Wheel world

[HukilauMike]

I can't imagine

One of the true pleasures I get from sailing is the feedback from my tiller. I can really tell when the boat hits that groove, the sails are perfectly trimmed and I am going as fast as possible. When I take my boat out just to sail around, I can't imagine doing so without a tiller. On the other hand, I can't imagine sailing on a trip when an autopilot is necessary without a wheel. Tiller autopilots are too exposed for my comfort.

 

[Capt. Kermie]

What's the big deal!

Tillers rule on the dinghys and skiffs but once we move to the engine driven boats the wheel makes sense. Both tillers and wheels do the job, it is just a matter of individual comfort level. On the MacGregor power/sailor the steering wheel wins hands down but then you are controlling a 50hp outboard as well. After driving a car most of my life the wheel seems more natural but I can also appreciate the tiller feed back. I really don't think either system warrants a rant, it is just personal preference, no need for vehemently defending either one, they both work well. The big wheels sure look cool though!

 

[Nereussailor]

Wheel

I've had both. I like the control of the tiller, but asking people to move when you need to steer is just wrong. A wheel is much easier to work with when the cockpit is full. Wheel pilots are alot better than tiller pilots too. tiller pilots take up too much space and are a bitch to mount.

 

[Dave Sharp]

Wheels are nice but a tiller is where it's at.

Our present H376 has a wheel. Like other wheel steered boats we've owned it is great from a convience and comfort point of view. The wheel requires very little physical effort for my wife or I to maintain a course, even for a long trip. However, we both prefer a tiller for the feel and enjoyment of sailing. Our Tanzer 22, Freedom 25, Catalina 25, Morgan 1/2 ton, and our last boat, a J41 all had tillers. In addition to all the previous comments about the use of tillers docking is another advantage to a tiller equipped boat. We found it easy to back our 41' boat into the narrowest slips. A word of warning, however, when my wife was backing into a marina inth the Solomins Islands, MD, our backing motion combined with a balanced rudder almost threw her out of the cockpit! Overall, we love a tiller.

 

[Franklin]

Horizontal wheel

This (http://archives.sailboatowners.com/pviewarch.htm?fno=0&sku=2006236204740.7&id=417798&ptl=I%20got%20an%20idea...it%20will%20revolutionize%20sailing%20%3A%29&id=417798) is what I wish I had. I have absolutely no desire to buy a new boat unless I find one I can afford that has one of these.

 

[ron]

Tiller versus Wheel

I have had both tillers and wheels over the years and the older I get and the less races I sail the more I seem to like the wheel.

 

[PHitchcox]

Wheel and a tiller

Someone I know had a mini-tiller attached to his wheel so he could sit high in his stern rail seat and steer.

 

[RichH]

Differences

A tillered boat needs a 'balanced' rudder.Wheels are used on boats with unbalanced rudders to compensate for the hydrodynamic loads on the unbalanced rudder when sailing. A tiller (with an extension) lets you sit where you can SEE the luff of the headsail; sitting behind a wheel is like driving a bus ... plus you cant see the critical luff section of the sails. With a tiller you can sit on the rail and easily (ergonometrically) 'pull' the tiller or extension TO you to keep course while beating; with a wheel when sitting on the rail you have to PUSH the top of the wheel to keep course and THAT is VERY VERY TIRING. Autopilots coupled to wheel steering are an overly-complicated and more expensive 'mess'. APs on tillers are MUCH cheaper and easier to use/install. Bus drivers use steering wheels, sailors who want precision, 'muscle economy' and ease of use usually prefer tillers. ..... and my present boat has an unbalanced rudder so it MUST have wheel steering .... and myself and my wife HATE it: Less feedback, huge rudder loads when the helm is 'full over', etc. etc. etc. When backing you dont use the 'rudder', to go astern you 'should' steer by 'backing and filling' by 'bursting rpm to the prop' ... and let the propwash steer the boat.

 

[Franklin]

RichH

You need a horizontal wheel With it you can steer for anywhere in the cockpit.

 

[Leeward]

Wheel baby

I like the wheel...much easer to hold my glass of wine!

 

[David Guthridge]

Prefer tiller.......

My Pearson 26 has a tiller and 6 years ago, the first year I owned it, I discovered, quite by accident, that when backing with the outboard I raised the tiller, let go of it, and it swung 180 degrees, lower the tiller, and I could use the tiller to literally point the stern of the boat into the tightest of spots. Lets see a wheel do that!David

 

[Franklin]

David

A wheel can do that. I do it everytime I back into my slip and have done it on other boats too.

 

[Robert & Linda]

Tiller and Auto Pilot

Our CS27 has a tiller, a friend with another CS27 converted to a wheel. Our old berth was tight to get into, hard over with the tiller at the right moment and we were home. Our friend was assigned our old spot and could not get into the berth without a lot of elbow grease and manhandling from his crew. The wheel didn't turn the rudder far enough to make the turn. Check the amount of turn you are getting with any conversion. The little bit extra you can get with a tiller will make life easier for you.I cruse with a tiller pilot and cannot think of going without it. (I have a spare too). Our tiller pilot is connected to a GPS and functions as an autopilot. Even with the usual crew on board, I feel like I'am single-handed but with the Tiller Pilot I can be all over the boat having all the fun.Do not use the tiller pilot if racing or beating to windward. A hand on the tiller with an eye on the sails is always best. But at any other point of sail the tiller pilot is like an extra crew.

 

[Night Sailor]

Both are good

I think that if one wants to become a good sailor, one should learn on a boat with a tiller. Simply because there is more feel for the workings of the boat in response to wind, wave, and sail trim. After achieving some level of real competency in all kinds of seastates and weather, then it really doesn't matter. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I've used both on sailboats from 14' to 132'.With most tillers and especialy with transom hung rudders, one can raise the tiller out of the way to use the whole cockpit when not underway. When underway it does take up a lot of room. Most boats with tillers can be turned at much sharper angles than wheel steered boats, literaly pivoting about thier own keels at low speed. Wheels have advantages as well. The friction inherent in the design is frequently enough to allow it to hold the course without a lock or brake, while I trim sail, get a drink, use the head, etc. Guests who are not sailors can take the wheel for a spell and it's not alien to them when you instruct them form elsewhere on the boat. The pedestal acts sometimes as a good foot rest when heeling past 25 degrees. The pedestal is a very convenient, up close place to mount on the centerline of the boat, the GPS, depthsounder, fishfinder, compass, binocular, horn, nav light switches, tachometer, VHF and Stereo controls,sunglasses,sailing gloves, etc. all within easy sight and reach of the helmsman when singlehanding, or the crew when not. I don't think one should choosd a boat based on the kind of helm it has, nor should one think a boat is not a good one simply because it has other than one's personal preference for steering. If a sailor is happy with his/her choice of boat and steering, then he/she's got the perfect arrangement for them.

 

[Rick Howard]

My Wife says....

Having been daysailers all of our lives, we have only had tillers. Now we are ready to move up to a c30.The wife says that a wheel would be better when it gets rough....she would feel more comfortable. I like the looks of the pedestal and all of the electronics right in front of the helm, but I also know that I can put that bow up a knats butt with a tiller.So we go back and forth, back and forth blah blah blah.

 

[NautiDuck]

Not even close

Have you EVER seen Johnny Depp with his hand on a tiller? Enough said.

 

[David D]

Tiller vs Wheel

My wife learned on a tiller. She was not scared even when the boat heeled 35-40 degrees. She just sat on the high side with the tiller in her hand. Now with a wheel she says she does not get the same feel. 25 degrees makes her a little nervous. I do like backing with a tiller, but I do love my wheel auto-pilot!

 

[ex-admin]

Final results

Final results for the Quick Quiz ending February 4, 2007:My boat steering preferences are:46% Depends on the size of boat23% I like both wheel and tiller21% Always a wheel10% Always a tiller1,080 owners responding

 

[Pilot Racer]

Wheel vs Tiller

I have never owned a boat with a wheel but have sailed a few. The wheel is very convenient on a larger boat and I did enjoy the experience. I have a MacGregor 25 and a Windjammer 19 both with tillers and I do find more input from the tiller. I do think the concept of "feel" is a little over-rated because most of the input in sailing comes from the eyes and the ears.(and the brain?)