cape dory 33 wheel to tiller conversion

[chris dehart]

My wife and I have had our Cape Dory 33 for nearly a year and I have felt more than once that the wheel is slow in responding and takes up a lot of space. It also puts me too far from the winches, traveler and the shelter of the dodger. I am seriously looking at converting to a tiller. Does anyone have a 33 (or close) with a tiller? I would like to know how this boat sails after a conversion.
Chris and Teresa
Kestrel

[Steve Laume]

Is the wheel slow in responding or does the boat seem slow in responding to the rudder?

I am not trying to be a wise guy here. Our boats do tend to be slow in responding to steering no matter how it is achieved. I suppose everything is relative so I should say that is true in comparison to fin and spade hull designs. A full keel boat is not going to snap around like a fin keel no matter what kind of steering system you have. This same characteristic also makes for very stable tracking and very predictable handling.

One of the best things I ever did to Raven was add a second set of winches. This was not so much to have four winches as it was to move my primaries back to an area where they could easily be handled while standing at the helm. It also gives me a spare set of winches for whatever reason I might need them. This would be easier and cheaper than dealing with the steering system. You would not regret doing this even if you decided to switch to a tiller at some point but it may eliminate one of your complaints with the wheel.

It would be interesting to know what kind of boats you have sailed before the CD-33.

I am sure there will be many here that would embrace your conversion to a tiller.

Both a wheel and a tiller take up a bunch of space in the cockpit in their own ways, Steve.

[Maine_Buzzard]

Guppy is a tiller, and I'll say that it depends on what you intend to do with the boat.

Daysailing, and shorter trips (<5 days in a row), a tiller is great. Offshore passages, overnight sailing, lots of time with an autopilot or windvane, a wheel is more convenient to me.

I thought I wanted a wheel at first, and planned on converting, but here's why I love a tiller for my sailing-

Much better feel for the wind and point of sailing. I can tell by the pressure, if I'm on a good point, and when to adjust trim. It's more active sailing.

Easier backing and turning under power. I know where the rudder is at all times.

I can steer with my legs and trim the winches when tacking solo.

Less to maintain and worry about.

Teaching newbies is a lot easier with a tiller.


The downsides?

Knees get knocked when turning. With four aboard, somebody needs to move when we tack.

Sitting for long times, even with a hiking stick is less fun than a wheel.

The autopilot for a tiller is ungainly, noisy, and plain old irritating. I rarely use it.

I also forgot- my neck gets more sore with a tiller. You sit sideways and drive forwards. This is a big issue for some.

Do what you want to do. Most problems can be addressed with the persistent application of money.

[John Martin]

How does the boat sail right now? "Is the wheel slow in responding or does the boat seem slow in responding to the rudder?" Does the boat have a lot of weather helm? Maybe the problem is balance. A wheel or tiller will not change the balance, and will not change the way the boat handles under sail. A tiller will alow you to feel weather helm/balance, easier. "Carina" has a wheel with cams and cables and it is easy to feel the balance. There is a Turks head at the 12 o'clock position on the wheel. I can feel and see how far the wheel is turned, and how much weather helm there is. If the Turks head is at 4 o'clock or further, the boat is out of balance, and going sideways thru the water.

If you have hydraulic steering or worm gear steering, you may not be able to feel the balance. By looking at the Turks head, you should be able to see the wheel is turned to far, and the boat is out of balance, and slow to respond to the helm.

In-balance is straight and faster. We race "Carina" occasonally. In our last race (Thanksgiving Left-Over Regatta), we came-in 2nd in the non-spinn fleet, and 5th over-all, and that is with a 100% yankee for a headsail.

Both Steve and Maine_Buzzard, above , have some excellant thoughts on this topic. This may be a project that won't fix the problem.

Good Luck, JM

[CD_Sailor]

... Cape Dory 33 ... I am seriously looking at converting to a tiller ...

Just about any sailing yacht under 40 feet LOA can be handled easily and more efficiently with a tiller. This is especially true when considering an autopilot or wind vane. The connections are simpler, more direct, amd more efficient. However this does not mean that standing behind a wheel doesn't confer a slight feeling of "captainhood."

[John Stone]

Hi Chris,
I converted my Cape Dory 36 Far Reach to a tiller. Here is a link that documents it.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... rsion.html

I have not splashed the boat yet so I cannot comment on the differences under sail. I agree with several of the other comments that it will make no difference to the balance of the boat, per se. That has to be done with boat, mast, and sail trim. However, with a tiller, it is important to have a reasonably balanced helm as you don't have the leverage and wheel brake associated with wheel steering to ease the strain of excessive weather helm. Of course, the boat will sail better with a balanced helm regardless the type of steering. Nonetheless, we expect the tiller to have many advantages over the wheel, e.g. simpler system, easier to maintain, less clutter in the cockpit, better feel, simpler for windvane steering, less weight in the stern, etc.

John

[Al Levesque]

When we changed from a CD25 to the CD33 I missed the tiller. Instead of changing though, I changed the wheel to one with external spokes and found it comfortable to steer from the windward seat, much as I would have sat for a tiller. The spokes allowed me to quickly secure the wheel when I wanted to go forward. The mechanical advantage of the wheel made for less effort too. After having sailed it these many years, I am glad I didn't change to a tiller.

Another plus, the grandchildren have all had their pictures taken standing behind the wheel. Can't do that with a tiller. It wouldn't have meant anything to them.

[Paul D.]

Our 33 has a wheel and I would not go through the effort to change it. I cannot comment on how it would steer with a tiller but I would suggest sailing a typhoon for a sense of what the type - modified full keel, heavy displacement - sails like. Our Typhoon sure was fun to sail, and with new sails actually beat out some supposedly faster boats on Minneapolis lakes much to their owners chagrin.

I don't see a tiller putting you closer to the winches as the wheel on the 33 is just aft the middle of the cockpit sole and the genoa winches are right there a bit forward. It may make them a bit easier to access though. I particularly like having the mainsheet just in front of the wheel on the bridgedeck and not on the coachroof on a winch. Generally I find the boat easy to single hand. I tack standing in front of the wheel with both jib sheets in my hands no worries.

The wheel does take more space in the cockpit than a tiller though. Consider though that the binnacle also houses a couple instruments, a $600 Richie SP5 Globemaster compass and makes a usable handhold and mount for a table. If space at anchor is a concern there is a rail mount to store the Edson wheel on the pushpit. http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... 6&id=79873

[JWSutcliffe]

Paul is right. When anchored with guests it takes me about 30 seconds to remove the wheel mounting nut and remove my wheel to open up the cockpit. Having had both tiller- and wheel-steered boats over the years I wouldn't trade the wheel for anything.