First sailboat - General Questions...

[cnsmith]

Hello all,

I bought an Irwin 30 sailboat recently and am looking to convert the tiller to wheel. My first question is, does the boat have to be out of the water to do this? Secondly, any idea how much this will run me (I already have all the parts)? And finally, is it easy - could I do it myself with basic "handy man" skills?

Also, my boat is mostly fiberglass and I am thinking about installing hardwood floors in the cabin. Can someone point me in a direction for getting started on the research? i.e. What kind of wood to use, what tools are needed, basic directions...

Thanks!

Cory Smith

 

[KD3PC]

why would you incur the pain and $$ of converting to wheel steering??

Wheels take up a lot of room in the cockpit. They are another maintenance issue and unless done correctly, actually take away the feel of the rudder. In a 30' a tiller is a good thing..

NOt sure the project will return much.

On the floors, search here for floors..some use lumberyard wood, some use synthetic and I think there are even some who just go to lowes and buy the 99 cent interlocking stuff. If I were to do it, I would laminate some teak and holly, make a pattern to match the area I want to do, cut the newly laminated to fit and be done. But I like real wood. Could use walnut if it pleases you..

Depends on what you mean by handy man skills...I thought I was a decent cabinet/floor guy till I looked at a pile of very expensive sawdust in my shop....

I would research both, until I was satisfied. I imagine you will get dozens of ideas from many here, but I would simply ask for details and pictures, as it has been my experience that many talk...and few do or have done themselves...

You can always have the yard do both...it is only money...

 

[BobM]

I looked into doing a wheel conversion pretty extensively. Since you have all the parts already that helps unless it isn't Edson. Parts for the Merriman stuff (out of business) are hard to come by at best, from what I have seen on here. If it is Edson, they have installation guides on their site for nearly every production boat. The boat might not need to be out of the water, but it will certainly be more convenient. It depends on whether the location of the rudder stuffing box will be comfortably above your water line and if you need to get the rudder out to have a key way machined in the shaft. Don't know as I don't know what you have. If Edson isn't helpful, Rudy and D&R Marine is the only outlet that I know of that sells Edson leftovers. He can likely sell you anything you need too. I recommend that you change the cables, for example, as they have a recommended life span of 10 years, however I bet most boats don't change them until they break, so your call.

 

[Ross]

I am always astonished by the inventory of shop tools that I use for a simple project. Nothing in a boat is straight, plumb, or simple and you have to build to that.
Building a wheel steering system will test your skills and if you fail will be very disapointing for what you got and to use.
You can use any stable, durable wood for a cabin sole. I used walnut. Cherry, sassafras, coffee tree, vertical grain douglas fir or cypress would all be pretty.

 

[Ed A]

AS far as the cabin floor goes, the manufacturers often use external grade plywood, a/b or a/v grade, It has waterproof glue and is lots cheaper than solid wood. then the wood is covered with a thin layer of teak and holly. that way you will save hundreds on the foor material and it will still look great. thats probably what is in it now.

 

[sailaway78]

First things

I have a friend who has a Newport that has been converted from tiller to wheel. On his boat the flange inside the cockpit was what held all in place. When the conversion was done, this had to be left exposed, and was also used as the emergency tiller. What he ended up with was an ugly, ankle biting protrusion in the cockpit, exactly where one stood when at the helm. This one was horrible. Make sure you won't be left with a protrusion or you will absolutely hate it.

 

[higgs]

A wheel has advantages. the argument that it takes up more room is only valid when at anchor. With a tiller, when it comes time to tack, that tiller makes a crowded cockpit even worse. those who say the feel is better with a tiller are absolutely correct.

If I were making a fiberglass floor into wood, I would seriously consider some of the flexible fake wood flooring. It looks good, it is epoxyed down and it will conform to some of the uneven floors most boats have. You will have to solve the problem on how to trim it out.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Funny, I am more and more seriously ...

thinking of changing my wheel steering to tiller steering. I have been told that wheel steering generally is better for re-sale value, but I am sick of moving around the pedestal while sailing. I don't like sitting behind the wheel because my vision is far better while sitting on the windward side and it is far easier to brace myself when heeling if I am sitting to the side. I can't stand behind the wheel because either the back-stay or the bimini is a problem.

When switching at the helm with anybody else, the pedestal is always in the way. When sailing single-handed, or my crew is down below, the mainsheet is inaccessible unless I sit in front of the wheel. I can't sit to the side because it is a T-shaped cockpit (and I have been wanting to fill in that space with a bench that I can remove as needed).

Auto pilot would solve some of the issues, but I am thinking that a tiller pilot would be just as good AND I could do away with that damn wheel!

 

[cnsmith]

Great advice about the steering wheel. I am going to do some measurements and see if I have a big enough area in the cockpit. Im sure I'll have more questions for everyone soon - thanks again for starting me off in the right direction...

One last thing, does anyone know if the boat has to be removed from the water to do this?

 

[SailArkansas]

As for the wheel taking up a lot of space in the cockpit there is an easy albeit expensive solution to that. Edson makes a straight or tapered wheel storage device that attaches to the railing. It makes for a much roomier cockpit when docked or at anchor. The ideal setup is to combine it with their quicknut but the screw on nut is easily removed, at least on my wheel.

 

[Snotter]

There is a lot to be said for a tiller pilot attached to a tiller for which the tiller is removable just forward of the tiller pilot pin. My last boat had such a setup and I would steer with a ST100 remote. It would take just a second or two to stick the tiller handle in the tiller channel tube. The tiller took up very little room with the handle removed. I liked the freedom of steering from anywhere on the boat and from any comfortable position.

 

[rgscpat]

While you're putting down the new flooring, I hope you can set up things so the hatch boards in the floor can still be removed easily, but have latches so the can be secured in place in case of bad weather.