Tiller vs. wheel steering on 34-40 ft boats

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

and I have had a few 3 and 4 hour excursions on a tiller. its the price we pay to be a sailor....
I have also had 5 hour runs out in the open ocean (and 5 hrs back) in a power boat, with a wheel, it isnt any better...
but more recently I have learned the power of an autopilot... and I will never be without one again.

Coming up on 10,000 miles cruising on this boat last 6 years, including one 2 1/2 year long full time aboard trip that racked up 7,000 of those. 2500 miles single hand.

Never found the tiller to be onerous at all. I do have a tiller extension, and a tiller pilot, which worked perfectly on three shorter (200, or so miles) Gulf of Mexico crossings and two crossings of the Gulf Stream. THAT I feel is the best thing to use.

I have also used sheet to tiller set ups quite successfully on this boat, for as much as 3 days offshore. I keep the gear for that aboard always.

Of course we, as someone else said, are delving into personal preferences here. Personally, I would NOT want a wheel on any boat I owned. Been there-prefer the tiller

 

[Joe]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

On a 40 ft boat that is designed for coastal cruising rather than racing... the wheel is standard equipment...... a tiller on that size boat will lower its resale value... or at the very least not having one will eliminate many potential buyers.

So... since you have no personal preference... get the wheel equipped boat. If only for resale.

 

[JohnS]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

My Islander 32 (just shy of 5 tons) is a tiller boat, and I don't think I'd want a wheel on her. Even with a big barn door keel-hung rudder, if the sails are balanced it's no big deal hand steering on long trips. And the auto-tiller was simple to install and works fine.

 

[Gunni]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

Any wheeled boat comes with an emergency tiller. The happiest day of my sailing life was the one when I was finally able to restore wheel steering.

 

[shemandr]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

My 2 Cents: Both tiller and wheel intrude in the cockpit space.
The tiller when in use - there needs to be a clear area - no crew no equipment - thru the arc the tiller end travels. The tiller can be tied up out of the way when using the cockpit for guests but not so much just on a mooring or even dock. It needs to be tied off to limit wear on the bearings and mounting hardware.
The wheel really limits movement in the cockpit - sometimes to a dangerous extent (Like if crew has to climb up on the seats to get around it). It can be taken off for when you have guests at anchor, mooring or dock. A lot of smaller boats that have a wheel just shouldn't. It is a marketing ploy to sell boats.
And the binnacle? Another unnecessary cockpit space waster. Compass? Put a digital one on the mast with big letters. Keep your eyes forward - that's where the action is. Same principle for GPS/Radar. I'm never more alert than when a big Sea Ray is heading towards me with the Radar going in clear weather. I just know that guy, if at the helm at all, is screwing around with the menus in his Fancy GPS overlays and has no visual on me at all.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

I'm thinking that there is an app for your sailboat that replaces the steering currently installed. Just tell the app where you want to go and it automagically navigates, tacks, jibes, avoids other traffic and thin water and even takes the best course based on the weather forecast. AND it does your taxes while you......... what the heck do you need a boat for if the app is going to get to do all the fun stuff....?
Back to the OP's questions, tillers take up a lot of cockpit room. This results in a really open cockpit but then where do you put the instruments? Wheels give lots of places to put stuff and result in a cockpit with a "dinner table" in the middle of them.
As others have said, it depends on what you value.

 

[All U Get]

I'm thinking that there is an app for your sailboat that replaces the steering currently installed. Just tell the app where you want to go and it automagically navigates, tacks, jibes, avoids other traffic and thin water and even takes the best course based on the weather forecast. AND it does your taxes while you......... what the heck do you need a boat for if the app is going to get to do all the fun stuff....?

Yep, seen the motor-yachts that stay in one spot while waiting for bridges. No need to touch the wheel, just press a button. There are apps enough to steer a better course than I could anyway. I used to enjoy a tiller until we got a 30 footer with a wheel and my wife had no problem with adapting. Now she just bumps the auto-pilot left and right rarely touching the wheel. I probably wouldn't be too far off base saying that if our wheel was removed that we could manage to get underway, travel a full day, and then anchor for the night.

All U Get

 

[higgs]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

I also find the wheel more comfortable on my back and neck if I am at the helm for several hours. With a tiller, you square your shoulders off parallel to to one side of the boat and then turn your head to see where you are going and check sails. With a wheel you square yourself off more to the bow and don't have to turn your head to view sails or where you are going. Not a problem doing short tacks, but it is a problem, at least for me, doing long tacks of an hour or more.

 

[higgs]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

It is easier to dock with a wheel when the engine controls are mounted right in front of you on the binnacle. No need to bend over to access levers on the side of cockpit seats and no one accidently kicks your throttle as they walk by. I too, find it interesting that the vast majority of those arguing for a tiller own 25 footers. My 25 had a tiller and it was a good way to steer. A wheel on that boat would have been a bad idea.

 

[Joe]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

I've had back problems all my life and I have never had a problem facing forward with a tiller. I have a folding cushioned sport chair that makes it very comfortable to prop my feet on the bench, put the tiller under my inboard arm, the other arm resting on the coaming, and sit back... some times I sit to leeward other times on the windward side.

With an adjustable tiller extension I sometimes sit more forward, tucked up behind the bulkhead to get out of the weather.... or climb up on the coaming and lean back on the lifelines for a better view.

When necessary, I find it quite advantageous to free up both hands by straddling the tiller and steering with my knees.... it allows me to strip in the new sheet during a tack or swing the boom across when jibing. Here, again, I'm facing forward and handling the boat by myself.... something a wheel won't allow.

Making it easier for your wife to steer.... uh.... are you sure? Listen... for anyone that doesn't understand tiller steering... simply explain that the boat turns from the back, not the front, so you point the tiller in the direction you want the STERN to go, not the bow. "Oh!!!!! I get it, now."

 

[higgs]

Re: tiller vs wheel steering on 34-40ft boats

To each his own. I think there is a reason why wheels tend to replace tillers as boats get larger. I did the tiller thing for 30+ years from 18 to 32 ft. since I was 18. I really like the wheel on my 34 and would not want a tiller on this boat. If I downsized to under 30, I would consider a tiller and would not even consider a wheel on a 25 or smaller. If I was only daysailing, I would look at things differently. For cruising, after 40+ years on the Great Lakes, I like the wheel.

 

[Sandy Stone]

Nobody has mentioned backing up with a tiller - if you have even a little bit of stern way you have to keep a *very* firm grip on the tiller or it will jump out of your hand and slam to one side of the boat. Not a deal breaker but something to be aware of.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Personal preference, I guess. But, someone who sails a 25 foot boat with a tiller can boast the usefulness of a tiller, but I doubt he really doesn't know what a wheel delivers on a big boat. If you sail big waters then a lot of the time you will have the boat on auto pilot anyway and that is a nice feature especially on long journeys. Tiller pilots work, but are not as convenient. Also, one doesn't have to stand all the time behind a wheel. They have helmsman's seats behind and experienced sailors like to sit along side the wheel on the high side with the wheel between their legs as they face towards the leeward side of the boat. Also, on a very big boat, a tiller can be something that is difficult to handle in heavy conditions, while a wheel can still be easily manipulated. The argument about more to go wrong with a wheel is not very valid, in my opinion. Rarely have I experienced anyone with wheel problems so that it is of epidemic status. Sure it happens, but not very often and there are lots of other things that can go wrong with a boat too, so if you are going to have paranoia might as well worry about the whole damned boat. True, on small boats a wheel doesn't make much sense. I guess it is wheel envy or something when someone wants to have a wheel. I have a racing boat with a tiller and I like the tiller on it and would never consider putting a wheel on that little boat. But, I also have a cruising boat that is not huge and I like the wheel and am glad the boat doesn't have a tiller. Here's another little side note. J/105's are 34.5' one design racing boats. They come standard with a tiller, but for some reason it is hard to find a tiller on one in comparison to ones with an optional wheel. Those owners seem to prefer the wheel over the tiller. Someone mentioned resale. Well, the resale of a J105 is much greater on boats with a wheel. I know that doesn't answer the wheel vs. tiller question but at least it is a argument that shows the wheel favorite. Also, the fact that manufacturer's put wheels on larger boats (and sometimes two of them) is an indication on where the market is.

 

[Gudenuph]

This is not to argue the point of rudder vs wheel either way but is just what I witnessed:
A friend was backing down in his double ended, 30-foot Bristol Bay open fishing boat when the "barn door" rudder took charge of the 7-foot or so tiller. The tiller caught my friend right amidships and swept him over the rail draped over the tiller like a neatly folded towel. Only when is young son reversed the engine did the tiller swing back aboard. My friend reported that on his inspection, the prop and afterbody of the boat seemed to be in good condition.
Giggle, George

 

[Steve Connell]

With my experience on smaller boats I prefer the feedback I get from a tiller. I find it more sensitive, more immediate and it keeps me in touch with the boat. On larger boats, the problem I have with a wheel is that there is often another level of interface and it can, sometimes lose the accuracy I prefer. Somewhat like driving a car with a bad front end.

 

[rufus1138]

lol just because you switch a seawolf 44 from wheel to tiller wont make it turn on a dime any more than putting eibach suspension and a fresh alignment job on a garbage truck would make it lap Nuremberg any better. boats are boats and wheels are wheels and tillers are tillers. an ultimate 20 with a wheel would be impossibly stupid just as much as a tiller would be on wild oats XI its just something that has to be felt out by the designer, very few boats have the engineering room to switch. the hunter 33 could technically be made to have tiller steering but that would completely defeat the purpose of where the jib sheet winches were placed.

 

[Sandy Stone]

Someone stated that you can't face forward and handle the jibsheets single handed with a wheel. Well, I do it all the time. I just put on enough wheel brake to hold the rudder where I want it, tacking or whatever, stand in front of the wheel, and do whatever I need to with the sheets. Having the traveler on the bridge deck helps, too, but that's a whole different thread. It's easy to reach behind me and make small steering corrections if I need to. In fact, and now this is only opinion, I really like wheel brakes for single handing because you can put the helm just where you need it and put in as much friction as you want.
Also, on the tiller boats I have owned, tacking wasn't so much of a problem with a cockpit full of non-sailing guests, but sometimes docking maneuvers were, because you had to make big steering adjustments at precise times and somebody's knees were often in the way.

 

[JohnS]

Most tiller boats I've sailed, it's a quite simple matter to lift the tiller over passengers' knees when necessary. I also like the ability to scull with the rudder. Useful when I sail up to the dock, but run out of momentum about 5 feet off. I can't imagine most wheel systems allow for effective sculling.

 

[Sandy Stone]

Good point about sculling, although I've never tried it with a 34-40 footer. I think the knee thing is more dependent on the particular boat in question.

 

[Stu Jackson]

The issue" with sculling is not the type of wheel/tiller, but rather the location of the rudder, which on tiller steered boats is always aft of the transom. Most wheel boats have the rudder underneath and fwd of the transom. Makes a big difference.