Replace Rudder w/ Wheel?

[ROCKYIV]

I was wondering if a MORGAN 28 that’s currently a rudder boat can be converted into wheel steering?

[sailorboy1]

Yes

sell boat

buy a different with a wheel

[5BTM]

Wheel on a 28 footer is a stupid idea.

[ROCKYIV]

Thank you for your “Dutch Uncle” response. Believe me, it’s much appreciated.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by ROCKYIV

I was wondering if a MORGAN 28 that’s currently a rudder boat can be converted into wheel steering?

Just for clarification you will still have a rudder boat, and many tiller boats can be converted to wheel steering but the expense is mind numbing and never a simple matter. Take a look at the Edson web site to gain some respect for your tiller.

[ROCKYIV]

Yo 5BTM ….. Tell me how you REALLY feel. ����

[ROCKYIV]

“Rudder Boat” ….. What a Putz! Thank you for your ‘tack’ (pun intended) a not being too hard on “Old ROCKYIV. ��

[TrentePieds]

Rocky:

I see you are off to a rocky start with us.

Do go back to our "Welcome Page" and find the button that will take you to our rules. Know that we take the "be nice" rule VERY seriously. That means that when someone gets under your skin, you do NOT answer back in kind!!! You report the offending post to the moderators by using the "report" button! WE will deal with the offender!

Now that we have that behind us, however poorly 5BTM expressed his opinion, he is absolutely right! A wheel is NOT a good idea in a 28-foot boat, and there are several reasons for that, but it is not knowledge that man is born with, and there are many, many men who never get to know why tiller steering is superior in such a small boat. It takes a maritime background to realize that intuitively.

Now, if you care to stay with us and learn about such things, you are entirely welcome to do so. As long as you observe the "be nice" rule and a number of others. So as I said: Please go back and read rules.

All the best,

TrentePieds

[sailorboy1]

guess you aren't going to get the answer you want

[ROCKYIV]

I wasn’t offended at all by what was said. Actually, I appreciated the candor. I try not to sound like “the guy” that only wants to hear what I WANT to hear and not what I NEED to hear. Thank you anyway. ⛵️

[5BTM]

I said that because I have wheel steering on my 27 footer.
It seems to be a factory installed option.

I could list all cons and the pros (there are none) but "stupid" is a useful shorthand.

[Adelie]

Why do you want to convert to wheel?

The normal reason to install a wheel is the need for greater mechanical advantage on large boats or on boats with weather helm problems. Fixing the weather helm is preferred as it will improve boat speed.

Also the charter industry installs them because they are much more usable by folks that charter a boat that have limited boating experience but lots of driving experience.
For use by the regular crew, they will all be used to a tiller within about a month even if they come to boating completely green with no background.

Wheels are expensive to install, and they need a more maintenance than a tiller. And when they break they are a lot harder to jury rig until you can get home to make repairs.

Wheels require extra arrangements to install windvane self-steering.
Installing an autopilot the wheels and tillers have different strengths and weaknesses and are about even.
If you are going to go offshore or into the less developed world you want the windvane even if you also have the autopilot. If you are staying coast in the US, Canada or Europe autopilot alone is probably fine.

Underway a wheel occupies less space in the cockpit.
At anchor a tiller occupies less space in the cockpit, it can be tilted up out of the way.
More time will be spent at anchor or berthed than underway. Yes you can get a folding wheel, but that is a significant cost over jest getting a regular wheel system installed. Or you could remove the wheel from the binacle when anchored, but that slows your response when dealing with sudden problems such as neighbors that drag into you in the middle of the night or worse, you start dragging.

Personally I think using a tiller helps your subconscious keep track of the fact that you are steering the back of the boat like pushing a shopping cart backwards, not steering the front like a car. In tight situations this subconscious cue will help you react better and faster and you will be less likely to hit other things, like expensive boats in marinas.

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

Adelie, thanks for this post, I do believe that this information should be a requirement when joining here, helps provide some substance and location to all the membership.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Adelie, thanks for this post, I do believe that this information should be a requirement when joining here, helps provide some substance and location to all the membership.

That isn't going to happen.

There are plenty of folks that really don't want to be tracked on the internet, I for one. I have a less than completely sane ex-wife and I now have children. My footprint on the internet is very light for this reason.

If people want to share personal info, that's fine. If they don't that's also fine.
Personal info include general location and boat.