$0.50 autopilot. Free tiller extension

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LakeMac26C
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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2022 2:28 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
Location: Lake Champlain

$0.50 autopilot. Free tiller extension

Post by LakeMac26C »

For those of you budget conscious sailors out there like me, I've come up with a cheap way to keep your rudder straight when going forward on a Mac 26C. I repositioned the mast crutch brackets amidship for better setup and trailering and it has an added bonus...a place to attach one of those ball gag bungees for a quick and dirty "autopilot!" Since I did my first solo sail, having some way to lash the tiller quickly was a must. I've used a Tiller Tamer on previous boats and it was only slightly easier to use that hiring a professional crew to mind the helm while I went forward. :D The advantage of the TT is that you can set arbitrary angles with the system which could help while heaving to, I guess. This method; dirt cheap but effective! I could even pee off the back of the boat like an old salt with total confidence my rig wouldn't jacknife the rudder and I'd fall in the lake and become sea monster food!

As for the tiller extension, Stingy Sailor has a golf club method that I have all the parts for, but failed to yet install. Sure, I had to pretend to learn to play golf so I could steal a club while the caddy wasn't looking, but why go through the effort faking that you like all the people at the country club just to steal a putter? SANDALS! Just stick your tiller between the gap in your sandals and you can steer with your foot! Maybe the next person to take the helm will protest, but you can blog bad things about them in total privacy with your TWO free HANDS! That'll teach 'em. 8)
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Stickinthemud57
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Re: $0.50 autopilot. Free tiller extension

Post by Stickinthemud57 »

Nice method, does the job, saves money!

I was a bit confused by your comment regarding the difficulty of using the Tiller Tamer. Once I got mine set up for quick connection of the control line (cleated on one side and clipped to the cleat on the other), set-up and use could not be simpler. I will say yours is superior in that it does away with the control line, which can get in the way at times.

Being able to lock the Tiller Tamer in any position also comes in handy when coming about single-handedly. If I time things right, I can cleat the main, push the tiller over, lock it, switch the jib to the other side and get back to the tiller before the boat heads downwind.

Not being able to instantly make a significant adjustment to the tiller would not work for me personally. Sailing to windward on our little lake means lots of shift in wind speed and direction, and I have to be able to immediately adjust boat direction or risk getting knocked down. Heaving to is something I do a lot as well, so being able to set that at just the right place is great.

I used a spare fiberglass rod and a U-joint-type swivel for a hiking stick, and cut a piece of PEX plumbing to work as a keeper clip on the tiller. I have found that was very important lest the stick flail about and get in the way during tacking. I have since switched to a Forespar twist-lock tiller extension and like how easily it can be put in place and removed, and the ability to extend it to the perfect length.

Granted, these don't fit everyone's budget, but for me they are worth it as they greatly simplify the process of steering the boat with minimum fuss.

Nice use of the sandals, but I would caution against the use of sandals when it comes to moving about the boat, especially on the foredeck. It's just too easy to catch the toe on something and end up tumbling overboard.

I did not mean this post to sound like so much finger-wagging. Everyone's sailing situation is different, you do you, your boat your rules, etc.

Thanks for sharing a simple and effective mod. Be sure to post it in the mod section as well!
The key to inner peace is to admit you have a problem and leave it at that.
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LakeMac26C
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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2022 2:28 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
Location: Lake Champlain

Re: $0.50 autopilot. Free tiller extension

Post by LakeMac26C »

With the Davis TT I had on my old boat, I had to install two jam cleats in the stern as well as the locking unit on the tiller itself. So to deploy it I would have to unwind the rope for the TT which I stored on the tiller handle itself, then put one end through each jam cleat. Then I still had to get the right tiller angle (usually amidship) and twist the lock down on it. And if the wind conditions deteriorated, it seemed hard to free the tiller quickly. I was eyeing the Rope Clutch product as it seemed the best solution, but it was more money and I ended up selling the Sanibel anyway.

Last time I checked, it seems like you need a separate account to post things in the mods section? Maybe I did something wrong otherwise I would have posted to it.
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