Swan Neck

[Bob692]

When we bought our boat, we never noticed how ugly our tiller was. The other thing is that its very tall, OK for me but almost shoulder height for my 5' 6" wife. We are getting it altered to a swan neck but are there any recommendations for height above the deck? BTW I have noticed that a lot of hire boats tillers are very low, below hip height. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Wow that is ugly! Cruiser stern boats tend to have them set lower, possibly to allow steering from a seated position. How do you like to steer? What height would suit that position? On mine, it is about level with the small of my back when standing. Works for me. Any major height difference between you and a partner, or anyone else who is likely to steer on a regular basis?

Jen

Edited October 29, 2020 by Jen-in-Wellies

[noone]

Does look awful!..I have semi trad and stand whilst cruising (or sit on the deck). My tiller is at elbow height when I am standing,so I can lean on it rather than have my arm at full length.

[David Schweizer]

F

3 minutes ago, Leggers do it lying down said:

Does look awful!..I have semi trad and stand whilst cruising (or sit on the deck). My tiller is at elbow height when I am standing,so I can lean on it rather than have my arm at full length.

Agreed, as any engineer will tell you, that is optimum height to avoid back strain.

[koukouvagia]

In my opinion the end of the tiller should nestle in the small of your back.  In that way you can steer the boat simply by moving your hips from side to side.  (That is until you come to a sharp bend or need to take evasive action).

 

eta: If you stand on the step you are outside the radius of the tiller and therefore it's a much safer steering position.

Edited October 29, 2020 by koukouvagia

[Chris G]

5 minutes ago, koukouvagia said:

In my opinion the end of the tiller should nestle in the small of your back.  In that way you can steer the boat simply by moving your hips from side to side.  (That is until you come to a sharp bend or need to take evasive action).

Exactly!

[Ray T]

That style does have a historical precedent. 

 

"Royalty Class" of NB.

Edited October 29, 2020 by Ray T

[Jen-in-Wellies]

8 minutes ago, Ray T said:

That style does have a historical precedent. 

 

"Royalty Class" of NB.

Still ugly though!

[Bob692]

15 minutes ago, Ray T said:

That style does have a historical precedent. 

 

"Royalty Class" of NB.

Makes us feel a little better!

Small of the back or elbow height it is. For both of us that's 42". We are going to go with that... Thanks one and all.

[Athy]

When Trojan was being built, Mel Davis got Mrs. Athy to stand on the back deck with a broom in her hand and asked her to move it up and down until she found the height which was comfortable for her. He then measured the height from deck to broom handle, and built the swan-neck accordingly. It sounds a rough-and-ready method but it worked.

   I think that, on trad-stern boats with short back decks, the tiller is set high so that it will clear the superstructure. This isn't a problem on cruiser-sterned boats, so that could be why they're often lower.

[Ray T]

35 minutes ago, koukouvagia said:

In my opinion the end of the tiller should nestle in the small of your back.  In that way you can steer the boat simply by moving your hips from side to side.  (That is until you come to a sharp bend or need to take evasive action).

 

eta: If you stand on the step you are outside the radius of the tiller and therefore it's a much safer steering position.

 

[Bob692]

8 minutes ago, Athy said:

When Trojan was being built, Mel Davis got Mrs. Athy to stand on the back deck with a broom in her hand and asked her to move it up and down until she found the height which was comfortable for her. He then measured the height from deck to broom handle, and built the swan-neck accordingly. It sounds a rough-and-ready method but it worked.

   I think that, on trad-stern boats with short back decks, the tiller is set high so that it will clear the superstructure. This isn't a problem on cruiser-sterned boats, so that could be why they're often lower.

All sounds very sensible

[noone]

4 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

F

Agreed, as any engineer will tell you, that is optimum height to avoid back strain.

Because they're always leaning on them!?

[Ray T]

Pedant alert! 

 

I was always lead to believe this is a "Swans neck."

 

These are "Rams Heads."

 

This is the "Ellum."

 

Detail diagramme by Edward Pagid Tomlinson.

 

[ditchcrawler]

8 hours ago, Ray T said:

That style does have a historical precedent. 

 

"Royalty Class" of NB.

And I thought hinged tillers were a modern invention

[David Mack]

57 minutes ago, Ray T said:

These are "Rams Heads."

 

 

Z-iron?

 

[ditchcrawler]

Any thoughts on this?

[magpie patrick]

9 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Any thoughts on this?

Just - no, at least not for me!

 

12 hours ago, Ray T said:

Pedant alert! 

 

I was always lead to believe this is a "Swans neck."

 

These are "Rams Heads."

 

This is the "Ellum."

 

 

 

I think you're fighting a losing battle and TBH on a motor narrow boat I think it is right that you lose. 

 

First to deny that the conventional tiller is a "swans neck" is spitting into the wind - it is a description as much as a name, some river bends have the same name

 

Second - to describe both types as rams head's is a nonsense - they are so different, and even how the tiller fits onto them is fudamentally different 

[blackrose]

I love the way that this forum always seems to manage to explode historical or traditional myths that many of us have accepted without question.

 

 

[Higgs]

10 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Any thoughts on this?

 

It isn't very good. But if it gets them to the nearest workshop to have a swan neck put there, it'll do.