by GreenLake » Tue Jul 01, 2014 3:02 am
I fitted two fittings that I can hook a bungee into, so it goes across the cockpit and a bit below the tiller.
I "lash" the bungee to the tiller with three wraps of 3/16" shock cord.
This ultra simple device works super well in the low to moderate winds that I have tried it in.
The wrap will hold the tiller at some position along the bungee. The bungee has a little give to it, so it can balance slight shifts in direction due to changes in wind pressure. It also means that I can reach in and do correction and the system will "yield" right away without hesitation.
If I push the tiller too far, eventually the bungee would slip and the tiller would assume a new position. I use this to briefly oversteer and force the tiller into a new permanent position without taking my grip off the tiller to make any adjustments - I can even operate the system from a distance using a tiller extension.
On a DS with seat backs, the "fittings" I mentioned at the top might be eyestraps. On a DS I with wooden coamings, these could be hooks behind the coamings, so as to not have to drill into the surface. I took two SS fender washers and drilled two holes in each. The top one is used to screw the washer into the coaming from the reverse. The bottom one accepts the bungee. When not in use, I can rotate the washers to fully hide behind the coamings. (I ignore the original center hole).
This system is normally used only so I can briefly take my hand off the tiller when single handing without the boat rounding up or falling off immediately. Having the additional pull of the bungee when steering takes a bit of getting used to, but the advantage of the system being 'engaged' all the time (and usually automatically positioned to the proper location) outweighs that. I can do emergency tacks when racing without having to worry about getting "stuck" because I forgot to 'disengage the system'.
On one memorable occasion I sailed several miles at night on a close reach with the system positioned so it would balance the sails perfectly. I sat out on the side deck while the boat luffed up a bit in the puffs and fell off in the lulls, completely on its own.
It should work for stronger winds by taking another turn or two of the shock cord when wrapping the bungee, but I have not had occasion to try that in earnest.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~