Raymarine Autopilot Components
Raymarine Autopilot Components: Precision Steering Technology for Every Vessel
When it comes to marine autopilot systems, few names carry as much authority as Raymarine. Raymarine has built more than four decades of autopilot expertise into its component lineup, and that engineering heritage is most evident in its industry-leading autopilot components — the individual building blocks that make intelligent, hands-free navigation possible on the water.
The Evolution Autopilot Ecosystem
The culmination of Raymarine's 40-plus years of autopilot expertise and advanced aerospace guidance technology, Raymarine autopilots deliver confident and accurate steering control. That expertise is channeled directly into the modular components that make up the Evolution autopilot series.
Typical autopilot systems consist of four main components: a heading sensor, an Actuator Control Unit (ACU), a drive unit, and a control head. Raymarine's Evolution line addresses each of these roles with purpose-built hardware that works together as a cohesive system or can be added individually to upgrade an existing installation.
The EV-1 and EV-2 Sensor Cores
At the heart of every Raymarine Evolution system is an advanced heading sensor. Every Raymarine Evolution autopilot system uses an EV-1 or EV-2 heading sensor — the "brains" of the system, employing advanced AHRS (Attitude Heading Reference Sensor) technology to monitor the boat's position in all three dimensions. Using an array of sensors, the EV heading sensor perceives its environment and instantly calculates and evolves steering commands to maximize performance, resulting in precise and confident course keeping regardless of vessel speed or sea conditions.
Actuator Control Units (ACUs) and Drive Units
The rugged ACU (Actuator Control Unit) delivers reliable autopilot drive power and also provides power to the SeaTalkng bus — and choosing the right ACU means matching it to your steering system type. Raymarine offers ACU options scaled across its product range — from the compact ACU-100 for smaller vessels to the ACU-200 for larger mechanical steering setups — ensuring that mariners can find components matched to their boat's displacement and drive requirements.
A key differentiator in Raymarine's component engineering is Hydro-Balance™ technology. This exclusive Raymarine feature adjusts for elasticity in hydraulic steering systems and compensates automatically to prevent steering oscillation, resulting in precise course-keeping and no drive-unit hunting.
Control Heads and Seamless Integration
Raymarine's p70s and p70Rs control heads round out the component ecosystem, putting full autopilot management at the helm. EV-100 systems are available with the p70s autopilot control head, or you can choose a system without a control head and use a Raymarine Axiom chartplotter for full autopilot control. This flexibility lets boaters choose the control interface that best suits their cockpit layout and existing electronics.
Raymarine autopilot components are designed to seamlessly integrate with other Raymarine navigation systems and instruments, such as chartplotters, multifunction displays (MFDs), radar, and sonar — enabling enhanced functionality such as waypoint navigation, route following, and collision avoidance. With seamless integration into SeaTalkng and NMEA 2000 networks, these systems work effortlessly with Raymarine chartplotters and other marine electronics.
Built for Power and Sail
Built with innovative Evolution™ AI technology, these autopilot systems continuously monitor the boat's motion and automatically adjust to changing sea conditions — no manual calibration required — and are designed for both powerboats and sailboats, providing smooth, reliable course keeping whether cruising offshore, trolling, or navigating tight waterways.
Whether you're replacing a worn sensor core, adding a new control head, or building a complete Evolution system from scratch, Raymarine's autopilot components offer the modularity and long-term reliability that serious mariners depend on. Explore the full Raymarine brand lineup or browse all autopilot components to find the right fit for your vessel.