Tiller Tamer and Rocket Stove

Two interesting approaches

Article by Tom Smith

Some people revel in complexity. Not me. I love simple. For example, we haven’t got a single electronic device on our Montgomery 17, dharma bum. No auto helm. No GPS. No depth sounder or knot meter. No stereo. Nada. We have a 12-volt lawn tractor battery that powers LED interior and running lights, an inexpensive barometer inside the boat, and a wind indicator at the masthead. According to my enlightened friends, I’m a caveman.

More to the point, because I’m also a klutz, every complicated thing I touch stops working. I never get tired of saying that aboard our boat if it can foul, it will. Consequently, I devised a tiller tamer that is nearly klutz-proof.