i have balanced the sails on my M17, SWEET PEA, and she will hold her course using the TillerClutch. you need to play a bit and learn how the boat will react ... a combination of wind strength, sea state and what sails you have set. when the winds are light(er) your movement on the boat is more likely to 'throw her off'. motoring is a 'different trick' than sailing. your movement and the sea state will really throw the boat off. i've learned where to set the tiller with TillerClutch and can usually step away for a quick sec to get something in the cabin. in calm seas i can steer the boat, slow curves not tight corners maneuvering, by shifting my weight. have a LOT more hours on the TillerClutch installed on Sage 17 AIR BORN. i've set and sailed the boat for over an hour. on more than a few occasions i've gone below, made a sandwich, used the head. the stronger the wind the easier this is to do. this past January at the Wrinkleboat Ran-Tan i conducted a sail change using the TillerClutch. wind blowing 20+ knots and seas 2+ feet. AIR BORN sailed herself when under main alone. this was with me going forward to unhank the genoa and then go forward and rig the working jib. it was a wild ride when a the bow! on the M15 i'm to big and if i move more than a few inches the boat will change course. those folks with less 'body displacement' may have better success. TillerClutch is great. best on the market. :: Dave Scobie --- On Wed, 4/10/13, Dan Richman <danielarichman@gmail.com> wrote:
i'm trying to decide whether to install the nifty TillerClutch, from WaveFront, on my m-17. it's a beautifully made piece of gear. but in the past, i've used similar devices and they failed to hold the boat on course. not even close, even though they were properly installed. it's not that the clutch slipped; it's that the boat's balance seemed to be thrown off too much by my moving around.
i plan to add a raymarine st1000+ autopilot soon, and my thinking was that that would maintain a good course despite my movements, since it corrects itself to hold a set heading. i was thinking i'd just use the autopilot rather than the tiller clutch.
but then again, the autopilot uses up power, while the clutch does not.
does anyone have experience using the clutch, the autopilot, or both? if both, when do you use one and when the other?
thanks for your thoughts.
dan
-- Dan Richman DanielARichman@gmail.com 5039 View Road Langley, WA 98260 USA Home: 360-221-6216
Cell: 360-949-3234