I am endeavoring to purchase my first boat. I have found an O28 that I am seriously considering making an offer on, however; it has tiller steering and I would really prefer pedestal. How difficult would it be to convert? It occured to me that access under the cockpit sole to do the necessary work may be very difficult? Would access reqiure removal of the fuel tank or even the engine? Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Tiller to pedestal steering conversion on O28
- Thread starter Footdocsailor
- Start date
- Status
I'm sure it is doable but I can't imagine it would be worth it. Lots of work and money involved compared to the the initial investment in the boat
If you want a wheel I would suggest you buy a boat with a wheel. Just my opinion though.
If you want a wheel I would suggest you buy a boat with a wheel. Just my opinion though.
FWIW....I had a Bristol 24 that had a converted tiller to wheel and from what I got from the previous owner was that he bought a used complete wheel setup from someone and then called Edson to help with the remaining parts and had he known going into the project how much work was involved (he did all the work himself) he would of left it a tiller
Wheels are OK and they look great. I've tried them and prefer a tiller myself but that's only my opinion. The biggest reason why I like a tiller is because of my autopilot. My boat may be only 22' long, but I don't sail anywhere without my Autohelm ST 1000+ and the tiller pilots are a lot cheaper in price than the wheel model.
The O'Day 28 is one of my favorite boats. We have one moored on the river and I admire it's handsome lines. The halyards are set up at the mast just the way I favor it on my O'Day 222. If I owned this boat, I would want to single hand it and to me, single handing is a lot easier with a good roller reefing furler and an autopilot. Also, I like to troll for Stripers under sail and it's a lot easier to play a large fish while manning a tiller than a wheel. I would stick with a tiller. It's less complicated than a wheel and the autopilots for them are a lot cheaper.
Joe
- Status