Why?

Tiller....
-folds up leaving lots of space in a small cockpit.
-I presume it would be easier to fix in the case of a breakage.
-easy to fit self steering, tiller pilots are relitively cheap.
-easy to know when the rudder is centred.
-sexy wood.
-p3nis jokes etc.

Plus it gives "feel" to the steering operation and very sensitive feedback, whereas wheels can feel a bit dead.

Wheel, for no other reason then that is what I learnt on and got use to. Tillers now feel back-the-front.

Tiller because it tells you what the boat is doing and you always get to sit down while steering.

Definitely tiller as its more responsive, unless of course you on a large racing yacht with a big diameter wheel. The smaller the wheel, the less feel and response.

Tiller.
1. You can feel what the yacht is experiencing.
2. Ease of single handing.
3. Simple and very very rarely stops working.

I have a 27ft racing boat with a tiller and a 40ft cruising boat with a wheel.
Much more sense of the boat and sail set through a tiller and i wouldn't use anything else for racing a boat of that size.
Not sure, but I think the 40ft with a tiller would be hard work especially in a blow

"I shall love her tiller die"

And because that's all I have

Say No More, Wink, Wink, Nod,Nod, !

Tiller

My Sailmaster has a longer tiller than was originally fitted and it took a bit of getting used to after the shorter tiller on the Spacesailer

Originally we tried the person on the helm sitting aft and the person on the winches sitting forward as we did on the spacey but it was too cramped

Then we swapped positions with the person on the winches stepping over the tiller on tacks and it works well

The advantage of the long tiller is in bad weather you can steer the thing from under the dodger and steer with the tiller between your legs while working the winches if sailing single handed

When moored the tiller hinges up to allow all of the cockpit area to be used

I cant really see to many advantages of a wheel over a tiller on a smallish boat

Regards Don

Santana is 40' 13.5 tonnes with a long keel and tiller. Can be a handful in heavy weather (if sails are not balanced)however the wind vane steers almost all* of the time offshore. this would have to be about as heavy displacement as you could manage with a tiller though. knowing if the boat is balanced makes you more aware and a better sailor.

*The only time we steer is when the wind drops and we are motoring.
one day I will invest in a tiller pilot for motoring!

I used to sail on a mate's 54' racing mono with a tiller.
When you hit the sweet spot in course/sail balance, fingertip control. Light and responsive as a dinghy.

Sadly, she broke off the mooring and was destroyed on the rocks two years ago in a storm.

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RiffRaff said..

I think the 40ft with a tiller would be hard work especially in a blow

Me thinks not. My 42 foot Peterson IOR 2 tonner flat topper had a tiller and off the wind, properly trimmed, could be steered with forefinger and thumb.

On the wind was almost the same but a firm hand grip was needed in a swell or chop to stop her taking her own head.

Leeward or windward pressure on the tiller told you that the sails were not correctly trimmed.

The egotistical tool that bought her from me stuck a wheel on her and buggered her up. He also sank her alongside at the Manly Marina in Brisbane one night too. Possibly an insurance scam.

Tiller...you always know where the rudder is, especially helpful when manoeuvring and reversing under power.
Also, for the abovementioned less-moving-parts argument plus more responsive under sail.

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Artemis said..

especially helpful when manoeuvring and reversing under power.

You have to be careful when reversing with a tiller. It could give you a hefty whack in the tenders which will put you in the feotal position on the cockpit floor in a world of pain and you not giving a rats about what the boat is doing.

With a young daughter I would love to have wheel steering, as downwind in a largish swell she is not strong enough to steer with a tiller, anything to keep the groms keen to come out for a sail.

Well it seems tiller is so far an out right winner. I had an Uncle whom was an experienced sailor not want to 'have a go' of my Catalina, because it had a wheel. He now has a 37' cat, with 2 tillers

Wheel is good

Looking at that picture of inlaid veneer in the chart table by cat30 in another thread on here I feel there was option left out, wheel, tiller or whipstaff. That ship in the picture was sailing possibly before wheel steering was perfected and would have used a whipstaff steering arrangement.