Stumbled across a video on the net the other day about tiller to sheet self steering.
got a me a bit excited as i realised that its a good option for me and a good back up if you had a electronic tiller steerer.
So the next day i bought a few bits and bobs, cam cleats a pulley, a few shackles, some spectra line and a bungy.
attached cam cleats to tiller. attached spectra line to end of boom that runs through the pulley and gets locked off on the cam cleat on tiller. bungy goes from opposite side to other cam cleat. (ive since realised that a bungy isnt ideal and need something lighter in elasticity)
Once you have the sails nicely trimmed i lock off the main self steering rig(pulley/spectra side) and the bungy on the cam cleats on tiller. then release the main sheet line on the block leaving the control of the main sheet to the spectra line on the tiller. takes a few adjustments on the bungy side, but once you got it balanced, my god its awesome. had a compass heading between 320 and 330 for over 45 minutes. it really works well until the wind changes direction, and then all you have to do is move the tiller to compensate.
The forces that move the boat off course are used to counter this in that when the wind hits the main sheet, the tiller is pulling the boat back on course and the bungy takes up the slack. Brilliant.

How about some photos Steve?

Yes photos would be good (or it didn't happen), also a link to the video if you have that as well. I'm keen to set up a system like this for the same reasons.

No pix but just uploaded a video. .should have taken a video in the stronger winds but i think you get the idea. ive been out about 3 times playing with this system this week. i was tacking up wind from church point to palm beach and the system would keep me going like i was on rails for the whole tack.
im still perfecting it. i attached blocks to the cockpit which i realised afterwards werent needed and didnt really work because it was pulling the tiller down causing too much friction on the bottom of tiller scraping on the hatch. ive got eyelets on aft rail so i need to unbolt the snap hooks and attach them now to the eyelets. When tacking you need to swap the rig over each tack.
Downwind is another story. Somehow using the jib. im awaiting a book from John Lechter to arrive on self steering, but in the meantime ill play with downwind on the jib sheet that will work the same way as tiller to main sheet.

Like this?

I third the request for photos & the link to the video.
Heres my first attempt at Jib sheet to tiller, sounds a lot simpler than Main sheet to tiller, the jib sheet simply goes through a block, across the cockpit to another block then onto the tiller, some bungy cord balances it, I just used a few big stand-up blocks & bit of black bungee, with refinement ie more appropriate blocks, better set-up bungee & reduce the friction as the jib sheet comes over the coaming, along with more practice I think it would be an effective, cheap & satisfying self-steerer on some points of sail, may not work as well on a run for example, think I was on a beam reach in the video.

Plenty of info on youtube
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tiller+to+sheet+self+steering

YES! that english legend got me going. Since monday/tuesday this week ive spent about 40 hours sailing playing with this. I love it. Ive also bought the book from amazon which is on the way. John Lechter book where he learned from!
Ill take more pix tomorrow when im out. was gonna go today but theres not much wind and its cloudy. ive been out 5 days outta 7 in the last week. a little break today :)

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BlueMoon said..

I third the request for photos & the link to the video.
Heres my first attempt at Jib sheet to tiller, sounds a lot simpler than Main sheet to tiller, the jib sheet simply goes through a block, across the cockpit to another block then onto the tiller, some bungy cord balances it, I just used a few big stand-up blocks & bit of black bungee, with refinement ie more appropriate blocks, better set-up bungee & reduce the friction as the jib sheet comes over the coaming, along with more practice I think it would be an effective, cheap & satisfying self-steerer on some points of sail, may not work as well on a run for example, think I was on a beam reach in the video.

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I think its important to have the cam cleats on tiller for easy adjustment. its amazing watching it in action.

great vid bluemoon! did you have the main sheet released?
Im gonna keep playing around with this. it is satisfying and i like the idea of a simple system and no electronic tiller noise!

Thanks Steve, it seemed to work so just took the video so I could remember what I did.
I had the mainsheet on, but a bit looser than usual if I remember right, mine is different anyway as its a modified junk rig, so would behave differently, & yep I know what you mean about the tiller pilot noise!, cheers
btw your link isn't working....saying its a "private video"

bloody youtube have changed everything over the past few years ... ive uploaded the vid there and on my seabreeze page the video is there...

That's really interesting (and cool). Like most good ideas it's actually really simple.

I am also wondering about the tension that you have on the main sheet while the self steering is engaged. Does the self steering line take the place of the main sheet? Surley not - that would be too much weight on the self steering line??? But I assume there would need to be a resonable amount of play in the main sheet so that the self steering mechanism had room to move and come into play.

All the videos I have seen so far look like the conditions are fairly placid. wonder how the effectiveness would be influence by a bit more breeze? Not something you would want to rely on in a blow I suspect.

Still a great, simple and cheap set up for somebody like me who wouldn't get the use out of it to justtify forking out for an electric self steering unit.

I'm really excited to try this system out. Off to whitworths tomorrow.

What are people's thoughts on increasing the gear ratio from the boom to the tiller to reduce strain on the spectra and the elastic ?

From what I've read bungee cords are not the best.

What you need is the rubber cord used with spear guns, in particular the Hawaiian sling spear.
That rubber has a better return response to stretching.

You can buy extra cords from around 5-15 $ at dive shops, already looped up. Add extra ones for strong winds.

6 mm spectra breaking strain is 1570 kg which I think may break something, could even go as low as 4 mm at 735 kg break load!

Just have to ensure that if you have a jibe nothing comes unstuck!

im def no pro on this. saw it online 5 days ago and went hard on it physically this week. i think the trick is with this is to play around a bit with your boat. also i hear that you need to use surgical tubing, or as nsw sailor says stuff from dive shops. im that keen that im gonna get the real stuff from livingstone pharmaceaticals in rosebery. ideally you want to make yourself at least 2 bungee setups for different winds. in reply to matm14 im not sure how it goes in strong winds but scroll up and check out english geezers marujati boat. looks like 15 knots there and he loves it. im out there tomorrow to try it again. love it!

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nswsailor said..

From what I've read bungee cords are not the best.

What you need is the rubber cord used with spear guns, in particular the Hawaiian sling spear.
That rubber has a better return response to stretching.

You can buy extra cords from around 5-15 $ at dive shops, already looped up. Add extra ones for strong winds.

6 mm spectra breaking strain is 1570 kg which I think may break something, could even go as low as 4 mm at 735 kg break load!

Just have to ensure that if you have a jibe nothing comes unstuck!

id say its all personal to do with your boat. ive spent about 40 hours this week on my boat to get it kinda nailed.