Tiller Steering and Outboard Motors

[valhalla360]

Is there a reason you are looking for tiller steering? It sucks up space and by the time you link up the rudders, I doubt you will get any significant reliability over a wheel system.

If all you need the outboard for is manuvering, why not save a lot of hassle and do pods like the PDQ's use. The motors are out of the sun and out of sight.

[Teknav]

Valhalla! ++

Mauritz

[Factor]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Is there a reason you are looking for tiller steering? It sucks up space and by the time you link up the rudders, I doubt you will get any significant reliability over a wheel system.

If all you need the outboard for is manuvering, why not save a lot of hassle and do pods like the PDQ's use. The motors are out of the sun and out of sight.

Rudders are linked on wheel steering boats, well mine certainly are.

[valhalla360]

Factor: Yes pretty much all catamarans have the rudders linked and presumably, you would want them linked with a tiller, so there seems to be little to gain in terms of reliability, hence the question of why.

[tamicatana]

Why?

Firstly, tillers are the arms from the rudders forward. Tillers don't link rudders together, that is the job of the crossbar.

A direct tiller system removes mechanical failure points such as gears, belts, quadrants, etc, whatever transfers the tiller to the wheel.

plain tiller system would be: rudder post up from the rudder blade, a tiller connected to that coming forward to the steering station (and in the case of the catamaran, a crossbar). That's it, done and dusted.

[Sid at SailAway]

Have you checked out the Tomcat 9.7? It's a 32' boat which may be smaller then you're looking for. It does have Yamaha outboards in the hulls that can be raised and lowered. The steering, however is helm mounted. It may be possible to give Tom a call and see if he could build one with tiller steering. Ya never know...PM me if you need more details..

[Sailmonkey]

The Edel Helios 38 is tiller steered, and the Edel 35 has outboard power.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Sid at SailAway

Have you checked out the Tomcat 9.7? It's a 32' boat which may be smaller then you're looking for. It does have Yamaha outboards in the hulls that can be raised and lowered. The steering, however is helm mounted. It may be possible to give Tom a call and see if he could build one with tiller steering. Ya never know...PM me if you need more details..

Or you could get an older Gemini 3200 with transom mounted rudders. It shouldn't be too hard to modify for tiller steering.

The outboard is in a central lower pod but we've never heard of one being stolen. With it bolted solidy in place, it would take an hour or so to get it removed.

[boatman61]

All you need to know about the Tiller/Bar set-up... and they don't take up room...
James Wharram Designs | Unique sailing catamarans, self-build and professional built boats of distinction..

[romanos2b]

everybody argues about the tiller... which in a cat is everything but a nonsense. And a lot don't talk about the outboard engines which in my opinion is a big non-sense on a boat over 30'.
For the same HP an outboard will consume 2-4 times more fuel than a diesel engine. Which means you'll need bigger tanks, and gasoline needs specific tanks because it is highly flammable and btw you can't keep gasoline for too long in a tank. Other problems, unless you can completely lift up the engines while sailing and keeping them in standing position (especially for 4 strokes engines), they will always get issues with sea water. A gasoline engine gives more trouble than diesel if the fuel is dirty.
So finally, having outboards engines on a catamaran which is a sailing boat that use the engines more often than a monohull force you to have more weight for the tankage, motoring on shorter distances, spend more money on fuel.
The only logical use of outboards would be on a boat that is going to do coastal cruising only.

[boatman61]

Klaxon Diesel Outboards Features

and there's Ruggerini's and a few others...

[romanos2b]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Klaxon Diesel Outboards Features

and there's Ruggerini's and a few others...

That would be a solution

[smj]

Originally Posted by romanos2b

everybody argues about the tiller... which in a cat is everything but a nonsense. And a lot don't talk about the outboard engines which in my opinion is a big non-sense on a boat over 30'.
For the same HP an outboard will consume 2-4 times more fuel than a diesel engine. Which means you'll need bigger tanks, and gasoline needs specific tanks because it is highly flammable and btw you can't keep gasoline for too long in a tank. Other problems, unless you can completely lift up the engines while sailing and keeping them in standing position (especially for 4 strokes engines), they will always get issues with sea water. A gasoline engine gives more trouble than diesel if the fuel is dirty.
So finally, having outboards engines on a catamaran which is a sailing boat that use the engines more often than a monohull force you to have more weight for the tankage, motoring on shorter distances, spend more money on fuel.
The only logical use of outboards would be on a boat that is going to do coastal cruising only.

Yes, definitely your opinion. Can't count the times we've sailed past monos that were motoring. Cats sail less?
Also in our experience with owning a few cats with outboards and a few cats with inboards they all seemed to burn about 1 gallon per hour doing 7 kts., no matter if they were burning diesel or gas. And yes, pulling the outboard leg out of the water while sailing gives quite an advantage over dragging saildrives and props.

[romanos2b]

Originally Posted by smj

Yes, definitely your opinion. Can't count the times we've sailed past monos that were motoring. Cats sail less?
Also in our experience with owning a few cats with outboards and a few cats with inboards they all seemed to burn about 1 gallon per hour doing 7 kts., no matter if they were burning diesel or gas. And yes, pulling the outboard leg out of the water while sailing gives quite an advantage over dragging saildrives and props.

I owned cats and monohull, most catamarans can't sail closer than 55° of the wind, If I'm back on a monohull is because I don't like motoring too much, plus a cat is not confortable if the wind doesn't come from the back unless you stay in the bay^^. I've a 50 hp diesel engine burning less than a gallon an hour, I owed a 50 hp outboard evinrude was burning 2-3 gallons an hour.
Sorry if I still say that for the same HP a diesel engine will burn a lot less fuel and still will have a better torque than a gasoline engine.
Gasoline engine is ok only for coastal cruising...

[smj]

Originally Posted by romanos2b

I owned cats and monohull, most catamarans can't sail closer than 55° of the wind, If I'm back on a monohull is because I don't like motoring too much, plus a cat is not confortable if the wind doesn't come from the back unless you stay in the bay^^. I've a 50 hp diesel engine burning less than a gallon an hour, I owed a 50 hp outboard evinrude was burning 2-3 gallons an hour.
Sorry if I still say that for the same HP a diesel engine will burn a lot less fuel and still will have a better torque than a gasoline engine.
Gasoline engine is ok only for coastal cruising...

You must have owned a cat that wasn't known for its sailing ability to only be able to achieve 55 degrees.
We owned a Cherokee 35 with a 38hp diesel and hydraulic drives. Made maybe 5 kts burning at least 1 gallon per hour. Changed out to a Honda 50 and started motoring at 7 kts burning 7/8 gallon per hour. Gemini 3200 with a Honda 40 at 7 kts about 7/8 gallon per hour. And two Seawind 1000,s with stern extensions with twin Yamaha 9.9's getting about 7 kts and burning a hair over 1 gallon per hour. Also an Edel 43 and a Solaris 36 Sunstar both with twin Yanmar 3gm30's doing about 7 kts burning 1 gallon per hour.
Can't understand why gasoline is only ok for coastal cruising. Let's face it, if your offshore you have nothing to run into so the engine isn't as important as coastal. Where coastal sailing the engine plays a much bigger role. So if it's ok for coastal must be ok for offshore, right?