Raymarine RCU-1 Wireless Autopilot Remote Control

The Raymarine RCU-1 puts command of your Evolution autopilot in the palm of your hand. This is the remote control on its own, ready to pair with an autopilot you've already got installed, so you can step away from the helm and still steer the boat. Whether you're trimming sails at the mast, working gear at the transom, or just moving around on deck, the course stays yours to adjust from wherever you happen to be standing.

Control is built around a bright color display that stays readable in direct sunlight and a simple keypad you can work with one hand. The screen shows live navigation data at a glance, so you'll see heading, speed, depth, wind, and waypoint information without walking back to the chartplotter. That's the difference between guessing and knowing when you're up at the bow and the helm is thirty feet behind you.

Point-and-Go mode is the feature most owners reach for first. Instead of dialing in a number, you aim the handset in the direction you want to travel and the autopilot turns the boat to follow. It's an intuitive way to dodge a crab pot, line up on a channel marker, or nudge onto a new heading while your hands are full. For anglers, that means repositioning the boat without dropping a rod. For cruisers, it means small course corrections from the shade of the cockpit.

Solo Sailor Mode is the safety feature that earns its keep when you're shorthanded. If a wearer-overboard situation is detected, the autopilot automatically turns the boat into the wind, slowing it and holding position so you have a fighting chance to recover. Anyone who sails alone or stands night watches on a short-handed crew will understand why that matters.

The handset is built for the marine environment. It carries an IP67 waterproof rating, so a boarding wave or a dropped-in-the-cockpit moment won't end its life, and it operates across a wide temperature band from minus 13 to positive 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Two AA batteries power it for up to 30 days of continuous use, which means you're changing cells a couple of times a season rather than charging every night. The included cradle gives the remote a home on the bulkhead, and the lanyard keeps it tethered when the deck gets busy.

Connection is wireless over Bluetooth 5.1 with a range of up to 30 meters, enough to cover the length of most recreational boats from bow to stern. Keep in mind that cabins, bulkheads, and metal structures shorten wireless range on any handheld device, so the farther corners of a larger vessel may need you to stay in line of sight of the autopilot. The compact 5.94 by 2.36 inch handset, just over an inch thick, sits comfortably in one hand or drops into a pocket between adjustments.

The RCU-1 is designed to work on both powerboats and sailboats, which makes it a genuinely versatile addition to a Raymarine Evolution system. It is not a standalone autopilot and it doesn't steer the boat by itself. It's the wireless control layer for an autopilot you already run, so confirm your existing setup is an Evolution-series pilot before you add it. What you get in return is freedom of movement and a second set of controls that goes wherever you do.

In the box you'll find the RCU-1 remote, the cradle, two AA batteries to get you started, two self-tapping screws for mounting the cradle, a lanyard, and the documentation pack. Installation is about as simple as marine electronics get, since there's no wiring to run to the handset itself and the pairing process is handled through your existing autopilot. Mount the cradle somewhere handy near the helm, drop in the batteries, pair it once, and you're ready to take control of your boat from anywhere the deck takes you.