Tiller Vs Wheel?

[lustyd]

It’s not all twin wheels on modern, wide sterned designs. The Pogos, which are cruising boats, have twin tillers all the way up to the Pogo 50.

Saying it's a cruising boat doesn't make it one. You can cruise in anything you like, but cruising yacht is a genre that the Pogo 50 doesn't fit into very well by most definitions.

 

[westernman]

Saying it's a cruising boat doesn't make it one. You can cruise in anything you like, but cruising yacht is a genre that the Pogo 50 doesn't fit into very well by most definitions.

Looks like a comfy cruising boat to me. If a bit too Ikea.

 

[mrming]

Saying it's a cruising boat doesn't make it one. You can cruise in anything you like, but cruising yacht is a genre that the Pogo 50 doesn't fit into very well by most definitions.

It’s definitely a niche, expensive cruising boat, but the order books are full and they’re not much use for racing.

 

[lustyd]

Yes so much storage, and I especially like how they managed to get the hull structure to show through the floor on such a large and luxurious boat. Usually all that stuff is hidden and forms even more storage space! The little utilitarian doors are great too, and I like the...er...traditional...I guess? cubby holes without doors in the forward cabin. The open transom really screams comfy cruiser too, especially the way you get to climb a foot out of the water after a swim. Thank goodness a tender won't interfere with those twin tillers as this 50 foot "cruiser" has neither davits nor a dinghy garage.

 

[lustyd]

and they’re not much use for racing.

Just because there aren't other boats, doesn't mean you aren't racing!

 

[RobF]

One thing I've found on tiller steered boats is that you generally sit facing the opposite side and then look 90deg to see where you're going. I found this gave me neck cramp after a while. But visibility is slightly compromised when sitting down behind a wheel steered boat. It feels to me to be a slightly more vulnerable position behind the wheel at the very back of the boat, although I suspect in the real world it's as safe as being in the main cockpit next to a tiller.

 

[srm]

Three of us sailed and hand steered my first boat from Portsmouth to Shetland without any steering aids. Likewise my second boat from Dartmouth to Shetland, both were the delivery trips. I then fitted a tiller pilot which helped with just two of us sailing, but eventually splashed out on a windvane steering gear and passage making became much more enjoyable. Since then I have fitted a windvane system to each of my yachts before the delivery trip.

Tiller or wheel pilot while motoring and windvane the rest of the time. Other than in and out of harbour or anchorage we rarely hand steer. Short or single handed sailing and long passages are possible without the tyranny of steering and time can be spent managing the boat or watching dolphins.

For me the argument of wheel or tiller does not matter much as I only use it for a few miles at the beginning and end of a passage. I have sailed with both and am happy with either provided that I can set up my windvane system efficiently. In fact on my last boat I had both, with a permanent tiller for the windvane and wheel steering next to the engine controls for motoring. The wheel linkage was disconnected when using the tiller. The one time the wheel linkage failed while entering harbour I moved to the stern deck and used the tiller.

 

[Neil_Y]

From a maintenance perspective wheels have far more moving parts to go wrong and the back up is always a tiller. But check these first as I've had one break that left us with nothing on a Sweden. Tiller is nice for cruising as it takes up less cockpit space. The boat choice is probably more important as both work.

 

[Star-Lord]

Depends on the boat, yout intended use, distance you are planning on cruising. Its often easier to get a good below decks autopilot on wheel steered yacht. It's easier to steer a tiller steered yacht by servo pendulum wind steering. Tillers can take up a lot of cockpit space when sailing but easily swung out of the way at anchor. Tiller connected autopilots are usually unreliable and lack power. It's often easier to mount a chart plotter on a steering binnacle and other instruments. Not so easy with tiller. What is your intended use?

Modern tiller pilots are good for round the world racing in high latitudes! They are mounted down below.

 

[geem]

Modern tiller pilots are good for round the world racing in high latitudes! They are mounted down below.

Yep, but not the same as the offerings to the leisure sailor. Have you seen the cost of the racing tillerpilots? I met a guy in the Caribbean sailing on a big cat. He used to supply most of those tiller pilots. They were mega money

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Tiller pilots are as effective as the tiller they control. If the boat is a bit heavy on the helm, the pilot is going to struggle as much as the helmsman. Maybe wheel pilots are a bit better at coping with this, certainly wheel steered boats are less of a struggle if they’re a bit heavy.

 

[Stemar]

One thing I will say, on some older boats I've seen a wheel at the (d)aft end of the cockpit, so you sit next to it and hold the top, just like a tiller. If you're used to a tiller and you need to make an unexpected change of course, watch out which instinct kicks in...

 

[Pye_End]

Modern tiller pilots are good for round the world racing in high latitudes! They are mounted down below.

Had my 4000+ TP for many years now and has been excellent (above deck).

From reading posts on here it sounds as though it is the 'all in one' TP's which have reliability issues.

 

[johnalison]

Yep, but not the same as the offerings to the leisure sailor. Have you seen the cost of the racing tillerpilots? I met a guy in the Caribbean sailing on a big cat. He used to supply most of those tiller pilots. They were mega money

I haven’t looked into the cost of a quadrant-operated tiller pilot, but as far as I recall they were expensive but not impossibly so, maybe a couple of thousand for a cruising boat a few years ago compared to mid hundreds for a rod.

 

[greeny]

In the interest of conserving battery power (for tiller pilot) and just for fun I've been playing with balancing sails and and lashing tiller on the new to me boat. Also playing with steering from the sheets as described in some of the old single handed sailors publications. The latter is difficult to achieve with a fin keeled modern boat but by lashing the tiller I have successfully achieved several miles at a time without touching the controls once the sails are balanced, wind is steady and sea state reasonably calm. I'm finding it much easier to lash tiller and make small adjustments as required, when setting up, than I used to on my previous wheel steered boat. Tiller is also much easier to set up to a sheet steering system than a wheel would be.

 

[Refueler]

My mate is a dedicated wheel merchant ..... and I hate his cockpit ! His B31 (Swedish boat) has a wheel and it just makes his cockpit a pain to get around ... loses near 40% of its 'sundowner' space .... literally has no feel being so big over-riding any feedback from rudder.
He hates my tiller system ... which gives me a cockpit that can easily entertain 5 people despite my boat being 25ft vs his 31`ft.

People talk about Tillerpilots not being as powerful as wheel based ?? Sorry but I have to disagree. The difference comes about because with a Tillerpilot - you can make choice of light or powerful TP regardless of boat unlike a Wheel based system that is usually not with such range of choice.

You would think I would be a Tiller preference guy ? Actually no. I like a wheel - but only when its on a boat that can carry such a system without creating similar to my mates B31.
The Conrad 12m I sailed in Tallinn often - was a beautifully balanced wheel steered boat .... good feedback ... wheel sized to suit the cockpit / rudder .... a pleasure to helm.

Whichever system - I would always install autopilot whether single handed or crewed ....

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I helm several bigger race boats from time to time. A classic with a tiller, it's a brute, and a modern 40 with twin wheels, which is sweetness and light, just like my Dragonfly. The handling is nothing to do with the method of steering. It does, as many have already said, have profound implications in the cockpit. In the 40, nobody gives a damn what she’s like when moored, as long as the sailing ergonomics work. And the classic would look stupid with a wheel, even if it were 1000 times better for sailing. You just need to pick what works for you, both sailing and at leisure. Just don’t be lured into thinking that one is automatically better than another.

 

[Praxinoscope]

I regularly use the Autohelm, but what I do miss is the wind vane self steering (Navik) that I foolishly sold with my previous boat.
Reliable, and no electrics.
If I had a much larger boat than I have, then yes I would consider a wheel, but I think on anything up to about 35’ a wheel does seem a bit overkill.

 

[geem]

I haven’t looked into the cost of a quadrant-operated tiller pilot, but as far as I recall they were expensive but not impossibly so, maybe a couple of thousand for a cruising boat a few years ago compared to mid hundreds for a rod.

The good kit is made by NKE in France. These are fitted to race boats. Prices are at least double that of offering from Raymarine etc. NKE don't do the rams just the electronics. The drives are normally Lecomble and Smitt.

 

[doug748]

Like income tax and dental surgery, wheels are something that's ok if you must but otherwise best avoided. New sailors like them possibly because it looks reassuringly like a motor car, plus the association with larger, more exotic, vessels. Boat builders have responded and put wheels on very small boats

It looks like the OP is looking at 34ft plus so it's a bit of a non question. I agree with post 36, he is unlikely to get much choice in the matter.

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