big tiller handle

[dougr52]

how long has Mercury & yamaha been putting big tiller handles on their 40 hp. model motors ??
i have been thinking about a 30 hp. Mercury or Yamaha motor, but these big tiller handles look great,maybe i should look at the 40 hp. models. would it be worth the extra $$$..any input would be great...

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: big tiller handle

Welcome to the forums,

The Mercury 4 strokes 30 HP is made in Japan by Tohatsu, will save some $ if buying that brand. If going commercial probably to count with a big tiller would be a + if just going recreational probably not worth the extra cost of the 40 versus the 30. Check prices and decide...

Happy Boating

 

[roscoe]

Re: big tiller handle

Are you asking how long Mercury has been making big motors with tiller steer?

A long time, all the way up passed 125 hp.

How long have they been making "The Big Tiller KIt", not sure.

Would it be worth it for you?

Have no idea, as that would depend on the boat you are using, and how you want to use it.

 

[king salami]

Re: big tiller handle

for larger outboards i would recommend getting one with controls and steering wheel. it would cost roughly the same to get a remote 30 as a tiller 40. a remote 40 would be really sweet but it all comes down to how much cash you can whip out. if your buying new i would say wait and pay the extra money for somthing you will like alot more since most likely you will use it for a very long time and every time you use it you will think of what you could have had for a little bit more money and time. i use a 40 hp tiller on a 17 ft whaler at work and let me tell you after driving it all day your arm is like spagetti and your shoulder feels like some one tried to rip it off. as far as the brand, they will all do the same thing. if you treat it right and do all of your scheduled maintenance they will all last a very long time.

 

[dougr52]

Re: big tiller handle

for larger outboards i would recommend getting one with controls and steering wheel. it would cost roughly the same to get a remote 30 as a tiller 40. a remote 40 would be really sweet but it all comes down to how much cash you can whip out. if your buying new i would say wait and pay the extra money for somthing you will like alot more since most likely you will use it for a very long time and every time you use it you will think of what you could have had for a little bit more money and time. i use a 40 hp tiller on a 17 ft whaler at work and let me tell you after driving it all day your arm is like spagetti and your shoulder feels like some one tried to rip it off. as far as the brand, they will all do the same thing. if you treat it right and do all of your scheduled maintenance they will all last a very long time.

Thanks for the info, i did not realize it would be that tiring...

 

[roscoe]

Re: big tiller handle

Not sure what hp it is available on, but the larger ones have power steering.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: big tiller handle

I have a 90HP tiller, in my part of the world it's considered small, 200hp is average.

 

[king salami]

Re: big tiller handle

power steering is an option for larger outboards. for mercury i think it available on all of the optimax(75-250hp) and 4cyl verados(150-200). and why someone would use tiller steering for these size motors in the first place i dont know. not that im trying to knock your motor because they all do the same thing on the business end but what do you guys use them for? how much space does a steering wheel and throttle control really take up? (and for what i would say is a big trade off for comfort, extending and retracting your arm with moderate force applied under load all day long or a few days in a row gets old fast) there are a couple of good trade offs for a tiller starting with the price and also the manuverability. you can turn the motor side to side using its full turning radius faster then the standard steering cable, though if you got cash the hydrolic steering works very nice. overall i think most people would agree that remote outboard motors are alot more comfortable to operate then tiller motors. but this is just 1 mans opinon, i look foward to hear other peoples take on the matter

 

[roscoe]

Re: big tiller handle

""extending and retracting your arm with moderate force
applied under load all day long or a few days in a row gets old fast""

I don't know anyone that uses their tiller boat like that, other than on small boats for trolling, and you wouldn't use a big motor for that anyway.


I know people that run large tillers on their work boats, where open deck space is valuable, and tight maneuvering is required.

Also have a friend that has a 20' jon, that has a huge duck blind, and a 125 tiller Merc.

I believe lots of the fast water guides use the tillers also. Don't know why.
I'm not sure I want to be standing while running through the rocks, like in the photos.

Scout 12?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: big tiller handle

People frequently wonder why a boat from a different part of the country or world looks different or is rigged in a way that makes little or no sense to them.

Fish in the manner we do on the same bodies of water and it would become clear rather quickly why we use open tiller boats up to 23’ or so.

We run rivers with jet pumps and then may switch to a prop on bigger rivers or lakes, maybe a little in the salt too. For maximum fishing space we don’t want anything in the way, like side or center consoles, they offer little and waste valuable space needed for moving around. These boats are designed for one thing, and that’s fishing in a few very specific ways, comfort while cruising is secondary.

 

[king salami]

Re: big tiller handle

sorry if i have offend you guys that was not my intentions. thats ok though i understand there are several different reasons for using different approches and people get passionate about their preferred methods. as i said i use a 40hp tiller on a 17' boston whaler that we've converted into a utility boat by removing the console and changing it to a tiller steered motor. we did so for the reasons stated above, valuable deck space and tight manuevering. i work at a marina in CA on the wonderful CA delta. the weather is very ideal for aquatic plant life to grow in the spring summer and fall months and weed abatement is an ongoing problem. we use the boat to drag chain and a bar across the bottom to cut the weeds and need to make very tight knit turns to get in the corners and turn around between the docks. i also use a 14' gregor as a push boat with a 12' screen on the front and a 18hp tiller. both of these require using the full turning radius to make the required turns in the harbor and are done so with alot of pressure because its moving a a good load. i also have a 12' gregor with a 15hp tiller steered johnson that i used to use for fishing. obviously a 12' needs all the space i can get. however i just bought a 15' runabout with a 40hp remote steered johnson and i am much happier using this boat then any of the other 3 i desribed. we have over 1000 miles of water way here in the delta so your travels could be limitless.(if youve never been here i highly recommend it, awsome striper fishing in the spring and fall, year round sturgeon, great catfishing in the warmer months, and we even get salmon that run in through the golden gate to spawn in the san joaquin and sacramento rivers.)and though there is a mix of tiller steered outboards i would say most people use remote steering outboards(if they dont have i/o) i have seen 16' tracker boats with small consoles and other larger aluminums with small consoles. i even see homemade consoles for people that have switched to remote steering. i have also seen alot of remote ob with jet drives though most people in the area use props.

but for the purposes of this post i guess it really up to doug52 and other users and guest viewers to determine their needs and uses for the boats. if the boat really needs the maxium deck space or extremely tight manuvering then tiller steering is the way to go. if your goin to be crusing or driving quite a distance between fishing spots i would suggest remote steering.

if you want the best of both worlds like i said i've seen small homemade side consoles that take up minimum space and the trade off is driving your boat similar to a car vs at best case senario having your arm extended in the same position all day driving in a straight line.

but whatever floats your boat, like i said they will all do the same thing on the business end

 

[ondarvr]

Re: big tiller handle

We comment to each other all the time about how nice it would be to have a windshield and steering wheel, especially when the weather is nasty, many of us have other boats setup in that way, but they're for different locations and methods of fishing.

 

[dougr52]

Re: big tiller handle

I guess i watch too much SWAMP PEOPLE, it looked like a big tiller handle would be nice, but i got a price on a big tiller kit for a 40 hp. Mercury, it was $1,250 instaled, so forget that idea..