When the auto pilot fails

[sheepstations]

I'm researching what systems can be jury rigged to self-steer a yacht when the auto pilot fails.
Assuming it's a wheel not a tiller used to steer the yacht, can anybody point me in the right direction for suggestions or resources that provide a workable solution for when this happens?
I'm thinking of a 40' yacht, not a trailer-sailer or dinghy btw.
Thanks in advance,
JR

[Joh.Ghurt]

Question is in what situation and for how long.
For some time my autopilot was more out-of-service than working. In most situations, a bungee-cord served me well, if not I had to hand- or foot-steer. If your sails are well trimmed fr the desired course, you can get away with surprisingly little steering.

However, I wouldn't plan a long ocean crossing with just a bungee-cord.

[sheepstations]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

Question is in what situation and for how long.
For some time my autopilot was more out-of-service than working. In most situations, a bungee-cord served me well, if not I had to hand- or foot-steer. If your sails are well trimmed fr the desired course, you can get away with surprisingly little steering.

However, I wouldn't plan a long ocean crossing with just a bungee-cord.

Thanks for the input. The situation I'm thinking of is actually on a long ocean passage where it becomes impractical to hand steer for days at a time.

[s/v Moondancer]

We sailed from Majuro to Guam using balanced twin headsails, main and a bungee cord on a fairly long keeled 55 ft boat…about 1,800 nm. with just the two of us onboard. However, it was work with lots of sail trimming and probably impossible on a fin keeled boat. The trip took 16 days.

[Tetepare]

Wind steering?

Or spares for the AP.

[Breaking Waves]

practically speaking - you want to carry a backup system or parts - so either (a) essentially a spare AP in parts or (b) a spare installed AP, or (c) an installed windvane. We always had both 'lots of parts' and a windvane to back up the ap.

without the above . . . you (the human crew) are going to be the 'backup'. You balance the sails as well as you can - some boats do this better than others and it is easier in some conditions than others. And you watch the steering and hand correct it as much as your fatigue allow - with 3 people you can in fact fully hand steer 'forever' - it is hard work but it can be done. With 2 people it depends a bit on the people, but there have been couples who have hand steered one on/one off continuously for 10 days.

[Simi 60]

When the auto pilot fails

I pulls out the exact same one from the spares locker and 10 minutes later am good to go
Took me a while but got a complete version of the same commercial grade AP for $400
Swapped out mine for it as proof of concept and now our working original is the spare.

[sheepstations]

Thanks for the replies so far but just trying to drag any responses back to the specific questions asked. ie "what systems can be jury rigged to self-steer a yacht when the auto pilot fails".

[sheepstations]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

I pulls out the exact same one from the spares locker and 10 minutes later am good to go
Took me a while but got a complete version of the same commercial grade AP for $400
Swapped out mine for it as proof of concept and now our working original is the spare.

Thanks for the input but doesn't really help with my original question. I'm asking about a sailing solution, not a boat maintenance issue.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by sheepstations

Thanks for the input but doesn't really help with my original question. I'm asking about a sailing solution, not a boat maintenance issue.

You seem to be very set on only one solution to deal with the risk of loss of autopilot. You got already a few answers but none involved a complicated solutions with lines linking the wheel to the sheets via a set of blocks across the cockpit. You can find this kind of setups in sailing books from the 50ies. Perhaps it would be helpful to be interested in how other sailors deal with the risk in real life instead of just seeking validation for your approach.

This is assuming you're trying to solve a real problem you have have and you aren't just trolling for a philosophical discussion about theoretical solutions by arm-chair sailors?

[sheepstations]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

You seem to be very set on only one solution to deal with the risk of loss of autopilot. You got already a few answers but none involved a complicated solutions with lines linking the wheel to the sheets via a set of blocks across the cockpit. You can find this kind of setups in sailing books from the 50ies. Perhaps it would be helpful to be interested in how other sailors deal with the risk in real life instead of just seeking validation for your approach.

This is assuming you're trying to solve a real problem you have have and you aren't just trolling for a philosophical discussion about theoretical solutions by arm-chair sailors?

Unbelievable. I've asked a pretty specific question in the hope that there might be some solid suggestions. I don't have to explain why I'm seeking such suggestions. I'll just be glad when I slip my lines, head over the horizon and get away from tripe like you've just dished up. It's a sailing forum for god's sake, not an analysts couch.

[mabowers]

https://theislander.net/the-steersman-a-new-self-steering-gear-for-yachts/

[sheepstations]

Originally Posted by mabowers

https://theislander.net/the-steersman-a-new-self-steering-gear-for-yachts/

Brilliant. Thank you, that's exactly the sort of information I'm after.

[Yellowtulip]

I think that jury-rigged is the cogent phrase here. You’d have to work out some system yourself for your boat in your conditions. People have used a twin-headsail system successfully for downwind sailing, and I recall a system using a staysail as the control sail.

http://www.jsward.com/steering/

This might be helpful if you could rig an emergency tiller. Google sheet-to-tiller steering for more ideas.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by sheepstations

Brilliant. Thank you, that's exactly the sort of information I'm after.

That system should do well with the wind forward of the beam but off the wind with a wheel steered system except in mild conditions I doubt you could hold a good course with the amount of turn on the wheel this will give you.

Over the last 40 years of sailing I have read numerous articles about self steering without an AP for wheels but none I have ever seen were useful except for short term and moderate conditions.