I've Been Thinking Again

trapezeartist

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Yes, I know it's a dangerous and tiring activity, but what else am I supposed to do when I can't go sailing?

My question this time is: Do centre cockpit boats have an emergency tiller?

I can't see how they could do as the emergency tiller shaft would have to poke down through the aft cabin and straight through the middle of the bed! Unless you can just lift the mattress and put in a conventional emergency tiller and then someone on deck shouts down instructions to the helmsman :)eek:).
 

guernseyman

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21 Feb 2005
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Yes, I know it's a dangerous and tiring activity, but what else am I supposed to do when I can't go sailing?

My question this time is: Do centre cockpit boats have an emergency tiller?

I can't see how they could do as the emergency tiller shaft would have to poke down through the aft cabin and straight through the middle of the bed! Unless you can just lift the mattress and put in a conventional emergency tiller and then someone on deck shouts down instructions to the helmsman :)eek:).

Mine has an emergency tiller.

In the after cabin there is a port bunk and a starboard bunk, and between them is a space for access, and for the emergency tiller.

Though you are still right about the need for shouting.
 

Richard10002

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17 Mar 2006
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Manchester
My question this time is: Do centre cockpit boats have an emergency tiller?

I can't see how they could do as the emergency tiller shaft would have to poke down through the aft cabin and straight through the middle of the bed! Unless you can just lift the mattress and put in a conventional emergency tiller and then someone on deck shouts down instructions to the helmsman :)eek:).

On our Moody 44 there was a S/S cap on the aft deck, which revealed a hole into the aft cabin. Move the mattress and board, and lock it onto the rudder stock.

Check your emergency tiller - they have been known to rust away, so as not to fit the stock... and you only find out when you need it to work :(
 

TQA

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On a Ryton 38, a steel centre cockpit ketch, the top of the rudder post poked through the aft deck. The short emergency tiller pointed backwards and when I tried to use it I found I had to bypass the steering ram otherwise it was realy hard to move. Alos you had to relearn steering!
 

john_morris_uk

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3 Jul 2002
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At sea somewhere.
On our centre cockpit Westerly, the rudder stock reaches nearly all the way up to the aft deck. (You can get access to the two steering quadrants for the wheel steering and the autopilot via two locker doors) The top of the rudder stock has a square machined on it. In the aft deck is a removeable blank and the emergency tiller sits on that. I keep the special key/tool for removing the blanking piece tied to the rudder stock head. The emergency tiller is huge and just fits in the cockpit locker.

I have never seen a centre cockpit boat without some sort of emergency tiller arrangement. Some are pretty difficult to actually use though! Even with ours, you would be sitting on the aft deck feeling pretty exposed in rough weather.
 

jax

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22 Jun 2002
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"They have been known to fail" ----- Ah that is so true of lots of things in this life - mechanical,mental and physical
 

capnsensible

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Atlantic
Moody 33 centre cockpit. Emergency tiller long enough to poke head out and steer.

Overtaken though coz we got a hydrovane. Brilliant.
 
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