Tiller-Wheel Conversions

[Dan Dickison]

Is there a way to go from tiller to wheel steering?

Dan Dickison responds:

Thanks for your question. The short answer is yes. Many boat owners have made this conversion, but how this should be done with your particular boat depends entirely upon the type of tiller and rudder system you have on board as well as the layout of the cockpit and the area beneath it. After you figure out those variables, there are also several kinds of steering systems that you can choose from (worm drive, rack-and-pinion, cable-driven, and hydraulic).

You might want to look at what Don Casey has written in "This Old Boat" regarding steering systems or the information that Nigel Calder offers in his tome "Boatowners Mechancial and Electrical Manual." Both of these books will give you a start toward understanding what sort of conversion would work best for your boat. Then you can check out Tom Wood's "Steering System Spring Check-up" here on SailNet. Here's hoping that this information offers a reasonable answer for you, and gives you the basis from which to launch your project.