I've been quite happy with the Huntingford Helm Impeders I've installed on four small sailboats so far. I first discovered the Helm Impeder about a quarter century ago, mentioned on the Interweb by someone in the Dinghy Cruising Association, IIRC. It's cheap, simple, almost foolproof, and offers an infinite adjustment of its "impeding" power. :) Each of my installations was a little different from the others. I don't have pictures of the Impeder on Sage, my Michalak Jewelbox, Jr,, due to the difficulty of taking pictures where it was installed, but here are the other three:
The only thing to watch out for is having too much slack in the athwartship line when the Impeder is is completely released. Sometimes excess line will let itself get jammed up when the tiller is turned quickly. Put a stopper knot in the control line and adjust the slack so the tiller turns freely, with little slack in the athwartship line.
I like New England Ropes' 1/8" braided polyester cord (available from Wet Marine) for Helm Impeders. Its firmness and friction seem about right for the task, and I've always got some lying around.
Roger Barnes has a video on the Huntington Helm Impeder. It's great, probably the best DIY solution. A nice feature is that with the adjustable tension you can place slight pressure on the tiller, allowing you to use less pressure when you are steering in heavy wind.
Two things - The simplest version version of the first one is just a length of line (no knots, splices or anything), with a few wraps around the tiller to provide friction, enough so the tiller stays located but can be moved by hand. Second - the sketch of the sheet/tiller/bungee cord should have the sheet or extension on the same side of the tiller as the sail providing force. As shown, if the wind increases, tension increases in the line and the tiller heads the boat down, not what you want in increasing wind. The sheet should be attached to the lee side of the tiller, with bungee to windward.
I have the Tiller-Tamer on my FAM, and I must admit it does a good job. Especially the adjustable friction. FAM has very well balanced rudder, so a little bit of friction keeps it stationary, while the correction is possible.
"A picture is worth a thousand words." I'd love to tap Substack on the shoulder and point out to them that the lack of any facility to reply to these articles that includes an image, or diagram is like, 'er' - trying to pull in a rope with one hand tied behind your back.
At a rapid glance, I am aware of a way I don't think is described above. A long time ago now, in blustery conditions I was trying to steer a reluctant dinghy, cockpit covered in a undisciplined sail, into a lock while paddling with a third hand - (no neither have I). The lock keeper watched my meandering efforts with resignation....
As I finally made it through the open gates, a dinghy sailor himself, the keeper pointed out to me that a simple bungee, fixed amidships (on the cockpit floor / aft end of the case), ending in a ring to be hooked to an aft facing hook under the tiller in a modicum of tension, but so it could be slipped on and off as required.
On a dinghy this keeps the untended tiller amidships-ish, so she will only softly wander away from your intended course. Leaving one leg aft and using the knee, you can nudge the helm either back on course, or adjustably pressure it to maintain the desired direction, while both hands are occupied with the rig, or anchor, or opening a beer, or whatever your heart desires.
Not infrequently, (but usually off the wind), I stand astride the tamed tiller (and even fold my arms - OK, not really), to stretch a while and when watching under the water, if heading into the shallows, for instance. Stuff like that.
I am also very fortunate that bungee on, and mainsheet released, she will heave-to. Restricted thus, she will very softly fore-reach, gently increasing speed and pointing gradually higher, as the mainsheet is brought in.
My other boat is a pocket gaffer and I have a line, (with a smidge of bungee on one end for flexibility), set athwartships under the tiller. Itself the tiller has an old-fashioned jam-cleat underneath, spiky jamming end forward. Slip the line over the jamming bit and it holds the tiller in situ over a wide arc, while being relaxed enough to be pushed from side to side to make corrections.
....still not quite good enough. You see, I handle my headsails from the companionway and cannot reach the helm from there by perhaps a metre (a 'yard'). Simplz?! I have a broom stick screwed to a short length of plastic pipe, (?split for ease of locating), that fits snugly over the tiller handle and reaches forward to the bridge-deck, where I can give it any necessary nudge while fiddling with the jib.
I have a tiller pilot on my Capri 22. I cut a small hole in the tiller cover (actually made a new cover…). Then I fitted a square aluminum tube with bolt at one end that fits in the tiller pilot-pin hole and a rubber grommeted hole in the other that fits the fitting on the tiller. I use that tube to lock the tiller in place when the boat is on the mooring.
As small, light boats are much more sensitive to trim issues, I set up with a steering arm attached to the rudder head. This arm has a push-pull rod [attached by a Harken tiller extender universal fitting] leading to the middle of the boat. This follows kayak and canoe practice and is quite effective. All of my controls, including sheets and halliards and jib downhaul, lead to the cockpit.
I just finished reading "Jagular Goes Everywhere" by Tom Pamperin. The author made several references to his self steering lines but failed to describe them. It would be interesting to know how he rigged them up!
I've been quite happy with the Huntingford Helm Impeders I've installed on four small sailboats so far. I first discovered the Helm Impeder about a quarter century ago, mentioned on the Interweb by someone in the Dinghy Cruising Association, IIRC. It's cheap, simple, almost foolproof, and offers an infinite adjustment of its "impeding" power. :) Each of my installations was a little different from the others. I don't have pictures of the Impeder on Sage, my Michalak Jewelbox, Jr,, due to the difficulty of taking pictures where it was installed, but here are the other three:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkohnen/albums/72157644664027219
The only thing to watch out for is having too much slack in the athwartship line when the Impeder is is completely released. Sometimes excess line will let itself get jammed up when the tiller is turned quickly. Put a stopper knot in the control line and adjust the slack so the tiller turns freely, with little slack in the athwartship line.
I like New England Ropes' 1/8" braided polyester cord (available from Wet Marine) for Helm Impeders. Its firmness and friction seem about right for the task, and I've always got some lying around.
Roger Barnes has a video on the Huntington Helm Impeder. It's great, probably the best DIY solution. A nice feature is that with the adjustable tension you can place slight pressure on the tiller, allowing you to use less pressure when you are steering in heavy wind.
Unfortunately or otherwise, West Marine has shut down most or all of its stores. I believe they still have an online presence.
Two things - The simplest version version of the first one is just a length of line (no knots, splices or anything), with a few wraps around the tiller to provide friction, enough so the tiller stays located but can be moved by hand. Second - the sketch of the sheet/tiller/bungee cord should have the sheet or extension on the same side of the tiller as the sail providing force. As shown, if the wind increases, tension increases in the line and the tiller heads the boat down, not what you want in increasing wind. The sheet should be attached to the lee side of the tiller, with bungee to windward.
I have the Tiller-Tamer on my FAM, and I must admit it does a good job. Especially the adjustable friction. FAM has very well balanced rudder, so a little bit of friction keeps it stationary, while the correction is possible.
"A picture is worth a thousand words." I'd love to tap Substack on the shoulder and point out to them that the lack of any facility to reply to these articles that includes an image, or diagram is like, 'er' - trying to pull in a rope with one hand tied behind your back.
At a rapid glance, I am aware of a way I don't think is described above. A long time ago now, in blustery conditions I was trying to steer a reluctant dinghy, cockpit covered in a undisciplined sail, into a lock while paddling with a third hand - (no neither have I). The lock keeper watched my meandering efforts with resignation....
As I finally made it through the open gates, a dinghy sailor himself, the keeper pointed out to me that a simple bungee, fixed amidships (on the cockpit floor / aft end of the case), ending in a ring to be hooked to an aft facing hook under the tiller in a modicum of tension, but so it could be slipped on and off as required.
On a dinghy this keeps the untended tiller amidships-ish, so she will only softly wander away from your intended course. Leaving one leg aft and using the knee, you can nudge the helm either back on course, or adjustably pressure it to maintain the desired direction, while both hands are occupied with the rig, or anchor, or opening a beer, or whatever your heart desires.
Not infrequently, (but usually off the wind), I stand astride the tamed tiller (and even fold my arms - OK, not really), to stretch a while and when watching under the water, if heading into the shallows, for instance. Stuff like that.
I am also very fortunate that bungee on, and mainsheet released, she will heave-to. Restricted thus, she will very softly fore-reach, gently increasing speed and pointing gradually higher, as the mainsheet is brought in.
My other boat is a pocket gaffer and I have a line, (with a smidge of bungee on one end for flexibility), set athwartships under the tiller. Itself the tiller has an old-fashioned jam-cleat underneath, spiky jamming end forward. Slip the line over the jamming bit and it holds the tiller in situ over a wide arc, while being relaxed enough to be pushed from side to side to make corrections.
....still not quite good enough. You see, I handle my headsails from the companionway and cannot reach the helm from there by perhaps a metre (a 'yard'). Simplz?! I have a broom stick screwed to a short length of plastic pipe, (?split for ease of locating), that fits snugly over the tiller handle and reaches forward to the bridge-deck, where I can give it any necessary nudge while fiddling with the jib.
Chris Waite
This article came at the perfect time! We need something for our Catalina 25!
I have a tiller pilot on my Capri 22. I cut a small hole in the tiller cover (actually made a new cover…). Then I fitted a square aluminum tube with bolt at one end that fits in the tiller pilot-pin hole and a rubber grommeted hole in the other that fits the fitting on the tiller. I use that tube to lock the tiller in place when the boat is on the mooring.
As small, light boats are much more sensitive to trim issues, I set up with a steering arm attached to the rudder head. This arm has a push-pull rod [attached by a Harken tiller extender universal fitting] leading to the middle of the boat. This follows kayak and canoe practice and is quite effective. All of my controls, including sheets and halliards and jib downhaul, lead to the cockpit.
Thanks for the interesting guide. Looks like Cap’n Remo is out of business, or at least has a dead website.
I just finished reading "Jagular Goes Everywhere" by Tom Pamperin. The author made several references to his self steering lines but failed to describe them. It would be interesting to know how he rigged them up!