Emergency Tiller - CD-36

[Ken Coit]

Update on CD-36 Emergency Tiller

One of my weekend projects was to get straight with the emergency tiller. Parfait's emergency tiller faces forward when keyed
to the rudder shaft, but it isn't long enough to interfere with the wheel. That is the good news. The bad news is that it probably is
rather short and an extension would probably interfere with the wheel. If you have thoughts along those lines, make certain that it either clears or the wheel can be removed. That is where we started; Parfait's wheel is temporarily a permanent fixture.

If you haven't tried your emergency tiller, you might find it educational. It took a bit of scraping and lubricating to get it to seat properly. At the moment, it slips on as if it was manufactured yesterday; this is most easily done by sitting aft of the wheel, rather than port or starboard. The interior of the tiller was a bit rusty and the shaft was at least dirty. And, of course, your key for the access plate should be handy. I suggest fastening it to the emergency tiller which is much harder to lose, especially if it is painted bright yellow.

As for mechanical advantage, the rudder and emergency tiller swing through about a 90 degree arc from stop to stop. The wheel swings through about 720 degrees to accomplish the same rudder movement, with a (guessing) 15 inch lever (spokes of the wheel). Needless to say, there is a need for more mechanical advantage for the emergency tiller unless you are not interested in tight turns. Using the primary
winches has been mentioned; has anyone worked this out with the turning blocks, sheet blocks, or other alternatives? I'd like to hear of a solution that works and is quick to implement under emergency conditions.

Thanks,

Ken Coit
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC



parfait@nc.rr.com

[Russell]

We fitted the emergency tiller to the rudder post when the boat was surveyed. It is a tight fit. I thought then -- and still think now -- that this would be quite tough to do on a bobbing sea with the rudder bouncing! Like yours, ours stops just short of the wheel. Our wheel is easily removed, so it would be reasonable to fit an extension over the binnacle.

We've never tried steering with the emergency tiller. Perhaps we ought. My impression is that the boat balances pretty well, and with judicious trim of sail, there would not be too much force on it from the water. On the other hand, the hand on the tiller would be fighting friction in the chain and wheel, and therein might lie the rub. (Unless, of course, a mechanical disconnect twixt wheel and quadrant is the reason for using the emergency tiller!)