Sheet-to-tiller steering

[Scaffi S28]

I came across the John Letcher "Bible" on sheet-to-tiller arrangements last year, and was immediately hooked. So I made up all these different rubber return straps and all manner of pulley systems to set up a sheet-to-tiller arrangement from the jib sheet, from the main sheet, and from a small steering sail sheet hauled up on the topping lift.

None of them worked except when close hauled, when the boat self steers OK anyway with the tiller unattended. I noticed that the photos in John Letcher's book always showed a background of sea that doesn't seem to have too much swell, and I get the inpression that my systems might have worked if the wind was really constant, and the sea was dead flat- but that's a combination that doesn't happen too often around here (Sydney).

What I was wondering was whether any of you forum watchers had had any more success the I have when sailing off the wind? One possible shortcoming in my system is that I didn't get the really expensive roller-bearing pulleys for the blocks and pulleys. Does that make a huge difference ?

In case you are interested, my boat is a 28' Canoe stern fibreglass Swanson of fairly heavy displacement. It has a fairly full keel and an unbalanced rudder.
MD

[BC Mike]

It is something I have started to fiddle with but the tension on the sheets which would need to vary with the wind strength just does not seem to happen. My boat goes straight on the wind but off the wind the waves move it around. It is easy to hand steer off the wind but it would be nice to take a break. I have found that the electric autohelm is not fast enough to keep up with the spinnaker but works fine with two headsails up and a reef in the main going straight down wind. BC Mike C

[jim lee]

Our boat is a light displacment fin keel, spade rudder machine that tracks like a drunk on ice. So some sort of self steerng was nessisary. We used a Monitor wind vane. I thought it was just the cat's meow! In really light air, almost no wind at all, it could be set to head the boat down in the puffs and head up to build aparent wind in the lulls. Then when it was so scary that I wanted to go hide under my blankets, it would dirve the boat, no worries at all.

Too cool!

For motoring? Can't beat an electric tiller pilot. :-)

-jim lee

[RPC]

You might be able to find some more design information on this link

http://www.onpassage.com/Steering_Sy...f_Steering.htm

There are a few self build designs which might give you some more pointers. Good luck

Rod

[BC Mike]

With your Monitar do you lash the tiller in the neutral position and let the self steering units rudder blade do the steering ? or does the self steerer move the main tiller. I think most have their own blade which may be separated from the main rudder by up to 3 feet or even more. I have a transom hung rudder so the self steering rudder could follow close behind. What is the most normal way to do this? BC Mike C

[jim lee]

The Monitor controls the main rudder. Mine uses a tiller so its pretty simple. There is a rope attched to a short chain that passes under the tiller. When you want to enguage the windvane: Put on the wind wing thing, two thumbscrews. Twirl the wind wing to point into the wind. Drop down the paddle, slip the chain into the tiller catch and take a nap. Well, not really. It takes some time to learn how to tweak 'em.

After a couple months with nothing better to do than play with the vane, a couple things surfaced as important to the design.

Up and down wind vane as opposed to the streaming type. The vertical wing is -much- MUCH more sensitive to small wind changes. Basically if the wind isn't dead nuts lined up with the wing, it falls to one side or the other. Meaning that tiny changes give full power for corrections on the tiller.

Using the boat to power the tiller. When the wind wing falls, it rotates the water paddle. Rotating the water paddle uses the power of the boat's movement to pull on the tiller.

Pretty slick.

I know there's a lot of different vanes out there. Some have their own rudders and some attach things to the existing rudder. I liked the Monitor 'cause it has a good reputaion, it was pretty straight forward to mount and it doesn't get in the way much when I'm not using it.

The Monitor works for the transom hung rudders. I've a couple friends that use them for that. Both were Bristal Channel cutters.

Hope the helps, and no I don't have any affiliation to them that made the Monitor vanes, just liked mine.

-jim lee

[gottasail]

Go to http://www.catalinaowners.com. Then select the Forums tab and then the Catalina owners forum. There is a discussion on tiller steering with some good answers and web links. One of the areas of discussion is downwind sailing with the tiller steering. Sounds like it might work for you.