Carrying a spare tiller

[MoodySabre]

I am trying to declutter my cockpit locker.

My boat was coded in an earlier life and has a spare tiller. The laminated tiller in normal use looks very strong - does the team think that I need to carry a spare for East Coast pottering and a couple of North Sea crossings a year?

Part of me says that I might regret chucking it out. Oh, I have hypothermia bags too but they are essential for our summers

 

[Searush]

leave it in the garage for a couple of years before you sell it. Coz it won't be needed until after it's sold.

 

[colvic987]

Find somewhere for it to go, which isnt getting in the way, sure you have enough space on a moody for a spare tiller, you might regret not carring it one day, especially if your over the over side of the north sea...

 

[Cloven]

I made a spare one for my boat and I'll be very happy to never use it but even happier its there if I ever need it.

 

[highandry]

My boat's wheel steered but she's got a tiller stub on her rudder head for emergencies. I've "doctored" a length of galvanised pipe which will fit and serve as an emergency tiller, a spare handle for my handraulic Simpson Lawrence windlass and at a push with with an old road drill chisel bit (found it in the road officer..) fitted in the other end, as a reasonable crowbar if I really need one. It doesn't feel so bad if you can justify stowing multi use gear that you'll hopefully never use.

 

[FullCircle]

I broke one on my Evo25 Roger. It looked and felt OK up to the moment I gave it that last heave as I was going downhill in a 6-7 crossing the Thames. Erk.

If you do thropw it off, then make sure you have worked out your emergency steering plan, and had a practice or two with it.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I carry my spare tiller upright in the corner of the forecabin port hand locker with a door on it(I could use the word wardrobe but this might be streching things a bit on the M31)If I get rid of it I know I will need it about a week later.

 

[MoodySabre]

Good idea John - I'll snuck it in there when the boss isn't watching and she'll never notice

 

[prv]

A spare tiller's a necessity for a wheel steered boat with more to go wrong, but I can't really see the need on one that's steered with a tiller normally. The odds of it snapping in the first place seem low, and if it did it shouldn't be too hard to lash a dinghy oar or whatever to the remains. The spare won't help in the case of damage or jamming of the rudder itself or the stock or bearings under water.

Pete

 

[Bosun Higgs]

A spare tiller's a necessity for a wheel steered boat with more to go wrong,

I do wonder. On my 35 ft boat we have an emergency tiller. Its 2 ft long at best and cant be any bigger because of the wheel. So how do I use that without King Kong as crew? I think I'm likely to do better using the autopilot ram

 

[tillergirl]

You're lucky it will fit the forecabin, Roger. TG's spare tiller is 5ft long and heavy steel. Carried it for 10 years and finally moved it to the garage. It improved the trim! Bust the tiller four years ago but was able to stick the broken end in the socket!

 

[highandry]

I do wonder. On my 35 ft boat we have an emergency tiller. Its 2 ft long at best and cant be any bigger because of the wheel. So how do I use that without King Kong as crew? I think I'm likely to do better using the autopilot ram

If it's wood you could screw a couple of eye bolts, one each side at the end, or if steel get two welded on and rig a tackle port and starboard like the old 'relieving tackles' used to be rigged. At least that would give you the power to move the tiller and steer, even in a big sea.

 

[Blueboatman]

When it breaks ( maybe as someone stumbles and falls heavily across it), I am sure Chris Tarrant would say phone a friend.

I think I would rig two bungee cords and stow it in that wasted space up inside the cockpit coaming or as suggested vertically in the chain locker.

Mind you, anything that I haven't used after 12 consecutive months ( and which is non essential) is always on my 'hit list' for eviction

 

[michael_w]

The ISAF Special Regulations call for an emergency tiller for all boats unless the tiller is made of metal and deemed to be unbreakable.

4.15 Emergency Steering
4.15.1 Emergency steering shall be provided as follows:

a) except when the principal method of steering is by means of an unbreakable metal tiller, an emergency tiller capable of being fitted to the rudder stock;
MoMu0,1,2,3

b) crews must be aware of alternative methods of steering the yacht in any sea condition in the event of rudder loss. At least one method must have been proven to work on board the yacht. An inspector may require that this method be demonstrated.
MoMu0,1,2,3

 

[Poignard]

My spare tiller is stored upright in a corner of the heads compartment; held in place with specially made brackets (long may it remain there!)

 

[boatmike]

The ISAF Special Regulations call for an emergency tiller for all boats unless the tiller is made of metal and deemed to be unbreakable.

4.15 Emergency Steering
4.15.1 Emergency steering shall be provided as follows:

a) except when the principal method of steering is by means of an unbreakable metal tiller, an emergency tiller capable of being fitted to the rudder stock;
MoMu0,1,2,3

b) crews must be aware of alternative methods of steering the yacht in any sea condition in the event of rudder loss. At least one method must have been proven to work on board the yacht. An inspector may require that this method be demonstrated.
MoMu0,1,2,3

Yes that's right Michael. It does seem to me that b) is the most important though as there have been many instances of rudders themselves breaking or becoming detached from the stock. How many of us have actually tried jury rigging an oar or some other such device? It isn't easy! If a conventional mono looses a rudder it can't sail or motor in any meaningful way so it's very important to know what to do.
I am fortunate in having a cat with two rudders connected by a metal link shaft. It's wheel steered (unusually via whitlock cable rather than hydraulics) and the autopilot ram is on that shaft so the possibility of loosing both rudders and/or not being able to operate them are slim. If I were to lose rudders entirely I still have a steerable outboard leg but on previous monos without that back up I have always rigged an oar to try steering if I lost the rudder. It's not easy and the usual light dinghy aluminium jointed ones are completely useless. I seriously suggest trying it....

 

[prv]

I have always rigged an oar to try steering if I lost the rudder. It's not easy and the usual light dinghy aluminium jointed ones are completely useless.

I can't really imagine even trying a normal inflatable dinghy oar. Obviously ineffectual from the outset.

I once chartered a boat whose owner had made a plywood blade designed to be lashed to the end of the spinnaker pole to form a steering oar. Sounds unwieldy, but might have worked.

I don't have any emergency steering on KS; mostly relying on the rudder being mounted in the shelter of a long keel, via some fairly substantial metalwork.

Pete