Personal preference, I guess. But, someone who sails a 25 foot boat with a tiller can boast the usefulness of a tiller, but I doubt he really doesn't know what a wheel delivers on a big boat. If you sail big waters then a lot of the time you will have the boat on auto pilot anyway and that is a nice feature especially on long journeys. Tiller pilots work, but are not as convenient. Also, one doesn't have to stand all the time behind a wheel. They have helmsman's seats behind and experienced sailors like to sit along side the wheel on the high side with the wheel between their legs as they face towards the leeward side of the boat. Also, on a very big boat, a tiller can be something that is difficult to handle in heavy conditions, while a wheel can still be easily manipulated. The argument about more to go wrong with a wheel is not very valid, in my opinion. Rarely have I experienced anyone with wheel problems so that it is of epidemic status. Sure it happens, but not very often and there are lots of other things that can go wrong with a boat too, so if you are going to have paranoia might as well worry about the whole damned boat. True, on small boats a wheel doesn't make much sense. I guess it is wheel envy or something when someone wants to have a wheel. I have a racing boat with a tiller and I like the tiller on it and would never consider putting a wheel on that little boat. But, I also have a cruising boat that is not huge and I like the wheel and am glad the boat doesn't have a tiller. Here's another little side note. J/105's are 34.5' one design racing boats. They come standard with a tiller, but for some reason it is hard to find a tiller on one in comparison to ones with an optional wheel. Those owners seem to prefer the wheel over the tiller. Someone mentioned resale. Well, the resale of a J105 is much greater on boats with a wheel. I know that doesn't answer the wheel vs. tiller question but at least it is a argument that shows the wheel favorite. Also, the fact that manufacturer's put wheels on larger boats (and sometimes two of them) is an indication on where the market is.