I am a strong advocate of tiller
steering in small boats. I am a strong opponent of
wheel steering in small boats. 27 feet is small. So is 30 feet. A
wheel totally discombobulates some very valuable real estate in small cruising boats and is NOT necessary in order to cope with the forces required to steer a
small boat.
However. the arrangement you show for the "emergency steering" in your
Hunter is SERIOUSLY mickey-mouse. You need a tiller five foot long. Six feet is better, if the length of your
cockpit will accommodate it.
You can't do much about the arrangements at the
head of your rudderstock, but you can use the quadrant to advantage. I am budgeting $3K to convert TP from wheel to tiller. The tiller in my case needs to have a stock on the inboard side of the transom and be connected to the existing
rudder quadrant by
cables leading from trammels on the new tiller stock.
Do the math on the basis of the measurements you can take in your
boat and determine how much torque your wheel steering is capable of transmitting to the
rudder stock. Then design your new TILLER system so that via a tiller of a length you can accommodate in your
cockpit, you can generate the same (or greater) torque on the rudder stock.
Designing your tiller involves, as you say, a recognition that broomsticks and chewing gum would not be up to the task. Ash (hackmatac to Americans, I believe) is an appropriate
wood to use for the tiller.
Teak is not :-)! The tiller's cross section must be determined with regard to the leverage it has to exert on the fitting at the
head of the rudder stock/tiller stock, and the fittings attaching it to the head of the stock need to be more substantial than would appear at first sight. A 3/8" SS bolt through a hole in fitting and stock just won't cut it! The stock head ALSO needs to allow for the tiller being lifted and swung up against the backstay when you are not under way.
Have fun :-)
TP