Tiller (vs) Outboard Magic

[John Marrone]

Well, an overnight New Year spent at our Caladesi Island State Park Marina was a wonderful experience.
Getting into and out of slip at +20 MPH Winds is another issue that almost took the boat out. Ended up bending a Life Line Stanchion against a 40'Sea Ray Windless was another thing.
I continue to read Outboard vs Tiller Steering in slip approaches ( with Kick Up Rudder up ) is a better approach. The slower you approach with a tiller the less opportunity you have to make corrections, thus Tiller Management, I would assume.
One other issue is the Tiller Management. Out on the Open Gulf (Pull Left for Bow Right and Push Right for Bow Left ) is easy. when I gt to approaching a slip opening......look out, I loose all sense of right is left...so I go to outboard and wonder if the (Pull Left for Bow Right and Push Right for Bow Left ) is the same for aft steering looking at the Bow.
Been on the Gulf now for 60-days now after 3 months of dry dock and just when you think all the kinks are worked out. BOOM, another learning curve.
If anyone can make simple sense of Tiller / Outboard Management , we'd be grateful. Something putting a rock in your left pocket..................

 

[justsomeguy]

with Kick Up Rudder up

Why? I know it's shallow, but is there another reason?

 

[Ward H]

If I understand your question correctly, yes, the tiller on the rudder and the tiller (handle) on the outboard both move in the same direction, to swing the bow the opposite direction .
In my mind I always used "Push/Pull Away from Danger" to remember which way to move the tiller.
In open water I would lock the OB in the straight ahead position and use the tiller for steering.
Coming into the marina I would use both for tight maneuvering but as I approached my slip I'd lock the rudder tiller in the straight position using a Davis Tiller Clutch. I would use the OB for steering as I would be moving to slow for the rudder to swing the boat.

My rudder didn't kick up and I had a center board which I left partly down. I felt this helped the boat to track better.

Some people connect the rudder to the outboard so they both move the same time. I never found that necessary.

ps: That was on an Oday 25

 

[Gene Neill]

Don't feel bad. There is no easy way into or out of a slip (or onto a trailer) in winds like that. It's an endless learning curve. Wait till you have high winds AND a cross current!

But yes, at slow speeds the rudder becomes useless so the motor tiller is the only way. I sometimes use both, but sometimes I also get completely confukulated in the process.

I heard a saying once, it's about boat ramps but it also applies to slips: "The boat ramp is always a comedy show. Sometimes you watch the show, sometimes you ARE the show."

 

[Joe]

The boat pivots around the keel/centerboard. It's not like driving a car where you just turn the front wheels and the car follows....why?.... The boat does not steer from the front, it steers from the back.... so you think "point the tiller the direction you want the stern to go" . Have you ever had a shopping cart, dolly, utility cart etc. that steers that way? That's what a boat does.

Since your O.B. is mounted off center, you can't get any thrust directly on the rudder. But, you can get steerage on the rudder by using short bursts of the throttle, especially when backing up. This is where having a remote controlled throttle/shift connection is such a luxury.

Final thought. The sails can have a huge effect on steering. Think about your maneuvering strategy if you did NOT have a motor. Like balancing your sail trim.... no effect = release all sails, steer to windward = more mainsail, less headsail, steer to leeward = more headsail, less main.
You might sit down in a contemplative moment, with a beverage and some cool tunes, and sketch out various scenarios of leaving or arriving at a dock under all possible wind conditions. You can get a headstart on this by perusing Chapman's or Annapolis' chapters on boat handling.

When I was in sailing school, many, many years ago, we didn't have any boats with motors in our fleet. There was no choice.... sail or go home. All of us chose to sail.

 

[RoyS]

Have a large towel ready at the helm. Should a disaster occur while exiting a marina, immediately cover the boat name on your stern.

 

[Jacktar]

Boat handling in close quarters is a skill developed over many years and many situations, hang in there and mistakes will happen, just do it slowly and maintain awareness of where the whole boat is all the time.

 

[RoyS]

Had a friend at one time. He drank a lot. He and his wife, both great drinkers, had once owned a sailboat and kept it in a slip at a marina. They had many disasters returning to their slip. He told me he used to laugh when they were returning to the marina and all the people docked there would be running around attaching fenders to their boats.

 

[Daveinet]

Link the outboard to the rudder. That will make things much easier. In my previous boat, This was as simple as putting a cleat on the back of the rudder and an eye-bolt on the back of the motor. Cut a piece of PVC pipe the distance of the spacing between the eye-bolt and the cleat. Loop a line from the eye-bolt through the PCV pipe and through the cleat with a knot so it stays connected. When you don't need it, the line dangles loose and allows you to turn the rudder without the load of the outboard. When you need it, you just pull the line snug on and cleat it down. A tiny amount of slop in the line allows it to pivot. Its a simple solution that works well and dramatically improves your steering safety. You still maintain steering off throttle, but get improved steering under power.

 

[Daveinet]

Just stumbled on my photo showing the simple link between the outboard and the rudder.

 

[Tom J]

One other issue is the Tiller Management. Out on the Open Gulf (Pull Left for Bow Right and Push Right for Bow Left ) is easy. when I gt to approaching a slip opening......look out, I loose all sense of right is left...so I go to outboard and wonder if the (Pull Left for Bow Right and Push Right for Bow Left ) is the same for aft steering looking at the Bow.
Been on the Gulf now for 60-days now after 3 months of dry dock and just when you think all the kinks are worked out. BOOM, another learning curve.

Don't worry too much about it. With a little experience, it becomes intuitive. If your throttle is on the engine tiller, you will most likely be steering with the outboard as you approach the dock.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I'll admit, it is confusing when you have to look backwards to adjust the throttle and shift controls. I had that boat for two years and would still shift into the wrong direction on occasion. One of the first time I docked it I ran right into the dock box, sat there for a second half confused before realizing I was in the wrong slip!

As others have said, you'll never stop learning!

 

[Jacktar]

Like getting to carnegie hall, practice practice practice!!

 

[Lazy1]

I hate whan I back out of my slip and forget to steer both the outboard and the tiller. Makes all kinds of bumpity noises and steering does not work very well at all.