this weekend I had and idea... I rigged two lines connected to rudder and went directly to pulleys on back cleats , from there they ran up through lifeline rails posts until it reached the front of boat from there I ran pulleys and directed them to the mast , now I placed to folding seats above front windshield and was able to motor the boat from the bow , why? because I was bored and wanted to see if it worked, worked great had a whole new view from up there , was super quiet as we had the camper top on and blocked out alot of motor noise, anyone else ever try something this half witted? note: was semi calm day throttle was at half on my 9.9 hp was a nice change to face forward and move right along. ok cast the stones now ......
steering from bow
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LOL
I guess I've spent enough time on lookout at the end of a bowsprit that this view, while still enjoyable, is no longer unique.
I guess I've spent enough time on lookout at the end of a bowsprit that this view, while still enjoyable, is no longer unique.
I can recall years ago on my Pearson that had a tiller pilot and a remote control. I could spread out on the foredeck and 'drive' the boat with the joystick. I thought it was 'cool' at the time.
You are right, it was fun to experiment and play around with but not something you would want to do in other than lighter winds and flat water.
You are right, it was fun to experiment and play around with but not something you would want to do in other than lighter winds and flat water.
I don't know why your fun day on the water was greeted with such lukewarm responses. Basic rule of sailing: if it works, do it. I love to go forward on our boat underway. If it doesn't lift your heart to move about your boat, try the bowsprit, etc., it's probably time for a motorboat. Your solution is clever and I suspect would work in most any weather where you'd be motoring rather than sailing. Fun to read your post and join in this moment with you. Thanks for sharing.
well weve actually had alot of problems lately with weed beds. I'm located in the 1000 island region and we have a few hotspots that are tucked away in small bays on a few islands here that nobody utilizes once tucked in you can go all weekend without seeing another boat , but as I said lately with the weeds we encounter getting to this area "which are like hidden mines" throughout the hr long motor ride , it was either stay in the cockpit and stop everytime we ran them over to clear the prop and rudder or sit up front and steer clear of them , my wife loved it and we actually turned more then one head as boaters drove by and saw nobody steering the boat , after we returned to our marina friday eve, the other members on shore at the club were baffled and couldnt figure out how my wife and I sat on the bow and had NOBODY manning the tiller, you couldnt see the lines ,made for a good laugh coming back to port as each one asked the other who the hell is steering the boat ,and no I'm not on drugs 
last year i helped move a boat back to New Orleans. Being a racing boat it had no bimini. It was HOT. We put a tarp over the boom and had a nice shady area over the cabin top. No help for the helmsman though. Bright Idea. Run line like you described to cabin top. After about fifteen minutes of patting myself on the back and admiring my handy work, we smooth forgot to make the ninety degree turn with the channel. Ran aground. Later that night when we were asked why we were out in the "middle ground" we nonchalantly replied we stopped to go swimming. (had to push boat back to channel). No one but the crew knows better and now we have a good way to steer. Too funny.
You had fun, it was safe enough, thats good enough. Saturday night sailing single handed i set the tiller tamer on a run with 3-4 knots went forward set the whisker pole, adjusted it, went forward again and didnt touch the tiller for 20+ min. A new tiller tamer record for me.
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