Tiller pilot fitting

[markbatey]

Hiya,

I find a tiller pilot really useful when single handed, so it's the first thing I want to fit to Juno. But I'm struggling to work out how to fit it.

The instructions say the pin on the tiller should be 18" back from the rudder hinge. Well there's an issue for a start, because to fit it there the TP wouldn't fit in the cockpit - it's too far aft.

So I'll have to bring it forward, either a couple of inches, in which case the TP would be inside the cockpit but the rod would extend a few inches beyond the tiller, or about six inches when it would sit on the seat nicely but would be way further forward than Raymarine suggest, with less travel available.

Neither seems ideal - I saw at the yard that SY have a way of doing it but I can't remember the details.

I'm veering towards keeping it about 20" forward of the hinge and making a sort of tiller offset bracket to hold the pin.

Sorry if I'm not very clear about this - I'll put a couple of pictures up if that helps.

But - I know Andy D has a solution, and maybe others have too?

The other picture that I don't have is of me folded double, completely inside the cockpit locker, reaching through into the watertight compartment to see if I can get to the underside of the cockpit seat to fit a reinforcing pad!  Tricky getting in, even harder getting out. Nearly had to use my PLB.

Cheers

M

[Peter Taylor]

When I was fitting a  Raymarine ST1000 Tiller Pilot to Seatern I was worried that the fitting instructions gave dimensions precise to the nearest mm and stressed the importance of adhering to them!  On a BC20 it was impossible to get the specified dimensions but when I phoned up Raymarine and told the engineer where I could fit the TP his attitude was anything roughly correct would do! I don't really get enough throw on Seatern from the TP but when it's either full in or full out it's usually because I'm asking it to hold course while reefing or otherwise hove to and the sails are overpowering the rudder. Having somewhere to park the TP when not attached to the tiller is an important consideration.

The attached photo shows my arrangement but is probably only useful for other BC20 owners (all 11? of them!)
Peter

ps I bought the wireless remote control for the TP but found it particularly useless (when you come to use it you find it has switched itself off!). It was a waste of money and on another occasion I'd probably go for the Simrad TP.

[markbatey]

Peter, that's reassuring news from the Raymarine engineer, I was worried about the amount of precision apparently needed. And I like your TP rest bracket, very tidy, hadn't thought of that - on my old boat it just used to rest on the deck when it wasn't in use.

M

[Andy Dingle]

Mark, et al..

As promised a brief note about my Tiller Pilot (Simrad TP22).

The BC23 cockpit is renowned as being very comfortable and spacious. I noted that everyone who sails with me likes to recline and relax, leaning up against the aft coaming with their feet up on the bench seats - as indeed I do myself so it was important not to impede the seats in any way - after all I only use the TP when single handing and then only when I have to and the whole lot is very easily installed/uninstalled with just two wing nuts.

I eventually came up with this idea.

1. I made up a small stainless steel bracket that screws underneath the traveller - stainless 'angle iron' which I had to ensure remained horizontal, no mean feet when surrounded my curves and on a curved traveller.   I then drilled two bolt holes on the facing plate of the steel - the white 'infills' are white plastic water pipe that covers the exposed screw body on the picture.

2.  I then made up a mounting pad for the back end of the TP to sit on - this again took ages and many experiments to get right. I eventually used a decorators moulding shaper to copy the exact curve of the coaming. Then fitted the brass plug into this. I installed two ss bolts into the side of this, through a stainless strengthening band fitted to the side of this pad, all screwed and expoxied firmly in place. This all then bolts to the under traveller bracket with the two bolts secured with wing nuts.

3. The piston end also proved troublesome as to keep it all snug alongside the traveller, it fell beyond the aft end of the tiller. So I lengthened the tiller with a pivoting extension, carrying a pad for the piston pin. I made this in some cheap builders galvanised steel. But now it seems to work well I'll have it made up in stainless. As you'll know the tiller has to raise up to 'crank' the rudder up and down, so it was essential it pivots up as the tiller is lifted.

4. I had noted from Peter Taylor's comments (in previous posts) re the makers instructions in that they stated the measurements weren't too crucial so this extension does work fine. The BC23 is very light and balanced on the tiller anyway and the TP22 is very capable.
I bought a 10 amp circuit breaker that I fitted inside the distribution panel, the supply being taken off the 'accessories' circuit. The wiring is easily fitted around the inside of the locker through a bulkhead alongside other wiring and to the dist panel. I fitted the data wiring as I was doing it, but don't actually use that as yet.


I've attached a series of pics to perhaps better explain my design.


Andy and Equinox

[markbatey]

Thought you might be interested in what I actually did to fit my tillerpilot - and it turned out to be reasonably straightforward. The fitting on the tiller is a standard Raymarine item, screwed through to the stainless tiller arm. I thought I would need to raise the back end of the tillerpilot to get enough clearance and I had extension rods ready (thankyou Metal Supermarket), but they weren't needed.

The whole thing is a little further away from the tiller than Raymarine recommend, but I think it won't be a problem in practice, I've just lost a bit of rudder movement. And I'm intending to use it to keep me in a straight line for short periods, not to tack the boat.

M