Even though the pedestal wheel steering of my new-to-me 1985 Nonsuch works great, having a tiller would improve a few things for me:
(1) more fun under sail - I was brought up learning to sail on a dinghy, and proceeded upward with racing Snipes, 505’s, Moore 24. Since we bought Merrythought primarily as a day sailor, having a tiller would be nice and more sensitive to steer.
(2) more room in the cockpit and easier getting around the cockpit (ie, when I want to go forward of the pedestal and wheel, I have to climb up on the starboard or port bench and then step back down on the cockpit sole.
(3) I believe it would be more maneuverable in tight places such as a marina
(4) less maintenance of the cables and hardware under the cockpit sole
Has anyone in the NS24 fleet converted from wheel to tiller? And is there any wisdom to converting it in the first place?
Thanks!
Howard Wright
NS26C Merrythought
Friday Harbor, WA
I sail an NS22 so I have no technical “advice” for you regarding an NS26 but, when I bought my boat, it came with a newly installed Lewmar Cobra ($$$$$) rack and pinion wheel-steering set-up. It’s a gorgeous system and can easily handle a 35’ blue-water boat. Previously, I’d owned a Carter 30 sloop with a tiller and I loved it for all of the reasons that you do so I tore out this nice, new system (and sold it) and re-installed the tiller and never looked back. Personally, I can’t find a reason for why a tiller would not work out on an NS26. Maybe i’d think twice about it on an NS36. I dealt with the hole in the cockpit floor by installing a big Beckson HT1115 rectangular hatch cover over it. One hundred bucks well-spent. Now, I can even check my battery without crawling into the unfinished basement. And, I use a Raymarine tiller pilot instead of a more expensive, etc., wheel pilot. And … minus the quadrant for the cables, you can drop the tiller, with ease, to re-seal the rudder tube, etc. EDSON, on their web site, appear to have a line of tiller head fittings that might work out for you.
It’s a matter of preference but I’ll take the tiller anytime.
First let me make clear I have no regrets buying the N26. My wife likes the boat.
I prefer a tiller on any racing sailboat for many reasons but..
1)The 26 is not in the same league and I feel a tiller would just be a pain. Yes more fun for a while but after a few minutes of countering the weather helm id start looking for a line to tie up the tiller. I sail it with the wheel brake on most of the time except on a broad reach or downwind. Close or upwind you can lock the wheel so the boat steers herself, no autopilot or instruments required. (Id love to have an autopilot when motoring because I can’t get it to go straight on a calm day for more than a minute.)
2)when at anchor or the dock remove the wheel. When sailing you can sit on the coaming leaning against the pushpit and nudge the locked wheel with a foot once in a while as needed.
3)the 26 is incredibly maneuverable, it will spin on a dime - you may get in the way of a tiller and slow the turn down.
4)can’t argue with less maintenance but here in fresh water the cables and steering parts look like new after 40 years. I wipe them down with grease once in a while.
It would be nice to have the space in the cockpit but no I would not remove the wheel.
We too had trouble getting around the stock wheel which I think was 30 or 32" in diameter ( 75cm ?). We tried a 28" wheel and it was still hard to get around it so we now have a 24" wheel (60cm ?) and, here Inland, it work great for us. We have no problem getting around the wheel. A 24" wheel might be a workout in a real blow, but we don’t get those here on then Mississippi.
I am not aware of any Nonsuch 26s being equipped with or converted to tiller steering. They do all come with an emergency tiller for back up steering. The length of the emergency tiller is limited because it has to clear the wheel. With a little creativity you should be able to make an extension for the emergency tiller that would come up so that it clears the wheel. This would allow you to get a better length. You could then try a sail and see if a tiller would work before you remove the wheel and build a permeant tiller.
Maybe one of the owners of a tiller steered 22 can provide you with the length of their tiller. I presume the 26 would need a longer tiller because you are dealing with a heavier boat that carries more sail so the forces involved will be greater.
The largest boat I have sailed that was equipped with a tiller was a Catalina 30. It seemed to be fine but I never sailed it in big winds or seas.
On the 26 a quarter turn of the standard wheel translates into about 5 degrees of rudder movement. In big following seas I have used a half a turn of the wheel to keep La Reina on course. I don’t know how much movement that wold require at the end of a 4 foot tiller but I suspect it will be taking up a fair amount of room in the cockpit. A question will be whether your arms are long enough to accommodate the require movement.
One advantage of a tiller would be to move you forward away from the mainsheet in tacks and gybes. I can think of a number of disadvantages. You will have to remove the steering pedestal and relocate compass. Chances are you will have to buy a bulkhead mounted compass, a 4 1/4’ Ritchie bulkhead compass is over $300.00. The mainsheet winch will be behind you when you sit forward, which to my mind will make running the mainsheet more awkward. On the port tack you will sit on the port side so it will be a bit of a reach to the mainsheet if you have it cleated off or in the jaws of the winch. When I sail I often put the mainsheet into the jam cleat but it is within easy reach should I need to ease the sail for a gust. I suspect a tiller will reduce the resale value of the boat since most people want wheels. I know some people prefer tillers but boat manufactures have discovered that the market for wheel steering is way bigger than the market for tiller steering. Maybe the 22 owners can tell you how they deal with these issues or if they even consider them issues.
Howard, I do not know how young or beefy you are, but I would seriously think of other alternatives such as reducing the size of the wheel. Mine is a couple of inches smaller than the standard one. I found it very tiring in an offshore with a very long beat to windward in a 20 to 30 knot breeze using a single reef. It took me three days to get my muscles and shoulders feeling less abused. The wishbone 26 rig is not well balanced, but achieves a good balance with the second reef in when it is blowing in the 30 to 40 knot range.
If you age like the rest of us, you will be happy you did not change your wheel steering. If you must change, you might consider the alternative standing gaff rig that Jorgen Moller and I switched to so we could enjoy sailing through our 80s. It is well balanced at all wind speeds so would not be as tiring to sail and does not need as large a rudder to keep her under control.
I too like a tiller and was fortunate to sail to Bermuda in the 37’ cutter Laura. She was one of the last of the wood Cuthbertson designs. Being well balanced she was easy to sail in heavy weather during a November Norther.
Well, I’m thinking I will not change to a tiller. I may get a smaller diameter wheel. I was going to get a foldable wheel by Lewmar, but then I realized that my autopilot is attached to the wheel, so that won’t work. Still, it was worth looking intol
Howard Wright
NS26C Merrythought
Friday Harbor, WA
I wonder if the stock Edson wheel could be modified to a hinged portion just beyond the Autohelm drive drum, sufficient room to pass your legs by squatted, arse to coaming? Sliding SS tubes could disable the spoke pivots.
Dick Lane
NS26c Swoose
Port Townsend
The pic of the foldable wheel (p1030034-jpg.79030) (thanks Mark!) is great! The smallest Lewmar folding wheel is 32". As soon as the rain stops, I need to find out how big my current wheel is, and will the 32" wheel fit in the cockpit. The other thought is, will the Lewmar wheel fit on the Edson shaft?
Re: maintenance of the steering cables, how does one get underneath the cockpit on a little (to me) NS26 to inspect and grease?
Howard Wright
NS26C Merrythought
Friday Harbor, WA
Folding wheels seem to start at $800-900 USD and up. Although, I’ll bet someone can gin up a cheap equivalent by taking a hacksaw to some wheel sections and holding them in place with tube clamps. My thought for the clamps is inspired by the way those two-piece teak outboard motor brackets with a T-shaped channel that clamp onto a stern rail and a vertical support. Except a curved channel rather than straight, and the part outside the wheel shaped to be comfortable to grip. Could be trimmed and routed out of teak, or made in fiberglass with the right skills.
(That said, I’M not signing up to be the first to take a hacksaw to my wheel and try it. But if someone else has the guts to try it and it works, make a set for me, willya?)
Cutting up your wheel, eh ?? This looks like a great project for “Nonsuch Craftsperson of the Year”, namely, Mark (Sprio) from the Netherlands. If he’s not out doing the 11-city skating race (cuz it is finally cold enough over there to permit that activity), I’ll bet he’d do an admirable job of this.
This is where being short and not very big comes in handy. It is not too difficult for me to go below into the starboard locker to grease the rudder post and inspect the steering system. On La Reina there is a small divider that runs fore and aft that I remove to give me more room. The batteries are under the starboard berth so are not an issue. Inspection this year revealed that a couple of the strands on the steering cables had broken so they were replaced along with the steering chain.
Do take Joe’s advice to have company with you. Preferably someone that is not a beneficiary under your life insurance policy.
I used to do it several times each year before PYI dripless shaft seal and I am 6’3” and 190lbs, but don’t anymore. I installed a Zerk fitting in the engine control panel connected via an armored flex pipe (long enough to still allow entry) for rudder shaft lube’.
The manager of Haven Boatworks suggested I tie the lazarette lid back so it wouldn’t slam shut and to take my cell phone with me.
Dick Lane
NS26c Swoose
Port Townsend
The smallest folder I could find was 32’ or 4" larger than the original equipment on the 26’s. However, the self steering I had was not compatible with a folding wheel so that idea was dropped. The previous owner’s wife of Mascouche gave her husband a smart teak 26" wheel as a birthday present which has a nice feel especially in cold weather. I would not want to go any smaller with the wishbone rig if it has a large Botts sail. Too much weather helm unless you reef early.
Howard, you will not regret keeping the wheel as the years race by. It seems only yesterday that I bought Mascouche yet the calendar makes me face reality. Even with the 26" wheel, often I step on the thwart to go around it. I just count it as part of my fitness program that will help me sail through my 80’s. Right now, my winch work out consists of shovelling last night’s snow.
Interestedly enough, that’s what I was doing yesterday, digging ourselves out of the unusual amount of snow we recently got in Friday Harbor.
I think your right about keeping the wheel. Besides, the amount of money for the fiberglass work to convert to a tiller would not make it worthwhile. I’ve got so many more projects that take priority.
When I wanted a smaller wheel I ended up using these guys: https://www.nandjmarine.com
At the time they had several wheels for under $100. Some of them look quite dirty, but they are easy to clean up.