Emergency/Manual Tiller Handle

Does anyone know where or even if there is a manual tiller handle that would have been available for the 1978 Marine Trader? Soon after purchase, my steering shaft broke in the rear locker. It appears to have a coupling that would accept a tiller but so far have not located one on the vessel. Any thoughts or ideas?

When we first purchased our boat I found the tops of my tiller arms have a 1" square. I was goin' to get a 1" square socket to fit but searched the boat and found the emergency tiller.

There are a few places that I have not been intimate with my boat and will continue to look. I may need to construct one using your idea. Thanks

I have one built out of 1" stainless with a ss handle welded on it, the original was painted steal and rusted. If you go the socket route keep it protected as welding will kill the chrome.

I found mine WAY in the back under the aft companionway stairs. Behind dozens of quarts of Dextron III. (that should have told me something).

I have a massive tiller handle for Magic. It befuddles me as to how I could use it. When it's installed, you can't see anything in front of the boat. I guess you need to scream back and forth to a lookout at the helm.

hmason said:

I have a massive tiller handle for Magic. It befuddles me as to how I could use it. When it's installed, you can't see anything in front of the boat. I guess you need to scream back and forth to a lookout at the helm.

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Or use hand held radios.

Of course if it's a twin screw boat you just have to get the rudders straight then steer with the engines.

I've done it both ways on GBs over the years. even the yelling thing.

For my single, I have thought about rigging a couple lines (using a couple of blocks if necessary) ...run them forward through the doors or now that my back saloon windows open or up to the flybridge...

psneeld said:

For my single, I have thought about rigging a couple lines (using a couple of blocks if necessary) ...run them forward through the doors or now that my back saloon windows open or up to the flybridge...

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That works too. I had them tied to the spoked wheel at a lower helm once. Ran the lines along the stanchions into the lower helm on a single screw 36' GB. Crude but it worked.

Hey...don't date yourself but remember when many boats has 2 plastic coated cables that ran under the gunnel with a bunch of fairleads and pulleys?


Well unfortunately I can and well...just think bigger in this case right?

I have one on my 1975 MTDC 34

Tiller handle

I have one for sale for anyone that might be looking....

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/grand-banks-emergency-tiller-20617.html


email: kflan66@yahoo.com

Capt.Bill11 said:

That works too. I had them tied to the spoked wheel at a lower helm once. Ran the lines along the stanchions into the lower helm on a single screw 36' GB. Crude but it worked.

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Lol.
Did that with the wipers on a 1950 Austin. .

hmason said:

I have a massive tiller handle for Magic. It befuddles me as to how I could use it.

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.

We have the stock emergency tiller on our GB. Bronze lower section that mates to the top of the starboard bronze rudder post and a teak extension that emerges on deck and provides the leverage to steer with.

Just for fun we got it out of its cradle in the lazarette and tried it while underway a number of years ago. It works great. Had no problems holding a heading as I can see around the starboard side of the house and down the length of the hull when standing on the starboard side of the tiller. As our steering cables and chain hadn't broken I didn't want to backdrive the system with much force with the tiller, but the boat responded no differently than it does to the wheel. If a cable had broken or a cable sheave had cracked the steering effort with the tiller would have been fairly minimal.

We tried a bit of maneuvering (in open water) at idle and this, too, was no real challenge. With the aft window in the main cabin open and the motors at idle my wife at the power levers and shifters and I on the aft deck had no problem communicating at normal voice levels.

So a pretty good system, I think.