Tiller or Wheel Steering ?

[Newman]

Evening all.

Am about to enter the wonderful world of yachting and have narrowed my search for a boat down to a handful of 10 metre (max), 6 berth, fin keeled, seperate forward cabin, aft cabin, aft heads, 25/30K ........ Problem is that the vast majority of boats falling into this category (seen so far) appear to have tiller steering. This is something I have not yet experienced as my Competent Crew and Dayskipper courses have been on boats with wheel steering. Am also being told that more and more people these days prefer wheel steering. Help ! Any strong opinions or advice please - apart from the obvious "Go and try tiller steering !!!"

Thanks in anticipation

 

[Twister_Ken]

Apart from the obvious...

Tiller has several big advantages:

You can steer with your bum, or with the tiller between your legs, leaving your hands free for sheets, for eating and drinking, etc

Tiller pilots are generally cheaper and easier to instal than wheel pilots

Usually a tiller folds up out of the way when not needed, leaving the cockpit clear

Once you're used to a tiller, you can tell by the amount effort needed to steer whether the sailplan is well balanced, and when some trimming is needed

A tiller is quicker to use in a hurry

Only disadvantage I can think of is going astern, when a tiller can snatch itself out of your hand. Not a problem id you go astern slowly, and keep a firm grip.

I've sailed with beginners in both wheel and tiller boats, and it only takes a minute or two longer for them to master a tiller.

 

[bedouin]

TK gives a very good summary - I find the tiller gives you much more feedback about how the boat is sailing to the extent where you can actually steer the boat based only on the feel of the tiller.

The other massive advantage is that it gives you much more mobility around the cockpit - so you are likely to be able to get to the major controls (sheets) much easier from the tiller than from a wheel.

Final advantage - a tiller is mechanically a very simple piece of kit so there is much less to go wrong - wheel steering boats are much more likely to suffer from steering failure than tiller steered ones

 

[Kelpie]

It took me a wee while to adapt from tiller to wheel steering when I was doing my RYA practical. This manifests itself as occasional bouts of steering the wrong way, which over a couple of days disappeared completely. I don't know what it's like adapting the other way.

Unless the boat was particularly large I would go for tiller steering every time. Otherwise it feels like you're driving a bus, and what's the point of that?

 

[Tranona]

The size you are looking at is on the cusp. Ken's summary of the benefits of tiller is just right. Wheel comes into its own as size increases because of the additional mechanical advantage. also with many modern boats the stern is so wide that it is difficult to arrange a tiller that you can reach from the coamings without an extension.

One of my boats has a tiller and one a wheel. Different kinds of boats but both feel natural to helm, so for me it is not a big deal which to have.

 

[mitiempo]

I agree with Twister Ken's post above.

As well, people with wheels need an emergency tiller.

People with tillers never carry an emergency wheel.

 

[westernman]

Tiller steering is best for anything less than 60ft (IMHO).

I think this boat is 80ft LOD and 100 ton displacement and has tiller steering.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33847785@N00/3955861922/in/photostream/

I have wheel on mine (52ft LOD) and am thinking of changing to tiller.

Why does everything seem to have wheel steering these days?

 

[Searush]

I like the wheel on mine, there is a certain amount of drag in the cables that lets me pop below to put the kettle on etc. With my previous boat, even tying the tiller didn't allow me to do that.

Yes, you get more feel from a tiller, but that coresponds to a much less directionally stable hands-off state.

I get little problem from weather helm on a wheel, again the linkage makes it easier to hold against a slight imbalance in the rig, tiller steered boats (especially the bigger ones) will often require a tiller line to tame weather helm when the wind picks up a bit. My arm used to ache on my previous boat (quite a bit smaller than SR) if I didn't rebalance the sails to eliminate weather helm or use a line to take the strain.

 

[prv]

I definitely prefer tiller. Possibly it comes from starting in dinghies, but I can steer to windward "naturally" with a tiller without thinking, whereas with a wheel my brain has to remain involved. As mentioned, you also have flexibility to move around the cockpit, steer with your bum while hoisting sails, etc etc. I wouldn't like to singlehand a boat with a wheel - you're pinned at the aft end of the cockpit away from the "controls" and the hands-free steering options are pretty much limited to a foot on the bottom arc of the wheel while you drink your tea.

Maneouvering astern, I like the fact that you pretty much aim the tiller at where you want the stern to go, and it goes (except on the boat I now have, being a long keel and a pig in astern ). Maneouvering with a wheel (ahead or astern) I find I need to consciously keep a mental note of where the rudder is.

Big yachts have wheels, because a long enough tiller would be hard to fit into the typical layout, but far bigger sailing working boats (fishing, pilots etc) had tillers. I don't keep track of top-flight offshore racing (the Day Melons etc) but I've noticed that at least some of them have tillers on their giant beasts too.

But then again, a mate I used to charter with hates tillers and always demands a wheel. We alternate the role of Organiser In Chief booking the boat etc, and surprisingly enough the steering arrangements tend to alternate too

Pete

 

[prv]

My arm used to ache on my previous boat if I didn't rebalance the sails to eliminate weather helm

Take the hint?

Pete

 

[LadyInBed]

A point in favor of Wheel

Women can steer them, and not go in circles

 

[clyst]

Can't think of many boats with an aft cabin and tiller steering.

 

[mitiempo]

The Nor'Sea 27 has both aft cabin and tiller steering. Some have circumnavigated and many have crossed oceans.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

About the only significant advantage I can think of for wheel steering is that I suspect that the helmsman is marginally safer in a real hoolie..... but its marginal.... IMHO, agree with everything above, and <25' a tiller is a no brainer, 25' to 35' either works well, and >35' a wheel is easier (but far from essential)

 

[PerformanceSailor]

Helm choices

Apart from the obvious...

Tiller has several big advantages:

You can steer with your bum, or with the tiller between your legs, leaving your hands free for sheets, for eating and drinking, etc

Tiller pilots are generally cheaper and easier to instal than wheel pilots

Usually a tiller folds up out of the way when not needed, leaving the cockpit clear

Once you're used to a tiller, you can tell by the amount effort needed to steer whether the sailplan is well balanced, and when some trimming is needed

A tiller is quicker to use in a hurry

Only disadvantage I can think of is going astern, when a tiller can snatch itself out of your hand. Not a problem id you go astern slowly, and keep a firm grip.

I've sailed with beginners in both wheel and tiller boats, and it only takes a minute or two longer for them to master a tiller.

--------------------------
Ken has summed it up well. "Plus One!"

For a little perspective, many sailboat builders discovered in the mid/late 80's that there was an untapped market of potential sailors with no actual (or very little) experience in small boats. Since all were (presumably...) proficient in driving a car it was easier to sell them a sailboat with automotive-type steering.

This forced up the selling price, but salespersons could pretty easily sell the feature as a sort or "expected luxury" to folks wanting to participate in the "sailing life." With no background in sailing, they accepted it as normal.

We saw this hit our US market in a big way. I recall that most brokers privately thought that a wheel for a boat under 30 or 35 feet was a silly affectation, but since they were trying to put food on their table it was easier to sell the customer what they wanted. If selling boats (or most anything else) were like dancing, the customer almost always is allowed to lead....

One of the funniest anecdotes I recall was from visiting a big sailboat boat show in San Francisco about 5 or 6 years ago and viewing the then-new Hanse. They had a beautiful 31 with a tiller, and a wheel on a larger display boat. I got into a discussion with a friendly factory rep and when I congratulated him on bringing in a boat with a tiller (and having a tiller as an option on their larger models) he told me -- in a wonderful German accent: Only in America do ve haf to put a WHEEL on a sailboat!"

A year or two later they were displaying an ordered/sold boat (new) about 34 or 35 feet long with an owner-specified tiller. Nowadays they imitate the all the HuntaCataBenalina's and put wheels on every thing here.

So buy what you want. But do not be put off by a tiller on any good-pedigree sailboat under 35'.
Just one more point -- a wheel adds a lot of mechanical complexity and maintenance to boat ownership. It's not a bad thing, but it is one more 'system' to watch and monitor.

LB

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

About the only significant advantage I can think of for wheel steering is that I suspect that the helmsman is marginally safer in a real hoolie QUOTE]

Not sure i understand why/how/

Agree with those who give all the pros regarding a tiller.
With a tiller extension you can also get under the hood in poor conditions if you feel the need to still steer yourself.
A wind vane steering is also easier/simpler to fit to a tiller than a wheel.

 

[pagoda]

Evening all.

Am about to enter the wonderful world of yachting and have narrowed my search for a boat down to a handful of 10 metre (max), 6 berth, fin keeled, seperate forward cabin, aft cabin, aft heads, 25/30K ........ Problem is that the vast majority of boats falling into this category (seen so far) appear to have tiller steering. This is something I have not yet experienced as my Competent Crew and Dayskipper courses have been on boats with wheel steering. Am also being told that more and more people these days prefer wheel steering. Help ! Any strong opinions or advice please - apart from the obvious "Go and try tiller steering !!!"

Thanks in anticipation

I started in dinghies and deliberately went for a tiller when looking for a boat the same size as yourself (35ft). I find it more responsive-there is less sensation of a "dead-band" for steering. Despite the adverse comments about women, my wife copes perfectly well.
You'll also discover an outboard driven tender steers exactly the same as a tiller
Everybody has their own preference- I like to be able to sit a little forward in the cockpit - with an extension, if the weather is less pleasant. With a wheel you tend to get a feeling of isolation at the aft end, and you get exposed to more weather as well. Like somebody said - you get more cockpit with a tiller.
I did Coastal Skipper on a boat with a wheel. It was a steep learning curve, especially going astern. I never have to think too much about where I'm going with a tiller -it just happens. With a wheel - I was very aware of looking for the centre line marker- to figure out where the rudder was! Go out with somebody who has a tiller?

Graeme

 

[BobPrell]

If a yacht has a wheel, it should also have a seat behind the wheel if the sailor expects to hand-steer for any length of time.

I like steering from behind a wheel because it is then easy to keep a lookout from bow-to-beam on both sides. If I sit on a cockpit seat, body facing abeam and head trying to face ahead, my neck gets very tired quite soon, this is age-related of course.

If you are steering in reverse, position yourself so your body is facing directly astern, then turn the wheel in the direction you want to go. I was shown this by a power boatie whose wheel was car-sized and on a bulkhead. He stood beside it with the wheel under his arm but still turned it where he wanted to go.

I agree that an indicator to show the actual rudder position would be very useful at times.

 

[tonybannister]

Some very good advice here. So under 10 metre a tiller seems favourite. Only disadvantages I see stated are - snatches out of hand if reversing too fast. Boat telling you something here, I cringe when I see wheel steered charter boats reversing at high speed you can almost hear the rudder screaming in agony. Needs more sail trimming to cure weather helm, can see the point but boat is also talking to you. I would change (probably have to) if I bought a bigger boat. My wife would love this as she hates the tiller as much as I love it.

 

[davidwf]

Had both ,now have Wheel again. Advantage of the Wheel is that it gives more space in cockpit whilst sailing but disadvantage in port because you cannot push up out of the way.

As a single handed sailor I prefere the wheel as I can switch on the autopilot quickly whereas on a tiller you have to hook the AP onto the tiller unless tiller is long enough to control with your bum.

Yes you are a bit trapped but then I can release my main and handle the jib sheets from behind the wheel. I have a coach roof sheeted main and can release it no bother at all as I simply take a loop round the back of the winch so if I pull it it comes out of the self tailing bit. Cannot re-tail it from behind the wheel but thats where the AP comes in.

In terms of feel tiller is better, but I personally find the wheel much better overall for my needs.