Wind vane challenge: lashing tiller amidships

[ArmySailor]

Finished installing my new hydrovane few months ago, got a few test sails in with resounding success in moderate conditions and all points of sail. However, I was using my autopilot (disengaged) to hold the main rudder centered. (Or sightly off center, after a little sail balancing done, etc). I know using the pilot for this is probably not great. Definitely strain on it, want to avoid for long passages and keep it out of the weather.

Options are.
- build a tiller comb
- use some combination of chain/line
- buy tiller tamer or other off shelf product

Anybody with experience have a recommendation?



I need to be able to disengage it immediately. And... If I'm honest with myself I'm not good with woodworking a comb would be difficult for me. Leaning against that.

So far I've just rigged the attached. Line across cockpit at heavy cleats, tightened with truckers hitch. Two dyneema pieces to slide around and adjust left or right. Then join at top via loops And piece of white line to pull and immediately disengage. It's lame but the best I got.

[ArmySailor]

Forgot. Boat is Shannon 28. 9k lbs. Not sure that matters.

[JPA Cate]

cam cleats, sometimes called clam cleats, and regular line, old jib sheet, whatever. Set tiller on both sides, pull out of cleats to adjust. Take out any weather helm with the tiller, then let the windvane drive.

Ann

[ArmySailor]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

cam cleats, sometimes called clam cleats, and regular line, old jib sheet, whatever. Set tiller on both sides, pull out of cleats to adjust. Take out any weather helm with the tiller, then let the windvane drive.

Ann

Thanks for the response. Do you put cam cleats on the tiller or on both sides of the cockpit?

[Benz]

Originally Posted by ArmySailor

Thanks for the response. Do you put cam cleats on the tiller or on both sides of the cockpit?

In my case, I put cam cleats on the tiller, that way my hand was on it already when I popped the lines out.
Dunno what Ann did

[double u]

line fast one side of cockpit-wound around tiller 2x-terminates 10cm past tiller with moderately firm bungee to other cockpitside.
easy to fine adjust by turning the windings on the tiller a little

[roverhi]

Tiller Tamer allows you to lock tiller in position or just add resistance to keep the tiller from flopping around.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/davis...BoC1aMQAvD_BwE

[wingssail]

This rope, with it's peculiar knot, holds the tiller and can be slid off in an instant. It leads to cleats in the cockpit and it can be tensioned or adjusted. Mostly it just lives where it is lying just below the tiller end when not in use and it does not interfere with use of the tiller.

[ArmySailor]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Tiller Tamer allows you to lock tiller in position or just add resistance to keep the tiller from flopping around.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/davis...BoC1aMQAvD_BwE

I appreciate this but adding another component is really my last choice. I think I can crack this with just line. But I've seen this and it could work

[ArmySailor]

Originally Posted by wingssail

This rope, with it's peculiar knot, holds the tiller and can be slid off in an instant. It leads to cleats in the cockpit and it can be tensioned or adjusted. Mostly it just lives where it is lying just below the tiller end when not in use and it does not interfere with use of the tiller.

So the knot is fixed and to slide it off, you move it forward off the end of the rudder? I don't see how you could do that without some decent slack in it. In my case, the two hard points cross the tiller farther aft. I don't think this will work.

The other question on this one... The knot is fixed. Is there a way to adjust where the rudder is held? As in, slightly off of amidships on either side depending on sight weather helm?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by ArmySailor

So the knot is fixed and to slide it off, you move it forward off the end of the rudder? I don't see how you could do that without some decent slack in it. In my case, the two hard points cross the tiller farther aft. I don't think this will work.

The other question on this one... The knot is fixed. Is there a way to adjust where the rudder is held? As in, slightly off of amidships on either side depending on sight weather helm?

Yes the knot is fixed, it is fairly tight (as tight as I can make it by just pulling on the ends, not much slack) but it slides off and on the tiller easily.

The position that the tiller is held can be adjusted. You can't see it, but the ends of the line go around stancion bases on both sides of the boat and then back to cleats in the cockpit. To adjust the position you ease one side and take up on the other.

I don't know what you mean about the "hard points"

[JPA Cate]

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, the cam cleats are on either side of the cockpit, though it can be set up other ways. They are very quick release. Using one line, tied in the middle over the tiller is what a lot of people used to do. I've seen it on many tiller steered boats. Harken has color coded ones, some are all s/s, but they're all very similar. A nice present for the boat.

On the wind, many boats will sail themselves, once the sails are properly trimmed, with just a tiny bit of weather helm set with the tiller.

Ann

[ArmySailor]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, the cam cleats are on either side of the cockpit, though it can be set up other ways. They are very quick release. Using one line, tied in the middle over the tiller is what a lot of people used to do. I've seen it on many tiller steered boats. Harken has color coded ones, some are all s/s, but they're all very similar. A nice present for the boat.

On the wind, many boats will sail themselves, once the sails are properly trimmed, with just a tiny bit of weather helm set with the tiller.

Ann

Thanks for circling back. I'll consider this. It seems to satisfy all my retirements. But ah yes, nice presents for the boat. She gets enough presents like she's Christ child and my credit card melts. There are two very robust cleats on the cockpit combing that I wanted to try and work with. Not add more things. But... Sounds like this is the best solution.

[ArmySailor]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Yes the knot is fixed, it is fairly tight (as tight as I can make it by just pulling on the ends, not much slack) but it slides off and on the tiller easily.



The position that the tiller is held can be adjusted. You can't see it, but the ends of the line go around stancion bases on both sides of the boat and then back to cleats in the cockpit. To adjust the position you ease one side and take up on the other.



I don't know what you mean about the "hard points"

Hard points... Sorry. Non nautical lingo. I mean the places where I tie off the line. They are aft much more than yours. I'd need a lot of slack to be able to pull that knot forward to slip off the tiller. That gets me back to the first problem of fast release needed.

[hpeer]

How about getting a metal ring big enough to ho over the tiller?

Or even a small sheet or piece of sufficiently wide bar. Cut a hole big enough to ho over the tiller with smaller holes on each side to tie off to. The trim it down as much as you like with a grinder.

But also, I just noticed Auto-Helm is no longer in production.