Tiller versus Steering Wheel? Which is right for you? Part 2
Posted on
Check out our Astoria Oregon Fishing Guides and La Push WashingtonHalibut Charters
Last week we went into detail about the advantages and disadvantages of forward helm steering wheel equipped boats, this week we’re going to take a look at the pros and cons of tiller handle boats.
Tiller handle open boats are considered to be the most versatile platform available for fishing the Northwest’s inland waters, from Black Mouth Chinook fishing on Puget Sound to side drifting the Cowlitz to plying the Columbia for Spring Chinook, these aluminum sled style boats in the larger sizes can do it all!
Advantages of the tiller handle boat:
Open tiller handle boats have the most room of any design.
The tiller handle does protrude slightly into the vessel, but takes up almost no space.
If your goal is to maximize space that is available for storage, seating, or just open space, then removing the steering wheel from the equation is the ultimate way to go.
Exceptionally maneuverable at low speeds.
The reason for this great low speed maneuverability is because of the speed with which the motor can be moved from full left to full right and back again, often in under two seconds. This quick response time makes it very easy to parallel park one of these boats in a tight slip or to quickly get it on the trailer in rough conditions when most boaters find themselves having to make another go at it.
Since you’re in the rear of the vessel, you have perfect visibility over what is happening in the whole boat.
Driving from the stern let’s you see the full length of the boat and everything that is happening in it. Is someone leaning over the side? Did someone’s hat just blow off? Did a rod not get stored properly and it’s now about to fall overboard? All of these things are a non issue in a tiller handle boat because you can see these events unfolding and react in time to deter disaster. In a forward helm boat you are going to be reacting to these events after someone has told you they have happened, and worse case scenario the other passengers might not have even seen this stuff has happened at all.
Most passengers sit facing rearward towards the driver so they are watching what is happening behind the boat, which often means they see jumping fish, birds or bait that would have otherwise been missed by the captain who is facing forward.
There is definitely a communication and tactical advantage when you’re facing each other with the driver looking forward and passengers rearward. Ultimately it’s better to have more visibility over what is happening in the boat rather than less.
Always in control of the vessel.
The main motor and the trolling motor are next to each other so you are always in command of the vessel, never having to leave the ability to steer while firing up the alternate motor.
When driving from a forward helm boat, it’s necessary to turn off the main motor and leave the driving station, walk to the rear of the boat, and fire up the trolling motor. Now if you have a great crew member who is willing to help you fire up the trolling motor, then you won’t have to abandon the steering station, and someone will always be in control of the vessel. However you’re going to find occasions when you don’t have a helper, or don’t have a helper that is capable of helping, and you’re going to be running from the front of the boat to the back of the boat to quickly get that trolling motor started up.
In most cases no catastrophe arises from the small amount of time that the vessel is not under control, but every once in a while Murphy’s Law comes knocking and you’re going to find yourself in a tight spot that could’ve been avoided if you were in control of the vessel. This scenario is a non-issue onboard a tiller handle boat where both motors are next to each other and control is maintained throughout the transition from one motor to the other.
Side Drifting is one style of fishing where a tiller handle setup is highly preferred because of the inherent ability to maintain control of the vessel in fast water.
The back of the boat is very stable and provides a comfortable ride.
This is pretty straightforward, the rear of the boat is the heaviest and it has the advantage of following the front and middle portions of the boat through rough water. When you’re standing or sitting in the back of the vessel you’re going to enjoy the smoothest ride possible. Trust me; having a smooth ride is important when you’re standing for long periods of time driving a tiller handle boat.
Disadvantages of the tiller handle configuration:
Safety should always be of foremost concern when operating a boat. Driving large (20 – 26 foot) tiller handle boats isn’t for beginners.
There is a moderate amount of strength that is required to safely control the motor and the amount of strength required to operate a tiller handle increases with the motor’s horsepower, rough water, and higher speeds. You don’t just hand over the controls to your inexperienced friend and expect that everything is going to be okay.
Hard turns at higher speeds.
Performing hard turns at high speeds with a tiller handle is not recommended. Since you are standing while driving, you have little or nothing to hold on to other than the tiller handle, and when you’re banking into a hard turn you’re going to find it hard to stay upright.
Steering wheel boats definitely have the advantage here. The steering wheel gives you something to brace your self with. It also isn’t necessary to tightly grip the wheel which allows a person to drive with one hand while holding on with the other, or to lean their body away from the turn’s inertia.
Physically demanding.
It’s hard on your body to stand at a tiller handle for long periods of time, alternatively if you don’t stand you have decreased visibility. Driving a tiller handle is going to beat you up a little bit, it’s just the nature of the beast.
Outboard power only.
With the exception of Motion Marine’s inboard tiller handle two-stroke sport jet engines, (which have never really seemed to catch on with the majority of jet boaters); outboard power is the only option for powering a tiller handle vessel.
Outboard motors are great, but if you have your heart set on having one of the big 300 or 350 hp outboards and also running a jet pump on it, then the following is going to be sad news for you. You can’t run a jet pump on an outboard bigger than 250 hp. The aftermarket jet pumps that we put on these larger motors are manufactured by a company called Outboard Jets, (located in San Leandro California) and for whatever reason they have never made a pump available to the public that can handle more than 250 hp.
Remember when you’re building that boat of a lifetime … you’re adding every bell and whistle to it, increasing the weight, and also planning on swapping back and forth from a jet pump lower unit to a prop lower unit, don’t forget that you’re going to lose 37% of your power when switching from a prop to an outboard jet pump. This means that on a 250 hp motor you’re going to be losing 92 1/2 hp! (By the way this loss of power won’t be as noticeable on a two-stroke as it will on a four stroke because of the two stroke’s higher torque.)
No windshield.
No windshield and the covers/tops that you see on open boats are generally more trouble than they’re worth.
Long distance ocean driving i.e. “no land in sight” or low visibility conditions such as driving in fog is going to take longer.
Not only is the trip going to take longer with an outboard tiller handle boat, but it’s also going to cost more in fuel. This is one of those things that not many people realize because we don’t find ourselves in situations like this very often.
The reason this occurs is because of the layout of a tiller handle boat, since there is no steering station with mounted electronics directly in front of the captain, it is necessary to constantly be looking forward and then back down and to the side where the GPS is mounted on the side of the boat. Since the GPS isn’t directly in front of you it’s much harder to stay on a true course and you unintentionally weave an indirect path to your destination.
This is the second part of a three part series (click here for the first article in this series) Next week in part 3 we are going to look at center console boats and why they just might be the ultimate boat layout!
