Reverse Tiller pilot

PabloPicasso

PabloPicasso

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My tiller pilot is mounted in the aft end of the cockpit. Has usually worked pretty well.

I've always felt it was a bit vulnerable to being sat on, or stepped on so was thinking of remounting it behind the tiller fulcrum/rudder stock.

I could make a braket to extend the tiller aft just long enough for the TP to attach, and another to clip its base to.

Does anyone forsee any issues with this approach?
 
Don’t most of these have a way of reversing the sense. Years ago, I sent one away for repairs and when it came back I found it worked in reverse. I rang up to complain and was told a certain sequence of button pushing would get it back to normal.
 
Rappey said:
It will work back to front. Cant see how you would get around that.
Click to expand...
There's already been a couple of suggestions to get around this (also learning to add/subtract 180 degrees and tell it to aim away from, not towards, your course), but I'm inescapably reminded of my mate who was briefly confused about which end of a compass needle to follow until Llanberis hoved unexpectedly into view. Would have been merely embarrassing had he not spent the previous two hours telling his new girlfriend he knew exactly where they were and how to get back to their car...
 
RE; so was thinking of remounting it behind the tiller fulcrum/rudder stock.

Reversing the operation of a tiller pilot is really easy. Just press a couple of buttons. Refer to your manual.
However the tiller pilot needs to be connected to the tiller at a certain distance from the rudder post pivot point and at a 90 angle.
Any deviation from those requirements will effect the power and accuracy of the unit.
Here is the standard fitting arrangement.



1740265316266.png


If you fit it behind the pivot point you will need to make up a sturdy boomkin.
Not sure if it is worth it
Gary
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garymalmgren said:
RE; so was thinking of remounting it behind the tiller fulcrum/rudder stock.

Reversing the operation of a tiller pilot is really easy. Just press a couple of buttons. Refer to your manual.
However the tiller pilot needs to be connected to the tiller at a certain distance from the rudder post pivot point and at a 90 angle.
Any deviation from those requirements will effect the power and accuracy of the unit.
Here is the standard fitting arrangement.



View attachment 189928


If you fit it behind the pivot point you will need to make up a sturdy boomkin.
Not sure if it is worth it
Gary
View attachment 189929
Click to expand...
Yes, that was what I was thinking. I'll take a measure and see if its easily doable.
 
garymalmgren said:
RE; so was thinking of remounting it behind the tiller fulcrum/rudder stock.

Reversing the operation of a tiller pilot is really easy. Just press a couple of buttons. Refer to your manual.
However the tiller pilot needs to be connected to the tiller at a certain distance from the rudder post pivot point and at a 90 angle.
Any deviation from those requirements will effect the power and accuracy of the unit.
Here is the standard fitting arrangement.

If you fit it behind the pivot point you will need to make up a sturdy boomkin.
Not sure if it is worth it
Gary
Click to expand...
It could also be at intermediary angles. the boat doesn't know which way north is. The only confusion could be pairing with GPS.

As for the distance from pintle to pin, this can be shortened somewhat for smaller boats, which benefit from greater, quicker tiller movement and don't need the power. My F-24 is mounted a few inches shorter, and after some figuring and experimentation, it is better that way. I actually had to create new brackets to make it shorter, and it was well worth it. Auto-tack is MUCH better now.

How big is the boat?
 
Once upon a time I saw a clip on YouTube where someone had a remotely mounted tillerpilot and had done something clever with a few blocks and some line.
 
thinwater said:
It could also be at intermediary angles. the boat doesn't know which way north is. The only confusion could be pairing with GPS.

As for the distance from pintle to pin, this can be shortened somewhat for smaller boats, which benefit from greater, quicker tiller movement and don't need the power. My F-24 is mounted a few inches shorter, and after some figuring and experimentation, it is better that way. I actually had to create new brackets to make it shorter, and it was well worth it. Auto-tack is MUCH better now.

How big is the boat?
Click to expand...
26ft
 
PabloPicasso said:
26ft
Click to expand...
How does the boat auto-tack? How heavy is the helm?

I don't know if this is behind a pay wall.
tiller pilots adjustments for smaller boats.

The PO installed mine at 21 inches (18 is the recommendation). It would not autotack unless the planets were perfectly in line. I tried a range of settings and settled on 14 inches. My boat has very light helm, so the load is not a factor. This gives perfect autotack (I did 10 in a row without touching the TP adjustments as demonstration to a buddy). Course holding at low speeds when raising sails etc. is much better. Curiously, I left the 21-inch pins in place, because at high speeds (over 10 knots)it's a little smoother with less over correction. Yes, there is a gain adjustment, but switching pins takes 2 seconds.

My thought is that the 18-inch setting is optimized for an average mono of about 26-34 feet (30-foot average) and that logically, a quick boat like my F-24 is better off with a shorter distance. Smaller boats need a fast tiller movement and greater hard-over angle because they are slowed more quickly by waves.

For you, I don't know. My first two questions may guide you.
 
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