A buddy and I were talking the other night about the HC50 and its tiller steering and long distance passagemaking. My buddy stated that the boat would be better off with wheel steering. Now I know that one can order a HC50 with a wheel from Hunter. My argument with my buddy was that; 1.) the boat was designed for tiller steering. 2.) One has better control of a boat with a tiller. 3.) Less liklyhood of steering failure w/ a tiller. My buddy disagreed with all of the above! I also stated to him that "most" true passagemakers are tiller steered and that 90% of the time the boat is on autopilot. I also stated that By design of the HC50's hard dodger, the boat can be steered under a shelter whereas if the HC50 had a wheel, this dodger would all be but useless. Here's the point of this post; question, If you where to buy/own a HC50 and take her to the 4 cornners of the globe, would you have a tiller or wheel steering on board? and why? Phil or anybody feel free to jump in on this one. Steve, s/v The Odyssey (H310)
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Tiller
But I never would have said that until I sailed it. The boat steers very easily with a tiller, and it's got a great 'road feel' to it. Like a sports car. We had it on autopilot 90% of the time, and the hull I was on even had a backup AP. I think the tiller would be far more reliable than a wheel, and it's _really_ nice not to have a pedestal in the middle of the cockpit! BTW, the tiller does not extend far enough forward to handle it from under the hard dodger. I would guess that most passagemakers have wheels, just because that's what you normally see on boats of that size. But for this boat, I think the tiller works.
But I never would have said that until I sailed it. The boat steers very easily with a tiller, and it's got a great 'road feel' to it. Like a sports car. We had it on autopilot 90% of the time, and the hull I was on even had a backup AP. I think the tiller would be far more reliable than a wheel, and it's _really_ nice not to have a pedestal in the middle of the cockpit! BTW, the tiller does not extend far enough forward to handle it from under the hard dodger. I would guess that most passagemakers have wheels, just because that's what you normally see on boats of that size. But for this boat, I think the tiller works.
tiller vs. wheel
I once chartered an Island Packet 38, a beautiful boat nearly in all regards. The IP has rack and pinion wheel steering, which is very dependable. The boat steered like a lead sled, and the wheel was too small and too low, and you had to step over the shaft to take the wheel. I would have traded for a tiller in a heartbeat.
I once chartered an Island Packet 38, a beautiful boat nearly in all regards. The IP has rack and pinion wheel steering, which is very dependable. The boat steered like a lead sled, and the wheel was too small and too low, and you had to step over the shaft to take the wheel. I would have traded for a tiller in a heartbeat.
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