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NE Sailboat NE Sailboat is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Oct 2006
Posts: 549
Default Sheet to Tiller self steering question .. ??

Wayne,, work or not ,,, I still can't figure out the attachment system.

On the lee side of the boat, away from the wind, the sheet gets pulled
tight, usually wrapped around a winch and then pulled tight and cleated.

On the wind side of the boat the sheet ( I am talking jib here ) is left
loose.. until the boat is tacked and then that side gets pulled in..

Now, if the tiller is attached to an elastic line, to a cleat ... ( like my
bungy cord system ) ,, the tiller needs to be controled from pulling into
the wind.. Or, on a starboard tack ,,,, the tiller needs to be controled
from moving to the direction of port .. that way the boat doesn't turn into
the wind..

Ok ok ok ... so how does the sheet on the loose side come into play, ,,
or does it?

This is what has me confused.... only one side has a tight sheet or a sheet
under pressure. Is the pressure side controling the non pressure side?


================

Even though this might not work... I must admit some interest after my bungy
cord system.

==================

I would love to get a wind vane system ............ but at $3,000 ???
Probably won't happen.

I wonder if there is a Poor Man's Wind Vane... a system that could use the
apparent wind to steer and the controls would go to the tiller in the
cockpit.

=========
"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:56:07 GMT, "Chi Chi"
wrote:

perhaps you needed a stiffer bungie cord?


One of the points that Letcher makes in his book, is that bungie cord
makes a lousy spring because of its non linear stretch
characteristics. He recommends surgical tubing instead.

That made sense to me so I went out to my local drug store, endured
their 3rd degree questioning regarding purpose, and took it to the
boat.

It didn't work either.