Wheel steering

[Rob_P]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I hate wheels in small cruising boats. If a boat is well designed, you do not need a wheel.


My guess is people who owned cars before they learned sailing like wheels.

Can you imagine the heft and length of the tiller handle you'd need for a boat 55-65 feet long?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Rob_P

Can you imagine the heft and length of the tiller handle you'd need for a boat 55-65 feet long?

You have never seen an IMOCA?


I am not saying wheels are no do or something. Just they seem to be 99% mentality driven.


I am aware that many big boats sail like () and wheel is the only way to go. But other than that, I think it is a car-owner perspective. A wheel. Pooh.


Given that a design can have either, I would buy the tiller version.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Rob_P

Can you imagine the heft and length of the tiller handle you'd need for a boat 55-65 feet long?

When a boat (and sails) is well balanced, and if the rudder is balanced also, there should not be much heft required. A lot of heft means yer prolly slowing the boat down.

[tweitz]

I have had both, and although it is a matter of personal preference, mine is for the wheel. I have never had a problem with getting around to reach the sheets or winches on either a 27 or 33 foot boat, but I have in the past had a problem getting around crew with a tiller. Windvane steering is often the right approach for long voyages, which I don't typically do, but an electronic autopilot is a lot easier to install on a wheel. And until I had one, I thought an autopilot was an unnecessary gadget, but now that I have one, I would not do without it. In particular, the combination of a wheel and autopilot make single handing for me, in my eighth decade, far more practical. The hardest part of single handing used to be lowering the mainsail. I don't have, or want, a furling main, but heading into the wind to lower the main was always when the boat or wind or both would decide to get squirrely. Now I set the autopilot and lower the main easy peasey. Lots of considerations, YMMV.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

One other thing to consider is that, with tiller steering, you are almost always sitting with your back to the wind (and hence the rain and spray).
The downside for me is that I get a really sore neck sitting with my head twisted for long periods.

With a wheel, you are facing into the wind (when going uphill) and get more wind and spray in the face.
Plus is that you’re looking straight ahead.

All this goes out the window with an autopilot or wind vane of course.

On our tiller-driven boat the helm's person sits far aft, facing forward. Tiller is usually under the arm. No crooked neck. Steering is easy; just lean a little one way or the other.


My boat is 37 feet long, and rings in at 30,000 pounds. She has a balanced rudder, and as long as the sails are also balanced, is easy on the helm. This is another reason I like the tiller. It's easier to feel what is happening with balance.

[Pegu Club]

Our first boat had a tiller, (Bristol 24.7) it was fine, but the sitting sideways to your task got old on the neck and other body parts on all day outings, but you get used to it, the wheel on our current boat is easier for the most part, especially on long passages, it was also easy to rig the Monitor steering vane. I do sometimes wish we still had the tiller, but the wheel just makes life easier, all boats are comprises, this is just one of those.

Fair winds,

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I hate wheels in small cruising boats. If a boat is well designed, you do not need a wheel.


My guess is people who owned cars before they learned sailing like wheels.

Motorcycle? So I need handlebars?

[dfelsent]

I had a 30’ tiller steered boat with enough weather helm that I had to hook my get on the tiller for strength.
I once drove a 60 foot tiller steered boat that had a super light helm at three times the speed
I’ve got a tiller steered dinghy that is a joy.
I learned to sail on a small reverse wheel with a worm drive. Not low friction.
My previous and current boats have wheel steering.
It’s all good. Horses for courses.
I would not want a tiller on my center cockpit heavy cruising ketch. Yes there is an emergency tiller. But a real tiller would wipe out most of the small(ish) cockpit.
The wheel allows me to steer from the side, or behind, and still easily get to the sheets. And provides good feedback. And I can use my fingers, hands, or feet to steer.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by Rob_P

Can you imagine the heft and length of the tiller handle you'd need for a boat 55-65 feet long?

That thinking related to the old barn door style of rudders and was before balanced spade rudders became the norm.

As others have mentioned, IMOCA 60 have tillers. And even on sailing superyachts, whilst yes they do have wheels, on the performance models these are directly connected (no power assist) and offer the same feel and response as a smaller yacht.

It's all about the rudder design and the overall balance of the boat rather than the length of the tiller or the size of the wheel.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

One other thing to consider is that, with tiller steering, you are almost always sitting with your back to the wind (and hence the rain and spray).

The downside for me is that I get a really sore neck sitting with my head twisted for long periods.

With a wheel, you are facing into the wind (when going uphill) and get more wind and spray in the face. Plus is that you’re looking straight ahead.

Not necessarily. This relates more to the cockpit design than whether it has a wheel or a tiller.

If the cockpit is designed for it you can just as easily sit to the side of the wheel the same was as you would with a tiller.

[Pendragon35]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I hate wheels in small cruising boats. If a boat is well designed, you do not need a wheel.


My guess is people who owned cars before they learned sailing like wheels.

I had a series of small keel boats, all with tillers. So I probably have a preference for that. But when I bought my Alberg 35, it came with a wheel. I could, of course, remove the wheel and pedestal and mount a tiller; there is a mount which is now for an emergency tiller.

But I got used to it and it works with the autopilot.The boat has considerable weather helm even when I work at balancing it. And the wheel lets me get out to weather to sit.

It has nothing to do with cars. It's simply one way to enjoy sailing. The ad hominem attack is really unnecessary.

[Mike OReilly]

I've had boats with tillers, I've had boats with wheels. Both have strengths and weaknesses. Depending on the boat's design and layout, one may be superior to the other, but both can (usually) work. So pick your poison. Just because you prefer one option doesn't make the other wrong.

Personally, I'm a tiller guy. But that wouldn't be the deciding (or even very important) factor when considering a new boat. There are so many more important things than this.

[MGRodems]

I have sailed both, racing and cruising. One advantage of a wheel is that you can drive from the low side comfortably. It is an advantage to be able to see traffic behind the big racing genoa while the crew is on the high side.

[danstanford]

One place a tiller is way better is when you are stopping in a fairway getting ready to back into your slip. With a wheel I think most of us turn it way too much but a tiller is way easier to see where you have it pointed. While she is responding to the prop walk and you are getting a bit of way on so the rudder will bite seems to be when you most need to be subtle with the rudder.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by danstanford

One place a tiller is way better is when you are stopping in a fairway getting ready to back into your slip. With a wheel I think most of us turn it way too...

I think that is just another thing that comes through practice and familiarity with the boat, rather than wheel vs tiller.

But I do agree that all wheels should have a mark at top dead centre as a minimum so that it's easy to always know the rudder position when maneuvering.

Coming from race boats originally I'm very used to having marks and presets for most things, but this is a good habit for cruising too. It makes life much easier, especially when short handed.