Of pilots, tamers, and clutches
From day one I knew I would have some manner of self steering on BlueJ. Sailing alone or short handed, the ability to leave the tiller and perform another task was a problem that would need solving. The trick is that there are several good solutions, and the one that is best will be a function of YOUR needs.
Looking at the situation, the choice quickly broke down into two discreet camps; devices that will actually 'steer' the boat, and devices that simply hold the tiller. What solution you choose will be based on your needs. In fact, any one of these might be the right solution for you depending on your sailing program.
Electronic Tiller Pilots
First up is the electronic tiller pilots (ETP), with the Raymarine ST1000+ being a prime example. Using a built-in compass and strong motor, an ETP will actively steer the boat to a heading, moving the tiller to maintain course. Interfaced with the correct electronics, the ST1000+ will also steer to an apparent wind direction, making it very easy to trim your sails and then tend to other matters.
Along with this wizardly comes downsides; cost, installation complexity, and convenience.
Each one of these devices will cost US400+ after you factor in mounting hardware and electrical hookup, and are known for their dubious mechanical reliability. At the end of the day it is a hard-working electro-mechanical device that needs to be looked after.
At this point it is key to try and figure out want kind the steering you need the device to do. If you need the device to steer the boat for hours at a time, then stop reading and buy an ETP. The devices I'll mention later cannot do this. But what the ETP does require is for you to set it up EVERY TIME you want it to steer. When you want the helm back, you have to turn it off and physically disconnect it from the tiller. This is a complex act when all you wanted was to go below and get a cold water.
This is a KEY point. Even if the cost does not throw you off, the work involved in getting it ready to use will often exceed the amount of time you want it to steer! This fact keeps many tiller pilots locked below.
I actually bought a ST1000+ for BlueJ, and amazingly it sat in its box for two years. It sat there because while I loved the notion of this electronic gizmo steering the boat, I knew in my heart that for our sailing, that was not going to happen a lot. On BlueJ we race and we day-sail on an inland lake. 99% of the time the tiller is in our hands.
Tiller Holders
The other way forward is a tiller holder, or tiller lock. These are usually mechanical devices that hold the tiller in place, usually with the help of a short piece of line. Due to their relative simplicity, they are lower cost and can be much more reliable.
The tamer
The one that usually springs front of mind is the ubiquitous Davis Tiller Tamer. This device is screwed to your tiller, and a line runs from your transom through a set of leads and around a friction wheel that is adjustable to set the line tension. They have sold thousands over the years, and indeed there was one pre-installed on BlueJ when we bought her.
I used it for awhile, but soon removed it. I was never a fan of the fiddly plastic parts, but there was a bigger reason. I just did not understand the design that required you to turn a knob to adjust the friction from 'some' to 'a lot'. Other might get that but is seemed wrong to me and what I wanted. I wanted a device that had NO friction when off, and was LOCKED when on. So I removed it it put in in the parts box.
The clutch
BlueJ was used without a steering aid until this summer. Several years ago, I became aware of a new tiller holding device called the WaveFront Marine Tiller Clutch. When I read the web site copy, it seemed to be designed just for me. The inventor also felt that the device should grab the line hard or not at all, and that the device should be compact, elegant, and reliable, things that you cannot say about the Davis product.
So this summer after all the high-priority projects were complete on BueJ, I ordered one of the clutches. They come in two models, the difference being a safety feature; the amount lock effort applied before the device opens to allow a override. The standard model works just fine on the First 260. I was expecting quite a bit and was not disappointed. It is almost like Apple Computer wanted to make a sailboat part. It is made out of milled and anodized black aluminum, and the lock-lever clicks smoothly on delrin bearings. It feels like the gearbox of a BMW M3. Every aspect of the product is well thought out and packaged.
Mounting the device was very easy. The instructions have detailed guidelines on the position, angles, and measurements of the line and the mounting gear, but I think you just need to be close. I already had D-rings on the transom for the old Tiller Tamer, so I just used those. The install took 5 minutes, and half of that was cutting the line in two so I had a spare.
As you can see in the picture, I mounted the clutch just aft of the attach point for the tiller extender which we always use. With the line in place and the clutch off, there is no friction at all and you cannot tell the device is attached. When you want the clutch to hold the tiller, place the tiller in the desired position (99% of the time centered) and flip the lever down. It will then hold the tiller in that position and the boat will continue on. To release, simply flip the lever back up. While the tiller can be tilted up with the line in place, we take it off during racing to keep the area as clear and clean as possible.
We're very pleased with the Tiller Clutch. But that is not hard to image; it was designed to fix a flaw in a product I used to own but stopped! For a quick run to the galley, I simply center the tiller and flip on the lock. If I want it to actually steer for a while, I take a bit longer to get the helm angle correct factoring in a bit of play. With a little practice this is very quickly done (10 seconds), and we're rewarded with a long span of tiller-free time. Normally an external force (wind change, wake, etc) upsets the setting and the boat slowly starts to turn.
Wrap up
The correct tiller management device is really a function of the your needs. Honestly, you could make a solid case to me why you use any of these three devices and I would not argue.
If you need a device to steer and hold course for long periods of time, get a pilot.
If you like the notion of being able to adjust the amount of friction on your tiller, get the Davis Tiller Tamer.
But if you are like me and want the device to be totally unobtrusive until you need it, the WaveFront Tiller Clutch is the product of choice. We are very happy with it on BlueJ and can't image it not being there at the ready.
Looking at the situation, the choice quickly broke down into two discreet camps; devices that will actually 'steer' the boat, and devices that simply hold the tiller. What solution you choose will be based on your needs. In fact, any one of these might be the right solution for you depending on your sailing program.
Electronic Tiller Pilots
First up is the electronic tiller pilots (ETP), with the Raymarine ST1000+ being a prime example. Using a built-in compass and strong motor, an ETP will actively steer the boat to a heading, moving the tiller to maintain course. Interfaced with the correct electronics, the ST1000+ will also steer to an apparent wind direction, making it very easy to trim your sails and then tend to other matters.
Along with this wizardly comes downsides; cost, installation complexity, and convenience.
Each one of these devices will cost US400+ after you factor in mounting hardware and electrical hookup, and are known for their dubious mechanical reliability. At the end of the day it is a hard-working electro-mechanical device that needs to be looked after.
At this point it is key to try and figure out want kind the steering you need the device to do. If you need the device to steer the boat for hours at a time, then stop reading and buy an ETP. The devices I'll mention later cannot do this. But what the ETP does require is for you to set it up EVERY TIME you want it to steer. When you want the helm back, you have to turn it off and physically disconnect it from the tiller. This is a complex act when all you wanted was to go below and get a cold water.
This is a KEY point. Even if the cost does not throw you off, the work involved in getting it ready to use will often exceed the amount of time you want it to steer! This fact keeps many tiller pilots locked below.
I actually bought a ST1000+ for BlueJ, and amazingly it sat in its box for two years. It sat there because while I loved the notion of this electronic gizmo steering the boat, I knew in my heart that for our sailing, that was not going to happen a lot. On BlueJ we race and we day-sail on an inland lake. 99% of the time the tiller is in our hands.
Tiller Holders
The other way forward is a tiller holder, or tiller lock. These are usually mechanical devices that hold the tiller in place, usually with the help of a short piece of line. Due to their relative simplicity, they are lower cost and can be much more reliable.
The tamer
The one that usually springs front of mind is the ubiquitous Davis Tiller Tamer. This device is screwed to your tiller, and a line runs from your transom through a set of leads and around a friction wheel that is adjustable to set the line tension. They have sold thousands over the years, and indeed there was one pre-installed on BlueJ when we bought her.
I used it for awhile, but soon removed it. I was never a fan of the fiddly plastic parts, but there was a bigger reason. I just did not understand the design that required you to turn a knob to adjust the friction from 'some' to 'a lot'. Other might get that but is seemed wrong to me and what I wanted. I wanted a device that had NO friction when off, and was LOCKED when on. So I removed it it put in in the parts box.
The clutch
BlueJ was used without a steering aid until this summer. Several years ago, I became aware of a new tiller holding device called the WaveFront Marine Tiller Clutch. When I read the web site copy, it seemed to be designed just for me. The inventor also felt that the device should grab the line hard or not at all, and that the device should be compact, elegant, and reliable, things that you cannot say about the Davis product.
So this summer after all the high-priority projects were complete on BueJ, I ordered one of the clutches. They come in two models, the difference being a safety feature; the amount lock effort applied before the device opens to allow a override. The standard model works just fine on the First 260. I was expecting quite a bit and was not disappointed. It is almost like Apple Computer wanted to make a sailboat part. It is made out of milled and anodized black aluminum, and the lock-lever clicks smoothly on delrin bearings. It feels like the gearbox of a BMW M3. Every aspect of the product is well thought out and packaged.
Mounting the device was very easy. The instructions have detailed guidelines on the position, angles, and measurements of the line and the mounting gear, but I think you just need to be close. I already had D-rings on the transom for the old Tiller Tamer, so I just used those. The install took 5 minutes, and half of that was cutting the line in two so I had a spare.
As you can see in the picture, I mounted the clutch just aft of the attach point for the tiller extender which we always use. With the line in place and the clutch off, there is no friction at all and you cannot tell the device is attached. When you want the clutch to hold the tiller, place the tiller in the desired position (99% of the time centered) and flip the lever down. It will then hold the tiller in that position and the boat will continue on. To release, simply flip the lever back up. While the tiller can be tilted up with the line in place, we take it off during racing to keep the area as clear and clean as possible.
We're very pleased with the Tiller Clutch. But that is not hard to image; it was designed to fix a flaw in a product I used to own but stopped! For a quick run to the galley, I simply center the tiller and flip on the lock. If I want it to actually steer for a while, I take a bit longer to get the helm angle correct factoring in a bit of play. With a little practice this is very quickly done (10 seconds), and we're rewarded with a long span of tiller-free time. Normally an external force (wind change, wake, etc) upsets the setting and the boat slowly starts to turn.
Wrap up
The correct tiller management device is really a function of the your needs. Honestly, you could make a solid case to me why you use any of these three devices and I would not argue.
If you need a device to steer and hold course for long periods of time, get a pilot.
If you like the notion of being able to adjust the amount of friction on your tiller, get the Davis Tiller Tamer.
But if you are like me and want the device to be totally unobtrusive until you need it, the WaveFront Tiller Clutch is the product of choice. We are very happy with it on BlueJ and can't image it not being there at the ready.
Comments
Post a Comment