Emergency Tillers

[keepondancin]

Who has emergency tillers, and who has ever used an emergency tillers.

[DDabs]

Have one, never used one. Pretty straightforward though, just pop off the plate in the cockpit and install the tiller, which is just a large metal rod with a handle basically that connects to the rudder post. Back to the basics!

[vmattiola]

Was once on a delivery where we tested out the emergency tiller during sea trial for fun and discovered it's arm hit the binnacle and wasn't able to turn completely. Hacked off 8" of it (with owner's permission) and managed to get it working decently with some help from genoa winches.

Balancing the sailplan was critical though. Too much weather/lee helm and it was nearly impossible to control. Waves from astern was tough too.

[barnakiel]

We have one.

My clients on their last passage were forced to use theirs.

It is a good thing not only to have one but also to fit it while in port, see if it is easy to operate.

b.

[jstevens]

I have one on-board, but fortunately have never needed it. I did talk to another owner of the same boat as mine who did have to deploy the emergency tiller. It was a crew killer until they rigged some tackle on the tiller.
Deck and Rigging Upgrades

As others have posted, it's important to test it and modify it if necessary before departing on a long passage.

John

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by vmattiola

Was once on a delivery where we tested out the emergency tiller during sea trial for fun and discovered it's arm hit the binnacle and wasn't able to turn completely. Hacked off 8" of it (with owner's permission) and managed to get it working decently with some help from genoa winches.

One of the rules I always tell my clients - if your computer isn't running off a restored backup, you don't have backups. The only way to make sure your backup system is working is to grab a set of bare disks, and to do a full restore. If you can't run on the result, you don't really have backups.

Same thing here, I would think. No matter how much extra junk you have sitting in the bottom of your lazaret, you don't have an emergency tiller if you've never actually used it.

[Snowpetrel]

I have used them a couple of times. A common issue is not having a good top bearing on the rudder stock, so the rudder stock can flex. Another issue can be holding the tiller down, sometimes they want to work themselves up and off under load. A bolt or nut to lock it down to the shaft is reassuring.

Slop is a big problem. If they are too tight they dont fit, to loose and they slop. Ideally some sort of taper or clamping arrangement would be nice but I have never seen one loke this.

Its a very good idea to test it in nasty conditions. Its also a good idea to stow it somewhere handy. I like to lash or cable tie it to a deckhead so it can't be buried under stuff.

How do you stop water leaking through the hole in the deck? This can be a real problem in nasty conditions. And can damage autopilots mounted aft.

[ozskipper]

I have one. Tested it. Due to the resistance of the wired steering system, its loads are quite heavy. . Assuming the I ever needed it, the wired system would actually be broken and that load would disappear. (I hope)