Word to the wise - Check your emergency tiller access

[Rick486]

Today I removed the helm station decking to clean out below, and to lubricate the autopilot and rudder post actuator mechanism which lies beneath the decking. This decking is fastened with long stainless screws into the sub deck below. There is a plastic screw-in access plate in the decking for the purpose of inserting the emergency tiller in the event of a failure in the main steering gear. Well, the screw-in plate was jammed with accumulation over the last few years, as I had not maintained it. This task somehow fell off my commissioning list. It took me 20 minutes with a hammer, a winch handle, and what seemed like most of a can of WD-40 to free the access plate. NOT GOOD.
So, check your emergency tiller access.

 

[Mark Maulden]

Maybe a smear of super lube on the plate threads.....

 

[Don Guillette]

Today I removed the helm station decking to clean out below, and to lubricate the autopilot and rudder post actuator mechanism which lies beneath the decking. This decking is fastened with long stainless screws into the sub deck below. There is a plastic screw-in access plate in the decking for the purpose of inserting the emergency tiller in the event of a failure in the main steering gear. Well, the screw-in plate was jammed with accumulation over the last few years, as I had not maintained it. This task somehow fell off my commissioning list. It took me 20 minutes with a hammer, a winch handle, and what seemed like most of a can of WD-40 to free the access plate. NOT GOOD.
So, check your emergency tiller access.

Rick: The SAIL TRIM FORUM has discussed this topic a number of times even though it's not a sail trim issue. Many sailors don't even know where the emergency tiller is or what is necessary to attach it!! Imagine if you were in a serious situation Think about the mess you'd be in -- I think you'll agree it would be a scary situation and you'd be on the front page of the Providence Journal!! On my Catalina30, you have to remove the wheel to attach the emergency tiller. I went though the same thing you did to get the hub nut off EXCEPT I used Justice Bros "JB80". It's the best stuff I've ever used to loosen rusted or frozen parts. It smells awful but it sure does work -- beats WD40 every time.

 

[Ken Cross]

Thanks. I've never unscrewed the cover. I don't even know if the handle fits. I will soon.

Ken

 

[Benny17441]

After almost 10 years of owning an h320 we found out that the factory gusher emergency water pump was crushed during the boat building process. We are grateful that we had never needed it but it could have been replaced under warranty rather than our own pocket. It is advisable to check all the emergency features periodically.

 

[JamesG161]

Thanks. I've never unscrewed the cover. I don't even know if the handle fits. I will soon.

Check this link for pictures of ET and Gusher pump handle.. et. al.
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...n-again-no-emergency-yet.184904/#post-1369653

Jim...

 

[Waandderer]

I just had an indecent in the ICW between Galveston and corpus on a boat I had just purchased. A rudder cable attachment bolt snapped and the steering fell apart. I could not locate the emergency tiller. ( it was buried in a cabin locker). we had an interesting few minutes with barge traffic.
Thats on my checklist now!

 

[LeslieTroyer]

I have a my autopilot on a separate tiller. It can now act as an emergency tiller. I would hate to have to steer for any length of time using the 2.5' stick tiller 8" off the deck.

Les

 

[NotCook]

So, check your emergency tiller access

I'd go further to say you should actually install and test your emergency tiller at the dock/mooring before you need it, including understanding what it is going to take to actually steer/hold a course with it. Depending on the size of your vessel, that may involve rigging blocks and lines to move and hold it. We determined that steering our vessel by hand with the emergency tiller basically at all, let alone for an extended period, was going to require setting up lines to winches on either side in order to move the tiller in any other conditions than inside a marina while docking. The forces are just to large. So, that means having the lines and blocks available, rigged and tested, and stored with the tiller. Not thekind of things you want to discover only when the steering fails while offshore in weather...

 

[NotCook]

I have a my autopilot on a separate tiller. It can now act as an emergency tiller.

As it turns out, we only came to understand that our A/P could also be used to steer the boat in an emergency, depending on where in the system the steering failure occurs. In a situation we encountered, a loose set screw caused a key to back out of a sprocket, which disengaged a chain from a shaft, well ahead of the A/P and quadrant. We concluded later that we could have steered with the A/P in an emergency. Had the steering cable broke, between the A/P interface and the quadrant, that would not have been an option, and the emergency tiller would have been the only option.

I will add one more point. Whenever maneuvering in confined spaces, such as marinas or channels, or in close proximity to hazards, we always have the anchor unstowed and ready to deploy in an emergency in the event we lose the ability to steer or stop. That means every time we leave or return to a slip or mooring. We are aware of the option and are ready to deploy the anchor to prevent being blown onto shore or shoal, and give us time to diagnose and resolve the issue.

 

[FastOlson]

Regarding what happens after your steering fails.....
Note that as all of these boats age beyond the 20 to 30 year point (to think in round numbers) the chance of a steering cable breaking keeps edging up. When it does, there is an excellent chance that the slack loop will jam in the 90 degree sheave under the wheel support post.
Then, inserting the "emergency tiller" will do you no good.
So, you will likely need - on desperately short notice - a cable cutter that can sever the old cable in one snip. Only then will your auxiliary steering gear be able to move the rudder.

(When all of the boat builders added steering wheels in the early 80's to help sell more more boats to newbies, no one ever really published the future 'downside' of this expensive and mostly unneeded option.)

 

[Ken Cross]

I checked out our emergency tiller yesterday. I think it will work fine if needed. The problem was I couldn't remove it from storage without removing screws holding the decompression cable. I'm glad I checked, thanks.

Ken