Bungee cord auto pilot

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by thinwater

The simplest approach for most boats is simply to keep the jib in and let the main all the way out. The boat will balance on a very close reach for long periods. Works best on tiller steered boats. Not the direction you had in mind? Tough. Do what you had to do and then return to proper course.

The problem with most methods is they are sensitive to wind speed and trim.

The fact that the sheet to tiller system is sensitive to wind and trim is what makes it work . Have you done it if so describe the system you used if not stick around you may learn something from those of us that have done it and want to share our tactics and methods.

[Sea Scamp]

Originally Posted by MollyJo

Hey Sea Scamp
I' love to hear more about your ideas for sheet to wheel self steering. I had a lot of success with sheet to tiller. Cheers


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Hi Molly Jo,
The sheet to wheel steering is a bit more involved, and not as good at this stage. But still pretty simple, ply circles about half the diameter of the wheel with two tracks in them, one for the steering cord and the other for the return rubber, . The tricky part is getting the right size circle to give good movement of the wheel and not lossing gearing power.

What would be good, would be if i could hook the sheet up to my emergency tiller, but my one is down bellow under my bed, and would involve cutting a hole through the matteress and also my cabin top through to the deck, and the using a extension on the emergency tiller bar, and that is not going to be happening.

My Compass 28 worked really well with sheet to tiller steering, Sea Scamp is going to take a bit longer to get things happening with the sheet to wheel steering, i will keep you posted when i crack it.

CHEERS

[Foolish]

If you look at my free singlehanded sailing e-book, available at
http://sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/Sin...rdEdition2.pdf
you will see a big, long section on using bungee cord or surgical tubing for self steering. You will also see it on the video at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY1qx3PfUS0

In the published version of the book you will also see how to gybe a spinnaker when using just a bungee cord.

By the way, if you have a boat with a wheel instead of a tiller, just use one of the lower spokes on your wheel as the attachement point for your bungee cord, lines. This will act the same as a tiller. You just need to figure out how far from the centre of the wheel to put the attachement point.

Have fun!

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Foolish

If you look at my free singlehanded sailing e-book, available at
http://sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/Sin...rdEdition2.pdf
you will see a big, long section on using bungee cord or surgical tubing for self steering. You will also see it on the video at:

In the published version of the book you will also see how to gybe a spinnaker when using just a bungee cord.

By the way, if you have a boat with a wheel instead of a tiller, just use one of the lower spokes on your wheel as the attachement point for your bungee cord, lines. This will act the same as a tiller. You just need to figure out how far from the centre of the wheel to put the attachement point.

Have fun!

Hey Andy the stuff in your book was definitely great info gave me some ideas I hadn't thought of ( got the PDF when it was first available now I have to get the latest copy for my book shelf) thanks for the information.

[jwing]

Originally Posted by Sovereign85

Ok, who out there uses bungee cords or the like to keep her steady when solo sailing and needing to go forward for a moment or two?

Need some ideas for doing this from some of you seasoned sailors.

I have a Sovereign 23 Adventure. Wife is physically limited so it's just me for the most part.

Thanks

My reply is to the body of your post, not to the title. In other words, I think you want to hold the tiller in position for a few moments, rather than have an autopilot hold a course for a few hours.

I tried all the cheap tricks, then got a TillerClutch. The design is is exactly right for me. Easy to deploy and release. I use it way more than I imagined I would. The construction quality is solid.

WaveFront Marine - The TillerClutch

[Sovereign85]

Thanks to all that replied. I think the wave clutch is exactly what I need for the quick help on steering while I grab a line or make an adjustment to the sails.

I'm going to order one and give it a try. Has anyone else tried one? It looks like a great device for a quick break on the helm.

[Ribbit]

Hmmm, thanks for the video that was very interesting Andy (I think I have hit my weight limit for books for flying with in my luggage, I'll try and buy yours when I get to North America).

Seems to me, for wheel steering, all that's needed is a simple valley cleat (or clutch) type arrangement for the rope on one side, with a mushroom to pop the surgical tube over for the other, and just clamped to a lower spoke as suggested (as it's clamped it would be easy to fine tune the distance from the hub)?

Could have the rope and mushroom vertically separated or horizontally, whichever would be neater.

Should be cheap as chips to buy, and be very fast for adjustment.

I'd buy two for starters (to have one spare).

PS If someone makes it, send me some royalty money please.

The people making the TillerClutch could be all over it like a rash, right up their street, and the nice thing - they don't seem like a rip-off outfit.

[nematon785]

I have very little experience, being an armchair sailor mostly. so FWIW:

A book with some very useful information on this subject is "Singlehanded sailing-thoughts, tips, techniques, & tactics" By Andrew Evans.

Operating the boat as a system, essentially doing all things shorthanded, steering being one part of the whole matter.

Evans has described so many excellent simple and common sense solutions to running a sailboat by yourself it is amazing.

From my limited perspective, ingenious use of extra rigging combined with balancing the sails notwithstanding, I personally like the tiller pilot, with a remote control attached to your harness. that remote seems like a godsend. Say you are upfront changing headsail or unfu*$#@ing your wadded up roller furling, a couple of taps on the remote, and course adjusted. Making tea down below, and want to steer a few degrees off? handy remote. Or if you fall overboard, the remote to the boat steering is on your harness...

Of course a handheld remote controlled autopilot is just one more thing to have fail or go wrong at the worst time. doesn't change the fact it is a damn cool toy.

lash the tiller, depower to minimal way on. drop sail altogether and sit for a while. not always necessary to be sailing full ahead at ramming speed. plan way ahead. give every task possible to the wife. she may be less physically eager, but I bet she can navigate, manage checklists, perform deck level weather forecasting, and handle a radio among a million other things. including steering if you clip the remote to her harness

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by nematon785

I have very little experience, being an armchair sailor mostly. so FWIW:

A book with some very useful information on this subject is "Singlehanded sailing-thoughts, tips, techniques, & tactics" By Andrew Evans.

Operating the boat as a system, essentially doing all things shorthanded, steering being one part of the whole matter.

Evans has described so many excellent simple and common sense solutions to running a sailboat by yourself it is amazing.

From my limited perspective, ingenious use of extra rigging combined with balancing the sails notwithstanding, I personally like the tiller pilot, with a remote control attached to your harness. that remote seems like a godsend. Say you are upfront changing headsail or unfu*$#@ing your wadded up roller furling, a couple of taps on the remote, and course adjusted. Making tea down below, and want to steer a few degrees off? handy remote. Or if you fall overboard, the remote to the boat steering is on your harness...

Of course a handheld remote controlled autopilot is just one more thing to have fail or go wrong at the worst time. doesn't change the fact it is a damn cool toy.

lash the tiller, depower to minimal way on. drop sail altogether and sit for a while. not always necessary to be sailing full ahead at ramming speed. plan way ahead. give every task possible to the wife. she may be less physically eager, but I bet she can navigate, manage checklists, perform deck level weather forecasting, and handle a radio among a million other things.

Fwiw and just to let you know the poster above named foolish. Is Andy Evans the author of the book you and he both referenced.

[nematon785]

I had a hunch he was, with an Olson 30 named foolish muse, it just kind of adds up.

[Ribbit]

Well chuffed, found a new copy of your book on Amazon UK Andy (nice customer reviews too by the way).

I usually end up overweight on my luggage anyway (was over 200lb overweight with product samples from Spain once, flying Iberia, and they immediately twigged I was a buyer, and didn't charge me anything extra, hehe).

PS If I do ever get any royalties (a good friend has a row of CNC's, makes injection moulding dies, etc., and spits out a lot of product with his own injection moulding machines, and if I can get him to knock something out - if he's not too busy - could be sensible too), half goes to Andy.

Don't hold too much hope out though, I've had a few designs go into production, and haven't had a darned penny yet (well I did do ok from custom copper nails for slate roofing, but only because I sold huge quantities of the nails).

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Foolish

By the way, if you have a boat with a wheel instead of a tiller, just use one of the lower spokes on your wheel as the attachement point for your bungee cord, lines. This will act the same as a tiller. You just need to figure out how far from the centre of the wheel to put the attachement point.

Have fun!

Such an elegant solution. It was always my first answer to guys who couldn't figure out how to use a wheel after years with a tiller.

[jrbogie]

when i was racing single handed with a tiller i rigged a continuous line from the tiller out to a block on the tow rail then forward through blocks along the rail to a block on the bow and back through blocks on the opposite side back to the tiller. by reaching down i could pull the line aft or forward as needed to steer the boat from anywhere on deck. i used this method even to gybe the spinnaker, though very slowly. i now have a bigger boat with wheel steering and i haven't tried this method as i haven't raced single handed with her but my guess is that it would work attaching the line to the lower center spoke.

[Foolish]

i used this method even to gybe the spinnaker, though very slowly.

I have used your line-to-the-bow method when I'm motoring. I've got a loud 2 stroke motor and hate making long trips, so I sit on the foredeck and read.

For gybing a spinnaker without an autopilot, it took me 10 years of trying many different variations to come up with a method that actually works in 20 knots of wind:
Pull the tweakers down to the lifelines, or even futher.
Pull the pole back 3/4. Sail at about 145 apparent.
Ease the spin sheet until the clew is about 3 feet from the forestay.
Gybe the main and steer over to 145 apparent in the new direction.
Sail with the pole on the leeward side and keep the chute flying.
Secure the tiller with a bungee cord setup.
Release the old guy (on the now-leeward side) until the chute is flagging in the wind.
Adjust the bungee cord to make sure the boat is still sailing
Go to the bow and gybe the pole - quickly.
Go back to the tiller and pull in the new sheet until the chute catches the wind.
Trim the new guy and sheet appropriately.

I've got a diagram in my book if you find this hard to follow.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by Foolish

I have used your line-to-the-bow method when I'm motoring. I've got a loud 2 stroke motor and hate making long trips, so I sit on the foredeck and read.

For gybing a spinnaker without an autopilot, it took me 10 years of trying many different variations to come up with a method that actually works in 20 knots of wind:
Pull the tweakers down to the lifelines, or even futher.
Pull the pole back 3/4. Sail at about 145 apparent.
Ease the spin sheet until the clew is about 3 feet from the forestay.
Gybe the main and steer over to 145 apparent in the new direction.
Sail with the pole on the leeward side and keep the chute flying.
Secure the tiller with a bungee cord setup.
Release the old guy (on the now-leeward side) until the chute is flagging in the wind.
Adjust the bungee cord to make sure the boat is still sailing
Go to the bow and gybe the pole - quickly.
Go back to the tiller and pull in the new sheet until the chute catches the wind.
Trim the new guy and sheet appropriately.

I've got a diagram in my book if you find this hard to follow.

cool idea. i do an end for end as opposed to the dip pole method for jybing the pole and if i do it all slow enough i never dump the wind from the shute at all just like a competent full crew only it takes me longer to get her reaching where i want to go. my assymetrical that i now have is not a problem gybing at all as everything is done from the cockpit.