Let go of the tiller !- not a chance!

[R. Thompson]

I am in my second season of sailing a 00' 240 and it is a fun boat to learn on - one thing that is of concern is that if I let go of the tiller, at any time, even for a second the tiller will immediatly begin to move and move quickly - sharply turning the boat. When sailing we never let go - for obvious reason. however under power it would be nice to let go for a minute or so to coil a rope or pour a rum. I've read a little on rake and tuning but don't see why the problem is so dramatic even when motoring. Any suggestions? I have seen many other boats with the tiller and rudder in place even under sail. I have bought some tiller lines that help but even so the pressure on the lines is dramatic.

 

[Mike]

tiller tamer?

I was gonna suggest a tiller tamer but it sounds like you've already got one. I have one and still can't leave the tiller for long. I can steer the boat a bit by where I stand on the deck. (More weight to starboard you turn slowly to port) You comment about "dramatic pressure" on the tiller tamer lines doesn't sound right. Maybe your boat is out of balance or your rudder is not straight.

 

[John]

Outboard Position

The outboard bracket on the 240 is set on an angle; it is not parallel to the stern. The motor will drive the boat to the left. Your outboard should have an adjustment bracket to compensate for this. My Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke didn't have enough play in the adjustment bracket so I built my on. It has made a huge improvement in my handling under power. I can let go of the tiller without experiencing that sudden turn to port.

 

[Dave Royce]

No problem

I have let go of my tiller many times while under sail and motor. My tiller appears to be very tight. I am not complaining but my helm is very responsive and does run away when I pass the control of the tiller to my wife. My wife actually handles it really well and like the response.

 

[Wayneo]

outboard and is rudder down and tight

Right on with the outboard, drove me crazy until I noticed the mount is off-set. That was the first reason I was fighting with the tiller. Second one which I keep thinking is weathered helm it the rudder only has to kick up a little and you will fight it all day, then snug it back down and wow finger tip sailing again. If neather of those time to look for something bent or not tight, did you remove that rudder uphaul rope what a drag literally that thing is (not the one in the post) the one tied to the top of the rudder on the trailing edge.

 

[Jim Maroldo]

Let it go!

While I'm not familiar with your model, I can speak some about the H23. First, however, we need to know which way the boat turns! Can we assume that she wants to round up into the wind? Are you on a reach (broad, close, or what?) or are you running? Wing-on-wing, etc? All of these are important to know before anyone can answer. In general, it looks to me like most sailboats are designed to "head-up" when the tiller is released. It's just safer that way. That said, our H23 is VERY HARD to handle on a broad reach or a run when the wind picks up over 20 knots. She just wants to come around into the wind, and it's even too much for our oversized tiller pilot to handle! On the other hand, on a close reach, and as long as the wind is fairly steady, we can trim the sails so the tiller pretty much sits there all by itself!So let us know which point of sail yer talkin' about, and maybe we can get some more input on this one. ENJOY!Jim Maroldos/v: Lil' Wass Ett