Broken Tillers

Broken Tiller Repair

This summer, more than any summer before, there seem to have been many broken tillers on my sailing friend’s boats.  All were unexpected events. 

Don Street, a columnist for Cruising World and owner of SV Iolaire for more than 50 years, said once that it was not a matter of if the steering system would fail on a sailboat.  It was a matter of when it would fail.  But, most of us never really give any thought to what would happen if our tiller broke while under-weigh.

So, think about it…… What would you do?  Step one??  Step two??? Etc……  Is there a preferred order to do various “jobs”???  Each boat is different.  Conditions are different.  Should you take the sails down and start the motor?  Can you steer the boat under sail or while motoring if the tiller is broken.

Far more severe is if the steering fails with a wheel steering system.  Some wheel steering mechanisms have a provision for an “emergency tiller”.  Often this “emergency tiller” is a short handle that fits onto the rudder-post just aft of the wheel and binnacle.  The short tiller does not have much mechanical advantage… so, what if the weather is rough with big waves and blustery winds???  Some wheel steering systems have the “emergency tiller” engaging below the cockpit in the quarter berth or aft cabin part of the boat.  Whoever is trying to steer with this setup cannot see where the boat is going.

What should you do???

One – inspect your steering system.  The tiller, tiller bracket, rudder post, gudgeons and pintles, and the rudder itself.  Should any of these be replaced?  Is the tiller post hard to rotate in its tube?  Lubricate the rudder post (this should be part of annual preventative maintenance).

Two – Think about what kind of repair you might be able to make on your own and what materials you might need.  “C-clamps”, large vice grips, and/or duct tape can often “splice” your broken tiller back on to the rudder post or tiller bracket well enough to get you back to your marina.  But, these will only help if you have them aboard.

Three – Think about what other gear aboard might be made into an emergency steering system.  Whisker pole or spinnaker pole with a locker hatch secured to it.  A large bucket on a bridle rigged to pull from both aft corners of the boat.  If you don’t have a large bucket… how about tying a bunch of fenders together to produce a “drogue”???

Now, should you keep sailing or douse the sails and motor.  This will depend on the force of the wind at the time and how effective your emergency repairs are.  Maybe you should practice some of this stuff ahead of time.

BarnacleBillHolcomb@gmail.com