A Cheap Auto Helm Setup

An inexpensive setup to keep your tiller in one position can be made with two pieces of wood and two cords. It is copied after one that was on a small Herreshoff sailboat. It was so simple I had to try it.

I have an electronic auto tiller system on my boat, but for a short sail it is almost not worth getting it out and setting it up. There are some great tiller pilots now available and a for open water they are UN-beatable. For sailing on the river where we live, is the set up I use most of the time is easy and simple to make and use. It is made with two pieces of wood and two cords.

I used a scrap piece of plywood and made two ovals from the scrap. These are about 3”X 4”. Next two holes were drilled in the ovals about 1” in from the ends of the ovals. The holes are the same diameter as the cord that goes through holes. The cord is threaded through the two holes so a loop is formed on one side of the board and then a knot is tide on the end of the cord so it cannot be pulled back through. The length of the cord coming out the other hole needs to be about ¾ the width of the boat. This end will be tied to the rear side boat cleat. You have a cord and board on each side of the boat with the tiller handle between them.

By slipping the loop over the end of the tiller handle and then sliding the wood block toward the side of the boat to take up the excess cord the block snugs up on the cord. By snugging both side, the tiller handle is held in the position you snugged it in. It cannot move in either direction. 

You can snug the tiller so the boat stays headed in to the wind so you can hoist the sails, or to stay on a set heading when under way. It lets you do other things for a few moments and not be stuck holding the tiller in place. It is simple, it is cheap and it works. The setup makes it a little easier when you are sailing by yourself.