Capri 26 steering wheel

[daryl]

I am looking to buy a late model used Capri 26. I located one possible boat but it has tiller steering. Can I have a steering wheel installed? If so, who makes them?

 

[Jack]

Stick with the stick

The tiller provides better feel thereby easier sailing, a more economical and easier to install autopilot,and more room in the cockpit at dock and at anchor. It is also, of course, much more reliable not to mention more economical. I would have bought my new boat with a tiller if it had been available that way. By the way, you can steer through a tack with your knees while you tend the jib sheets.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com]

Not worth the cost

I'm gonna have to agree with Jack. Stick with the tiller. A steering unit's going to cost you near to, maybe over, a grand to install and it's not going to increase the value of the boat that much, if at all. If you've never steered with a tiller, it can be a little daunting at first, but you'll figure it out pretty fast and then have no problems whatsoever.There's also a minimal safety factor involved. Wheel steering has a tendency to fail, not often but significantly more frequently than tillers. On a small boat like a 26, wheels are really overkill & only create more maintenance & failure potential. I have a friend who liked to say "Have you ever heard of a backup *wheel*?" (in reference to a backup tiller in case the wheel steering fails)LaDonna