spent another week replacing all the bearings, and that was fortunate for this is an interesting steering system. Shaft drive driven bevel gears from the wheel turning a short quadrant, with 1½ turns lock to lock. That’s right, just over ½ turn and you are HARD OVER! Needless to say, if you let go of the wheel, it’s too late to “close the barn door”. And of all the $90,000 worth of electronics, guess which one never did work. Right again, the [other brand] autopilot.
Alaskan Sea Cur is an Ocean 60, a 62' 36 ton schooner with a tough steering system and, as mentioned, an autopilot that would only steer hard over immediately, and it’s tough to get to Panama by going in circles. Time to go and no autopilot. As the owner said, “it should not be a problem to hand steer, you have crew!”
Fortunately, I just happened to have brought along my own Autopilot II, so with a quick fabrication of a bracket, two holes drilled in the cockpit side, and presto the autopilot is installed. The question was could it steer this vessel. While doing a fine job of handling my 38' sloop, what would happen on this schooner? I imagine you know the rest. It works just fine and we have completed a 6,300 mile delivery, and “Charlie” has been a match for every test. With the heavy load, we managed to sheer one of the sheer pins, but then I guess that’s what they’re for. So anyone contemplating saving several thousand dollars on their autopilot installation, might consider the AUTOPILOT II and a spare set of pins. Much less than some of the fancy systems around, and one happy captain, here, for I have no taste for sitting at the wheel in 20 degree weather or in the cold snow or ice. Thanks for having such an exceptional pilot, for I don’t know of another wheel mounted pilot that would come close to handling the steering problems on this schooner.
1989, Westerly 39
Mr. Pukit: I have enclosed several snaps of my installation of your product on my Westerly 39' Sealord . First, I would like to put into writing my unqualified endorsement of the CPT Autopilot.
This rugged, dandy piece of equipment took us from New York to Bermuda and back this past season, including almost a whole day DOWNWIND WITH LARGE FOLLOWING SEAS. This was possible by setting the rudder control high and the deadband low. It was an uncanny performance…Thank you for giving the sailing public a reliable, no-nonsense autopilot.
1989, 35' Sailboats
Sir: After 4 years of reliable performance of your AUTOPILOT II on several boats in the 35' range we operate, this letter of gratitude is long overdue! The pilot is one of the most reliable pieces of gear we have ever used. After several hundred hours of use on each of the units we have not had a single failure. The level of dependability and performance you provide in your product should be the standard the rest of the marine industry tries to meet. Thank you & keep up the excellent work!
1989, 46' Cutter
CPT, Inc: The enclosed Autopilot has been about 4,000 miles as my most faithful helmsman, and has done an excellent job of steering my 46' cutter Essa all over the Carribbean, from Florida to Antigua and home again, stopping everywhere in between. We have become so spoiled that when we have to stand our watch actually at the helm we feel put upon by fate. Thanks for an excellent product, and good service when we needed it.
1989, 45' Cutter
CPT: We cannot say enough good things about our CPT Autopilot II. It has been marvelous! We left Long Beach in Feb. 1987 for Mexico, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Is. From there through the Panama Canal and up the East Coast to Annapolis…For the most part of our cruise on our 45' cutter sloop we are only the two of us. Whether short-handed or with a full crew, a good autopilot is essential. From Annapolis we sailed down the coast through the Bahamas to the Virgin Islands, where we are now
1989
“Willie” has performed with perfection over 10 years now. I have been very satisfied. Looking forward to Willie II.
1989, Columbia 43
Charles, The Autopilot II is performing very well on my Columbia 43. It is my 4th autopilot, and it is the first one that worked immediately after installation, without any problems.
1987, Pearson 36
Dear Charlie,…I bought my autopilot in late 1979 when I was preparing for a year’s cruise aboard our 37' one tonner. My boat was squirrely off the wind, so I wanted a pilot which would really crank the wheel fast and be a miser on power. Your autopilot has been simply sensational. From 1980 to 1986, we’ve logged about 15,000 miles, virtually all of which was under autopilot—we hate to steer. Coming back from the Caribbean, we sailed from Conception Island (Bahamas) to Georgetown, Exumas in a 25 knot downwind romp. We averaged over 8 knots from anchor up to anchor down! Our only steering was through the reef outside of Georgetown.
About a year ago, we sold our one-tonner and bought a small ship—a Vagabond 47. It’s a 40,000 lb. Garden full keel cruising boat with hydraulic steering. Well, we’ve kept our wonderful pilot after talking with you, and fitted it aboard. The steering is 6+ turns lock to lock, so when combined with the boat’s great weight, “responsive” wouldn’t be a word I’d use to describe the boat’s handling. You’ll be pleased to know that the pilot works just great. I crank the rudder up to a 6, set the deadband as low as possible and the course is perfection itself.
Charlie, your autopilot has done more to enhance the experience of sailing (and to relieve the burden of steering under power) than any other single piece of gear on the boat. Our longest passage was 13 days during which we hand steered only about 4 hours. We motored up and down the Waterway and Erie Canal from North Carolina to Cleveland using the autopilot most of the time. I can’t imagine sailing without an autopilot; how else could you watch the dolphins under the bow, or land a nice fish, or daydream, or sail short-handed?
1986
…Your Autopilot II leaves the aforementioned pilots way behind. The best test for a pilot is to be on a reach or running in about 25 kts of wind. I ran for about 10 hours under these conditions and did not touch the pilot. I really believe you have a fine product.
1986
…Of the three different pilots that I have, this is still my favorite pilot, So Charlie, take good care of my old Faithful and send her back as soon as possible.
1986, 36' Hinckley
Charlie, Let me congratulate you on the outstanding achievement your autopilots. This was the first year that I have used one of your units and it did an exceptional job of steering my 36' Hinckley Pilot, Indu.
…Indu finished 1st in class crossing the finish line ahead of all the boats in its class. Most of this success was a result of your excellent unit. Your CPT unit was far superior to the [other brands], and the “waterproof” French unit that I have tried in other races over the past 8 years of single-handing. Your CPT is now a permanent member aboard Indu.
1984, 70' Steel Schooner
Sirs, I purchased my autopilot from you about 5 years ago as a back-up unit on my 70' steel schooner. My heavy (and very expensive) autopilot failed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I used your unit all the rest of the way, often in heavy seas. I continued to use it in the Med until my big unit was repaired after 18 months of extensive cruising.
I am now back in the U.S. preparing for a voyage of one year and I returned your unit to be checked out. I appreciate your report that it is in perfect shape and I include my check for your most reasonable charges.
I know your pilot can handle a much heavier boat than you advertise…
1984, Westsail 43
Sirs,…the autopilot has proven a good friend. We’ve sailed for nearly 4 years now and have not experienced any of the difficulties associated with other autopilots, although the chain drive was the weak link. I believe the new drive will be superior. Except for the stretch of the chain, I couldn’t be happier with this unit. I’m a commodore in the SSCA and in the near future I hope to write a blurb in the bulletin about my experience with the autopilot. I have two babies aboard with a wife that regularly succumbs to seasickness, and a reliable autopilot is a virtual necessity. At first I was suspicious of the cost and effectiveness so I bought two, one would be a complete spare. For 4 years and 25,000 miles, I’ve never opened the other box. Thanks.
1983, 50' Motorsailer
We have just returned from a 4000 mile voyage in our 50' motorsailing vessel, “Bon Voyage”, using your Autopilot entirely throughout a circumnavigation of the Gulfs of Mexico, Belize and Honduras. During the time of the voyage, we encountered seas from flat calm to 18 foot with high winds, under both sail and power. Your Autopilot operated PERFECTLY throughout the voyage, with one exception during the last two days of the trip: when a Cuban Patrol Craft intercepted us off the golfo Guanacabibe, we forgot to disengage the Autopilot when we swung the wheel hard over, and broke the chain!
We are VERY satisfied with your unit, and indeed my wife would refuse to sail on extended passages if we did not have it. We carry no crew besides ourselves and AUTOPILOT keeps it relaxed and restful aboard for us.
Please feel free to refer any potential clients to us for a sincere and glowing recommendation of the dependability of AUTOPILOT.
1983, Hunter 30
I am the owner of an AUTOPILOT steering device which I bought along with my Hunter 30 sailboat in 1979. The unit was installed by the delivering yacht yard and performed as advertised…which is to say, great.
1982, 55' Schooner
For your info, the unit I have was purchased from Orinda Controls in San Francisco. I have used it to pilot my 28ton 55' schooner named “Osprey” from Manzanillo, Mexico to the Marquesas, Papeete, Leeward Islands, Cooks and now I’m in American Samoa. Total mileage is approximately 5,000 miles in all conditions. Rarely did I have to disconnect the unit because of weather. I can recommend your autopilot to anyone...
1982, Pearson 36
Dear Pierre, I don’t write many fan letters, but this is one. I’ve just returned from a 10 month cruise to the Carribbean aboard my 36' Pearson one tonner which saw 5,000 miles pass below the keel. During this cruise, your pilot steered absolutely flaultlessly in conditions ranging from dead calm to downwind tradewind runs of 25 knots.
I can think of no other single item which I fitted aboard my boat which was so worthwhile and trouble free. It was simple to install, easy on the batteries, a cake to operate, and always attentive to its duty. On several occasions, I’ll swear it steered around ships at sea!
If you ever need an enthusiastic testimonial, you’ve got mine. You have a dynamite autopilot and I’m proud to own one.
1981
We are bouncing over the very blue waters of the Pacific Ocean at approximately Latitude 20 degrees N, and Longitude 118 degrees W between Acapulco, Mexico and the Hawaiian Islands. We’ve had a perfectly beautiful 5 months of cruising the west coast of Mexico and are now reaching further out—3,100 miles out!
Each day we have a conversation about how much we appreciate your autopilot. It has been a good, steady friend that has increased our enjoyment of the trip immeasurably. The chain got a little stretched out and tired so we slipped on a new one at our last anchorage and it’s running with renewed spirit now.
We’ve sailed with your Orinda Controls Autopilot in choppy seas with 20 knot winds for hours on end and had no course deviation. What more could anyone ask?
1980, 31' O’Day
A word of thanks to you for your fine unit. We have a 31' O’Day and during the past year have traveled some 4,000 plus miles on her. Without the autopilot this would have been an awful lot of boring open ocean sailing. It has always operated perfectly—a real joy.
1980, Hans Christian 38
This is a fan letter for the Orinda autopilot. Life aboard for the two of us is so much easier and pleasant: meals together, sail handling together, time to sit together and watch the sun set. Thanks to that reliable little box.
Our first passage on our Hans Christian 38 with it installed was from Salem Mass., to Norfolk, VA and return. We were at the helm less than 10% of that passage. Summer winds failed on the last part of the trip, so what might have been a tedious 36 hours under power became a relaxing part of the trip with the helm ignored…
Thanks for a good product and a real boon to shorthanded boats.
West Brattleboro, Vermont, Hans Christian 38
1980
…It was great all through an offshore trip from Fl to Mass—even through 3 days & nights of a tropical depression. It even steered with a following sea under bare poles in 40–50 knot winds.
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