Hey, I know this question gets asked a lot. But im looking afva few different boats. Some with tillers. Others with wheel. I am looking to take her offshore eventually to lord howe and new Caledonia and other destination's in the south pacific.
I am not in to racing nor see myself doing it in the future.
Will mostly sail in lake Macquarie if not going offshore or up and down the coast.
Many seem to prefer wheels for cruisers but with a tiller auto pilots are cheaper.
I know the trade offs to both but it seems most offshore cruisers are sold with a wheel. Are wheels that advantageous when cruising offshore?
Does anyone develop neck issues from cruising with a tiller days on end or getting caught a few days of nasty weather?
The proponents of tiller all seem to be die hard old school sailors or racers. And wheel steering fans seem to either be newbies with a non sailor wife or guys who own 40' condos!
Looking at a range of 30' to 36' max. preferably 32 or 34'. But most seem to have wheels in that range, so I wonder if wheels are better for cruisers and family boats.
What do you say seabeezers?
Tiller or wheel for offshore?
I have a tiller, and for me the pro's are:
Simple, no mechanisms to break
Can sit in lee of dodger if you have to steer (maybe with an extension lashed on)
Don't have to squeeze around it to go forward (in smaller cockpit)
Easier to attach a wind vane
Easier to attach tiller pilot (whether a cheapie or up-market0
Usually easier than a wheel when handling sheets if solo (tiller between your thighs)
Folds up out of the way to make space in small cockpit
Now for the wheelies to have their say.......
I've had both and I like both. I would point out that there are wheels and then there are wheels though and
the difference is in what mechanism is employed to transfer movement to the rudder stock.My current wheel setup is a nice Whitlock rack and pinion style with a rigid rod driving the arm on the rudder stock. The setup has a lovely light feel and has great feedback, so for me it's all about the feel. Other wheel systems that I've used that use chains, gears, ropes and pulleys etc., I don't like so much. Have to agree with all Wongaga's pro's, certainly plenty of times that I get annoyed with the wheel being in the way too.
Standing in front of a wheel so I can reach the sheet winches seems awkward, so I have a strong preference for a tiller. It is hard to keep track of which way the rudder is pointing while trying turn the wheel when the wheel is behind me, I can't see the tape on the wheel that indicates when it is pointing straight. I find a tiller a lot easier.
If the sailboat has a wheel then it adds some things to the todo list: Remove the wheel and the quadrant, install a tiller, and a bulkhead compass.
You said: "The proponents of tiller all seem to be die hard old school sailors or racers. And wheel steering fans seem to either be newbies with a non sailor wife or guys who own 40' condos!"
There might be a reason for this!
Wheels may appear to take room but the tillers can sweep across the cockpit pinning legs and jamming crew/ guests against the seats. It can be hard work with people sitting in the cockpit unless you kick them out. Wheels are more crew/people friendly.
I have a tiller, but Jolene's right, I have to warn people to move their legs when I'm going to push it across, but
that's about the only drawback.
I have a really nice wheel clutch unit that came with the Aries windvane I recently aquired. I will never be sailing a wheel steered yacht so I'm willing to part with it for a reasonable price. Yachts with wheels on my saved list would have them removed if I was to suddenly have a windfall!
Select to expand quoteJolene said..
Wheels may appear to take room but the tillers can sweep across the cockpit pinning legs and jamming crew/ guests against the seats. It can be hard work with people sitting in the cockpit unless you kick them out. Wheels are more crew/people friendly.
Yep good point!
I had a wheel on my trimaran and replaced it with a vertical tiller - a whipstaff, which was great. Cockpit about 1.2 x 1.2 m
I put a whipstaff on my 38ft cat which was not so good, then changed it to a normal tiller, again not so good. Changed to a wheel and it took me all of 3 seconds to love it - never going back. Cockpit about 4 x 2 m
On the trailer sailer I love my tiller.
Tillers are lovely things for single handing in the lake but sometimes when you want to get dominant with the boat downwind a tiller can be hard. Running square fast with a wheel is better than tiller as I have trouble pushing the tiller away as hard as pulling it towards me. Offshore I would go the wheel most of the time for a 32 footer but inshore or mostly coastal the tiller would be nice.
Realistically, offshore you will be under autopilot mostly so that is less of an issue.
Hi Fretbnr,
One thing about wheels is making sure its comfortably accessible from sitting on the sidedeck.
There must have been a global blonde moment that occurred amongst some naval architects , where they were releasing boat designs where the wheels were just stupid, you couldn't reach the bloody wheel unless you are standing up and behind it.
That's why single wheels went through that design phase where they got so massive they completely blocked cockpit access to and from the helm position. The negative feedback stemming from that switched some boat designs to dual helm, where they promptly forgot we like to sit sometimes and made the bloody things inacessible from a sitting position again 
So, if you do see a wheel driven boat you like, make sure you can sit down and still comfortably reach it before you put money down.
Cheers,
SB
My S&S34 has a tiller. I've sailed a lot with both. Above 38ft a wheel is my preference because of the loads on a tiller, not that I have sailed a tiller steered big boat.
The tiller is simple, almost unbreakable, easy to use, gives great feel for loads and balance, easy and cheap for a tiller pilot of wind vane or for sheet to tiller steering if that is your thing.
If you are going to Lord Howe, which I do, there is no issue with others in the cockpit because you aren't out for a social cruise. You are seriously sailing and off watch crew are sleeping, eating or resting down below.
I wouldn't have a wheel on any offshore boat unless it was a big boat. And I can't afford nor do I want a bigger boat.
If you are after a Lord Howe suitable boat send me a PM.
Tiller steering is just more FUN.
I had it on a Peterson 42 ft two tonner and correctly trimmed she could be tiller steered with forefinger and thumb.
Select to expand quotecisco said..
Tiller steering is just more FUN.
I had it on a Peterson 42 ft two tonner and correctly trimmed she could be tiller steered with forefinger and thumb.
+1. It is more fun. And if your big boat is well balanced like Cisco's Peterson a tiller would probably be better on it as well.
The other tiller advantage is you can put it between your legs to steer leaving your hands free for the sheets when tacking solo.
my belief is a tiller on all boats until it needs to be to long to be practical then wheel I restored a 48 foot alden ketch for a guy a few years back which had the wheel removed and a tiller fitted it took 2 large guys to steer in a seaway off the breeze converted back to wheel steering and it became a pleasure to steer
conversely I have converted 35 footers back to tiller removed weight simplified the boat generated space added responsiveness to helm
I feel the smaller and more nimble the yacht the less the need for a wheel
Select to expand quoteboty said..
my belief is a tiller on all boats until it needs to be to long to be practical then wheel ...
+1 on this; I had an Alan Payne Koonya many years ago with a tiller. Great boat in the ocean and a delight to steer most of the time, but with the large rudder if she fell off a big wave there was no way you could stop the tiller slamming across, usually into your chest. Switching to wheel steering was a necessary change in this case, merely to save my ribs. It did add an unfortunate level of complexity to an otherwise simple vessel, of course.
i have just bought a 39 foot 17 tonne steel boat with a tiller. The ex owners had her for 15 years and shes been around the world constantly - even being used as a training boat in Scotland. Belgian Gaffer. she is equipped with a great windvane which also has attachment for a tiller pilot. Im yet to sail this boat. I take posession in about 3 weeks. I must admit im a bit worried of the load on that tiller. I cant recall if it folds up or not. i did try to but i dont actually think it folds up out of the way. But this boat is big with a massive cockpit and deck. I moved the tiller wbhile at anchor and it did feel a bit heavy. You wouldnt want to be in its way when it flew across. it could kill you.
But the french couple are pretty small people and theyve managed all this time.
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
i have just bought a 39 foot 17 tonne steel boat with a tiller. The ex owners had her for 15 years and shes been around the world constantly - even being used as a training boat in Scotland. Belgian Gaffer. she is equipped with a great windvane which also has attachment for a tiller pilot. Im yet to sail this boat. I take posession in about 3 weeks. I must admit im a bit worried of the load on that tiller. I cant recall if it folds up or not. i did try to but i dont actually think it folds up out of the way. But this boat is big with a massive cockpit and deck. I moved the tiller wbhile at anchor and it did feel a bit heavy. You wouldnt want to be in its way when it flew across. it could kill you.
But the french couple are pretty small people and theyve managed all this time.
Congrats Steve, you must be excited! You mentioned it felt heavy at anchor? A few tiller boats I've been on that don't have the lower rudder bearing underwater at anchor show this issue. Once you get moving and water is around the lower bearing they free up dramatically, hopefully it might just be something like this ?
Any pics of the new ride yet?
Cheers,
SB
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
Shes waay better in person. Great boat
Congratulations mate 
Select to expand quoteSectorsteve said..
i have just bought a 39 foot 17 tonne steel boat with a tiller. The ex owners had her for 15 years and shes been around the world constantly - even being used as a training boat in Scotland. Belgian Gaffer. she is equipped with a great windvane which also has attachment for a tiller pilot. Im yet to sail this boat. I take posession in about 3 weeks. I must admit im a bit worried of the load on that tiller. I cant recall if it folds up or not. i did try to but i dont actually think it folds up out of the way. But this boat is big with a massive cockpit and deck. I moved the tiller wbhile at anchor and it did feel a bit heavy. You wouldnt want to be in its way when it flew across. it could kill you.
But the french couple are pretty small people and theyve managed all this time.
Congratulations. Show us your windvane steering. That's the best way to use a tiller pilot, takes away the load.
thanks guys. dont wanna hijack the thread here. but ill take some pix. I plan to spend a good month at least getting to know her before cruising. The tiller on her reminded me of that german boat that ran in front of that cargo ship and got smashed. But the french couple have managed just fine even never having a tiller pilot. All the systems aboard are simple which is part of the reason i wanted her. Everythings manual. windlass, no fridge, no hotwater, jabsco marine toilet, windvane, diesel heater, 75hp Beta marine engine 3000 hours(2005)
The dinghy is a walker bay with outboard and rigging. Theyve upkept this boat to a high standard.I couldnt believe how mint she was. 1963 boat that lived in a barn in france for nearly 20 years til the couple found her, spent a tonne of money on her and cruised from 05- now.
But yeah. The topic is tiller vs Steering. One of the main reasons i loved this boat also was because of the tiller - even if its huge!
Wow looks excellent Steve! For mine a good tiller pilot is a useful and cheapish addition for when winds are light or you are motoring.
Congratulations
Nice one Steve, lovely lines and she looks fantastic under sail, congrats and have fun!
Don't worry about the hijack Steve, nice boat ! I'm sure that tiller will feel better with the water running over it.
Bay of islands. Inside shes beautiful.
The couple chartered this boat.
Has lovely interior light. Portholes in deck and sides. She spoiled me for anything else around.
