moody31 wheel steering

N

nobby666

New Member
Joined
3 Dec 2006
Messages
15
Visit site
im seriosly considering buying a moody 31 mark 1 or2 but want one with wheel steering which seem hard to come by,is anybody aware of a company that can convert to wheel from tiller? thanks in advance nobby
 
I'm interested in why you want a wheel. One of the attractions (as I see it) of my current boat is that it has a tiller. I have sailed boats with wheels and don't like it much. There is, of course, always the matter of what one is familiar with, but I'm interested to know whether there are any objective advantages.
 
its purely because in twenty five years of sailing ive had wheel sterring 90% of the time and thats what im familiar and happiest with,
 
It can be done. But you loose quite a bit of head room in the aft cabin. Have a look at a S31 with wheel/tiller steering for an example. personally i prefer a tiller on a boat of that size.
 
Agreed, best with a tiller, plus the wheel won't be of a comfortable size as the cockpit floor is quite narrow.
 
i have been on board a moody 31 with a wheel and it wasnt terribly cramped either in cockpit or aft cabin, it seems out of 305 built only a handful have a wheel, would it be worth contacting moodys for their speification on steering assembly?
 
Hi Nobby:

Whitlock Lewmar...
The chap at Lewmar is Graham Smith you can email him at gsmith@whitlocksteering.com and he would advise who your nearest agent/ fitter is.

You don't say where you are, but if on the south coast the chap you need is Cliff Mogridge of Winch Servicing, he specialises in repairs and conversions.
He can be got at cligg@winchservicing.com

You will need to arm yourself with about £2,500 to complete the job.

My personal view after about 40 years of Sailing both, is give me a wheel and instruments on the Guard rail anytime.

All the best.... Peter
 
I bought a M31 this year & saw one that had wheel steering.Unfortunately it had some specific kit which made it unsuitable for me.I bought one with tiller steering.
I looked on the Moody Owners website & someone had asked your question,but the last time I looked there were no replies.
 
thanks peter, i am on south coast so i will contact cliff, its nice to see im not the only person who favours wheel steering! thanks again nobby
 
We looked at 2 Moody 31s, one with wheel, one tiller steering on the same day, and there was no contest - we bought the tiller one. But then, we both come from a dinghy-sailing background, so tillers seem more natural.

However, I suspect the conversion would be OK, with a bit of headroom loss (over the bunk) in the stern cabin.

I think that in your shoes, I'd sail it a few times with the tiller, before committing yourself to the conversion. I've sailed charter boats with wheels, and found it only took a few hours to get used to either tiller or wheel.

Ali
 
thanks ali, any points to look out for on a m31? how is performance under sail? and in your opinion is their enough space below for 4 people cruising for a couple of weeks?
 
We owned a 1990 M31 (last of the MkII's, just befor the S31 was launched) for a few years from new. Had wheel steering retro-fitted in 1994, along with a furling main (dad was starting to take it easy). FWIW I didn't think the wheel was that good, small diameter cos of the cockpit size and made it very cramped for more than 4 as the wheel took up a fair bit of space.

In terms of the boat, ours was a bilge keeler, and never the fastest on the water, she sailed well and even pointed well - we did many 2-3 week trips to France, the west country, CI's an Brittany in her, and for 4 adults she is a good sized cruiser - just so long as you marina hop the majority of the time for showers, the heads are on the compact side.

Very well built boats, we had a few hairy moments in F6+ weather and she always came through it well. We made some interesting mods, including a pull out section which made the starboard saloon berth wider by 10 inches and a lot more comfy. Only bad design is the fresh water overflow is into the cockpit side, so when on a reach with full tanks someone always gets wet! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Nice little boat. We cruised 4-up from the East Coast to the Kiel canal, and have had various friends aboard for shorter stays. Although it's cosy with four, it's quite managable. She's easy to sail, forgiving and has coped well in F6-7 and pretty big seas - we've not been out in more. She's easy and relaxing to sail for two, or single-handed. Ours has bilge keels - we are on the East coast (enough justification!) - and really I can't fault her for that sort of sailing. Even short-tacking in the creeks and rivers is fine.

PM if you want more information.

Ali
 
Our Moody 31 was built with wheel steering and then converted to tiller before we bought her probably to create more room in the cockpit.

Moody fitted the Whitlock Cobra. This uses a cable to connect the wheel to the quadrant. The mechanism would impinge on the room in the stern cabin but as the binnacle would be above your knees probably not a problem. You would need a padded box to cover it.

The quadrant would require a key to be cut in the rudder shaft. If the boat you're looking at does not have this then you're looking at a lot of labour. The rudder will have to be dropped which requires dismantling ...etc.... Could double the cost? Ours has the keyway. Let me know if you need dimensions.

I believe the tiller bracket/hinge is identical on wheel steered boats. A short tiller is fitted for emergencies which is left pointing skywards. I still have ours - used to repel boarders. The top of the rudder shaft runs through a bronze plate. This has back stops cast into it. The bronze casting on the shaft that the rudder bracket hinges on has a ss pin underneath that engages with the backstop. Tiller steered boats may not have the pin. Apparently with wheel steering it is essential to have a back stop on the rudder to prevent damage to the mechanism. I removed our pin so I can do handbrake turns in marinas.

Moody 31s can be a tad hard nosed which would be one reason for having a wheel. This is despite the semi balanced, half skeg, rudder. Definitely worth reefing early - preferrably before lunch...
 
thanks to all for your feedback, all in all doesnt sound like a bad boat. my trouble is that ive done a lot of chartering in past 6 years and borrowed dads toy before that so ive been spoilt. this will be my first boat of my own and having sailed lots of moodys am keen on one unless someone can suggest another 30 ish footer with wheel steer and about 35k that isnt too old or wooden!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top