Self Steering tiller to mainsheet

[Mark]

Peter

Yes agreed but as I sail solo most of the time its not an issue and I have set this up primarily when I am sailing solo, having said that I consider that it would present no problem having two people in the cockpit with this setup, I looked at this carefully after I set it up. 3 persons is a different story though, but when you have more hands on board someone can give you a rest from tiller duty.

Re Tiller Clutch will report once in action. Was planning sail tomorrow to test, but conditions here in the bay don't seem favourable until Monday now. Besides its been quite cool on the water this week.

Another related development; All this focus on the tiller gave me reason to start thinking about whether I should replace the sad one that was on the boat. To this end I researched the site and what people were doing about replacements, the options while beautiful are expensive, and I hit upon a remark from Geoff about using a pick handle or something similar. Yesterday I found exactly what I needed, made from exotic hardwood and really strong. Shaped the end to fit on to my rudder, and have been varnishing today. Whole replacement cost $20. Should get it back on the boat during the weekend. Its nice looking and perfect fit.
I thought long and hard about making a mod so it lifted up re IanB but decided it was too hard. I'll post photos when all reset.

Cheers

Mark

[Mark]

I just posted new Tiller setup here http://www.investigator563.com/forum/vi ... ?f=4&t=382

[Mark]

Final post on this topic from me:

Yesterday was out in the bay and in somewhat windless conditions at times was able to get enough air to conduct my 3rd trial of the self steering device, all is encapsulated here in the final video for this interested: http://youtu.be/wH_RBpwhXL8.

Note in the vid I show a variation of about 20 degrees from start to finish this was as you will see in the video I made an adjustment I should not have made if I had not done that the same course would have been maintained. Conclusion it works but not on a broad reach.

Best Mark

[Yara50]

Mark
In your setup your control line is basically acting as a mainsheet. Hence the loads and the required counterbalance rubber force can be quite high in strong winds. Some of the alternative designs use the control line working on a bight of one of the strands of the mainsheet. This gives a large mechanical advantage and hence the counterbalance force on the tiller can be much lower. This option might even make it work better on a reach.

A possibility to rig the option would be if you took off the pulley block you have at the tiller, and had the control line fastened directly to the tiller, then used that pulley to run on one of the strands of the mainsheet for the other end of the control line. All theory of course, so over to you for the experiment!

I note that on your third trial you had the vertical angle on the control line to the tiller much flatter than initially. That was a good improvement, as in your first video the force on the tiller was acting upwards at what looked like about 45 degrees. Was that intentional at the time?

[Mark]

Ian

Thanks for the comments.Re

I note that on your third trial you had the vertical angle on the control line to the tiller much flatter than initially

Yes I changed this to add a pulley on the stern and it works better. I actually made a video in trial 2 which shows this change but I have not published that.

Re

your setup your control line is basically acting as a mainsheet

This is correct but may not be correct as you point out. I am unsure of how to attach it to a bight of one of the strands of the mainsheet. If you can make that clearer it would be helpful. In all the reading and videos I watched on this topic no one clearly spells how how this attachment is placed.

I'll keep experimenting with the broad reach setup as per your suggestions. I need to be sailing in higher winds in order to really test this out, maybe this week will enable me to play some more and report back progress.

Best

Mark

[Yara50]

I am unsure of how to attach it to a bight of one of the strands of the mainsheet.

You use a snatch block. Seems you cant buy the open sided cheapies any more, so the lightest I have seen is: http://www.ronstan.com/marine/product.asp?ProdNo=RF6710 which is a bit over the top. Or you could undo the mainsheet tackle assembly, and reeve a single small block through one of the loops. Attach your control line to the becket of the block. (The bit on the end).

[Mark]

Thanks Ian for link and explanation will investigate this.