Tiller Pilots - What're they like to use in practice?

[pagoda]

I too have just bought an autohelm.

I've not yet fitted it to the boat or tried it in anger, but I have to admit to being dissapointed that there's no clutch built in, so you have to unhook it when you want to manually steer,

If I had been designing it, I would have built in a simple dog clutch that disconnected drive and allowed the pushrod to move freely in and out so it could remain atached.

I guess that would add to the cost, but I can't see it would be that difficult, or that much extra mechanics.

I suspect this one little extra bit of inconvenience might restrict how much we use it, but I won't know that until I try it for real.

Very easy to use, handy for single handing - you can attend to sails etc without acrobatics. I doubt many people leave tham out of doors all the time, ours lives below until we need it.
There'e a splash proof power socket in the cockpit , a peg-hole for the fixed end in the cockpit bench-seat, and a small hooked peg on the underside of the tiller. Nothng else involved, you simply press standby and lift the tiller end off the hook to steer manually.
Get used to it before trying it in F5+ with a following wind and decent seas. Humans are generally much better in those circumstances!

Graeme

 

[Alfie168]

How much power do they consume? I only ask as my only power source is a 75Ah leisure battery topped up with a small solar panel. No engine charging as I only have small outboard (Honda 4.5)

I imagine this partly depends on how well balanced your boat is as if its fighting weather helm all the time it will use more power. All the same soem idea would be helpful.

Tim

 

[jimmynoboat]

Came late to this thread - havn't read the whole thing but had to say, When we finaly tried out the Autohelm that came with the boat it transformed our sailing. Much more relaxed for everyone. Yes, I worry about battry too but figure that as long as the engine start battery is charged I can always run the engine if I flatten the domestic one.

As others have said, pressing 'stand-by' and flicking it off the tiller when you need to take over is no problem.

She is very light on the helm though.

 

[Fascadale]

I singlehand a bit which I would find impossible without a tillerpilot. For me it's a really key bit of kit.

Disengaging it is easy; a sharp tug and it comes off the tiller pin and it temporarily parks quite happily in the clutter below it by the cleet.

It also takes seconds to take it off completely and either put it under the sprayhood or in its "place" below.

I have the entry level model, it just steers the boat, no interfacing with other kit.

My criticism of them is their lack of "watertightness". Mine seem to last a couple of years before they start to have problems.

As for power usage, no problem when the engine is on, but my battery monitor shows a usage of up to 2.5 amps when sailing in any sort of sea, such as in the photo below.

I let the tillerpilot do all the work when the engine is on but only use it sparingly when sailing, making tea, having a pea, doing a bit of navigation etc. I usually have it set up and parked even before I put up the sails.

 

[VicS]

How much power do they consume? I only ask as my only power source is a 75Ah leisure battery topped up with a small solar panel. No engine charging as I only have small outboard (Honda 4.5)

I imagine this partly depends on how well balanced your boat is as if its fighting weather helm all the time it will use more power. All the same soem idea would be helpful.

Tim

Its not an exactly defined quantity for the reasons you give but the specs in the owners manuals (you'll find then on line) or sales literature for new ones usually give a typical average and IIRC in some cases a maximum current, although I don't have any such info about mine, an old, original, analogue Nautech Autohelm 1000

I have a 60Ah leisure battery, minimal charging from the outboard and a small (5 watt) solar panel. I have no power problems using the Autohelm although before fitting the solar panel I used to periodically take the battery home for charging.

Strongly recommend a tiller pilot esp if you ever single-hand, then is next to essential. You don't have to use it all the time! If power supplies are tight you can just use it when needed.

 

[macd]

Strongly recommend a tiller pilot esp if you ever single-hand, then is next to essential. You don't have to use it all the time! If power supplies are tight you can just use it when needed.

Couldn't agree more, VicS.
You'll often see boats advertised as "set-up for single-handed" with reference to sheets etc. Fact is, the biggest single contribution to single-handing is nothing to do with that but some sort of auto steering.

 

[V1701]

After a whole year of using both I reckon that the tillerpilot (an old Navico) works pretty well but makes an annoying amount of noise and uses too much electricity - so I only ever use it when motoring. The wind vane, on the other hand, is silent, reliable, self-sufficient and endlessly fascinating to watch.

Spot on, tps are remarkably simple to use and great for singlehanding/when motoring. Wind vanes are truly a thing of wonder, had 1500 miles across the Indian Ocean with an Aries on a Rival 38 and luckily have managed to get hold of a s/h Navik for my Vega but will use a tp as well...

 

[davidwf]

I had a long openended canvas bag made up that clipped just under the seat, when the AP was not in use I unhooked it and slid it into the bag. AP nice and safe and won't jump out of the socket and land on the floor.

For short term storage I just unhooked the tiller end and used a bungee cord to hold the AP against the transom, however I have had it jump off on a couple of occasions hence the bag.

 

[earlybird]

Some boats will sail quite happily for extended periods with no tiller waggling required, esp. if the wind is forward of the beam, provided the rudder is fixed to counter any slight weather helm.
It's then possible to put the AP into stand-by, ie very low power consumption, with it still connected to the tiller. The rudder position can the be given minor tweaks until a satisfactory course is achieved.
Perhaps useful if the battery charging regime isn't all it could be.
NB, not recommended for restricted waters!

 

[gus]

tiller pilot storage suggestion

Lots of interesting comments about tiller pilots and their benefits. May I add another. When not in use the tiller pilot can be a difficult item to store where it is easily available. I mounted a piece of plastic drain pipe vertically in the corner of the cockpit locker, into which the tipper pilot was stored with a slot for the mounting pin which thus stopped it dropping all the way through. The tiller pilot was thus always 'to hand' and safe from the risk of being damaged.

 

[All The Gear No Idea]

Lots of interesting comments about tiller pilots and their benefits. May I add another. When not in use the tiller pilot can be a difficult item to store where it is easily available. I mounted a piece of plastic drain pipe vertically in the corner of the cockpit locker, into which the tipper pilot was stored with a slot for the mounting pin which thus stopped it dropping all the way through. The tiller pilot was thus always 'to hand' and safe from the risk of being damaged.

What a great idea! Simple tidy solutions like yours should be shared. Why not take a photo and email PBO?...

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Some boats will sail quite happily for extended periods with no tiller waggling required, esp. if the wind is forward of the beam, provided the rudder is fixed to counter any slight weather helm.
It's then possible to put the AP into stand-by, ie very low power consumption, with it still connected to the tiller. The rudder position can the be given minor tweaks until a satisfactory course is achieved.
Perhaps useful if the battery charging regime isn't all it could be.
NB, not recommended for restricted waters!

I was wondering why no-one had mentioned lashing the helm, which takes a second once you've got it all set up. Just a bit of rope with a loop in the middle and a cleat on either side of the cockpit or something similar and many boats will be quite alright for minutes or even hours. One of the nicest features of the Pintail was the pin rail under the tiller - just chuck the pin in the right place (or two pins if you on a broadish reach) and the boat just keeps on going quite happily.

 

[bromleybysea]

Tiller pilots

And if you have a servo-pendulum wind vane gear then it looks easy to adapt the tiller pilot to "drive" the wind vane. This means that the tiller pilot is using the pwoer of the servo-pendulum to steer the boat, with a theoretical saving on power. definitely a project on the list for this spring-I'll report on progress. Mind you, it's been on the list for a few springs now....

 

[macd]

And if you have a servo-pendulum wind vane gear then it looks easy to adapt the tiller pilot to "drive" the wind vane. This means that the tiller pilot is using the pwoer of the servo-pendulum to steer the boat, with a theoretical saving on power.

It's more than a theoretical saving: it works. As you suggest, the tiller pilot merely gives "instructions", the pendulum provides the power. Current draw is a fraction of normal.

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Yes indeed.

Again this is just theory, since I have not tried it in anger, but you really want to disengage and "park" the autohelm at, or very close to the straight ahead position.

Also, having bought my autohelm very cheap, but with no mountings, I'm staggered at the cost of the mounting brackets.

So far I've found and bought a nice cheap second hand tiller bracket, but I still need the brass socket for the boat end. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion I will be buying. some brass bar and making my own (handy having a lathe) I reckon I can buy the bar, make 4 brass sockets, keep one and sell the other 3 and turn a profit on that exercise.

Dave, I have sent you a pm regarding brass socket.
Incidently, they are nearly always centred when dissengaging at tiller end unless it has chickened out under heavy weatherhelm etc.
Dont see all the fuss and hassle in lifting the bloody thing of at the tiller end (after having hit the standby button) and leaving it resting on the seat, its not a big task to get it close to centre before reingaging, when you have more time to set it at your leisure.
C_W

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Or make one up with plumbing bits from B&Q

Definatly not get you to do any plumbing for me