Hi all, I got out today with a friend on my 170. The wind was fairly unpredictable blowing between about 14-18 Knots. I had the main fully up and the jib was furled, the center board and rudder were fully down. This is only my third time out on the boat. I found that when on a beam reach or close hauled that the tiller was very difficult to turn with the tiller extension. After the tiller extension bent I clipped it in and just used the tiller to steer. I still found that the tiller was difficult to turn and it looked like there were a lot of force on the rudder/tiller assembly. I was half expecting something to snap. Has anyone else noticed this? Am I doing something wrong? I was considering raising the rudder half way, but was concerned about loosing steering ability. My impression was that the tiller and extension are too flimsy for these conditions. I also considered reefing the main, but I have never done it and did not want to try in these conditions after reading some of the capsize stories. I wound up just heading back in after about an hour. Any comments on this experience? Shouldn't the tiller assembly be able to handle these conditions? After this experience I will definitely prepare the main for easier/safer reefing and will practice it!
Bent Tiller Extension on 170
- Thread starter sean33
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Tiller
You're experiencing a lot of weather helm.That boat should certainly be reefed at 14-18 knots. To be honest, I think the problem is the tiller operator, not the tiller. If you've only been out 3 times there is still a lot to learn. Hang in there. Each outing will be better than the one before. Reef early, you can always shake it out.
You're experiencing a lot of weather helm.That boat should certainly be reefed at 14-18 knots. To be honest, I think the problem is the tiller operator, not the tiller. If you've only been out 3 times there is still a lot to learn. Hang in there. Each outing will be better than the one before. Reef early, you can always shake it out.
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