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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
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 Why wouldn't this work?		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts
Initially Posted - 03/20/2005 :  22:20:19  Show Profile


I'm not an artist and I don't know squat about CAD but I managed to squeeze the above drawings out of my computer. Why wouldn't the idea work as a convenient yet out of the way when not needed tiller tamer?

The blocks could be teak, titanium, whatever. Maybe even just stainless steel tubing. Widths could be adjustable for different tiller sizes. Any merit?

Steve
Steve Madden
'87 WK #5668 "Lorica"
Fort Myers, FL
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eric.werkowitz
Captain

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USA
283 Posts
Response Posted - 03/20/2005 :  23:28:06  Show Profile
Steve,

It would probably work. As you drew it, it wouldn't be adjustable, but you could probably modify the concept to handle that.

Autohelms for tillers incorporate a pivot mounted to the tiller and another mounted to the seat or coaming. You could do something like that with a piece of wood with holes drilled down its length to make a simple adjustable tiller holder. I have an autohelm, but I use a piece of aluminum bar that fits into the same pivots to secure my rudder when the boat is in the slip. It could be used when sailing just as well.
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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts
Response Posted - 03/20/2005 :  23:30:34  Show Profile  Visit Frank Hopper's Homepage
One of the things I have noticed through years of bungies, tamers and locked hiking sticks is that there needs to be some self correcting play in a tiller control.
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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts
Response Posted - 03/21/2005 :  10:19:52  Show Profile
As Eric and Frank stated, you might be better off with something adjustable.

While sailing, the tiller is usually a few degrees off center pointing to windward, but the exact amount depends on windspeed and direction, sail plan and trim, heading, currents and sea conditions, and a host of other factors which means that it is almost impossible to use a specific tiller angle every time.

Your best bet is to use an adjustable system that allows you to compensate for any variable.
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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5908 Posts
Response Posted - 03/21/2005 :  20:02:14  Show Profile
I saw that on a C250, and it worked great. Before I bought a version of the Tiller Tamer for my boat, I lashed my tiller, and that had no elasticity at all, and I thought it worked as well or better than a system with elasticity. I know all the commercial types of tiller tamers have some degree of elasticity, but I haven't seen any indication that it helps. In strong gusts, the system stretches and lets the tiller round up to windward. If the sails are balanced, and the wind gusts, the boat just heels more but holds its course.
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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts
Response Posted - 03/21/2005 :  20:26:10  Show Profile  Visit Leon Sisson's Homepage
Steve M,

You might want to investigate sheet-to-tiller steering. There's a book out there, "Self-Steering for Sailing Craft, by John S. Letcher, Jr. (1974, International Marine Publishing Company, Camden, Maine). If you can locate a copy for sale, it might help you see some other interesting possibilities.

-- Leon Sisson
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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts
Response Posted - 03/21/2005 :  20:47:51  Show Profile
Thanks for the responses. It just seemed to me that the simple device I was thinking of would be useful for those brief moments away from the helm (ducking down into the cabin or up to the mast), and it would be readily available yet unobtrusive when not needed.

Steve
Edited by - Lightnup on 03/21/2005 20:49:34
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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts
Response Posted - 03/21/2005 :  22:04:54  Show Profile  Visit Frank Hopper's Homepage
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Lightnup</i>
<br />Thanks for the responses. It just seemed to me that the simple device I was thinking of would be useful for those brief moments away from the helm (ducking down into the cabin or up to the mast), and it would be readily available yet unobtrusive when not needed.

Steve

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Please do not misunderstand our input. By all means, build it and let us know how it goes. We were giving you things to chew over, not trying to talk you out of it.
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roberoo
Navigator

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USA
182 Posts
Response Posted - 03/21/2005 :  22:12:11  Show Profile  Visit roberoo's Homepage
A little off subject: What software did you use to make the drawing.

thanks
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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts
Response Posted - 03/22/2005 :  09:46:38  Show Profile
Frank - No problemo. The feedback was good and I might just tinker with building a prototype.

Roberoo - I used the drawing toolbar in Microsoft Word.

Steve
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PZell
Admiral

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USA
548 Posts
Response Posted - 03/22/2005 :  10:08:47  Show Profile
That's what is called a tiller comb of which there are several variations made from different materials. Some of them have several notches so that different tiller angles can be achieved. I believe someone here on the forum had a metal one that actually looked a little like a comb.
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.