What Is an Emergency Tiller?
The direct-fit emergency steering arm that goes straight onto the rudder stock when the wheel system fails — standard kit on every boat, but actually tried on very few.
An emergency tiller is the lever that fits directly onto the top of the rudder stock and allows you to steer by hand when the steering system (hydraulics, cables, autopilot drive) fails. Loss of steering is rare, but real — and the emergency tiller is the only answer.
The problem is this: on most boats, the tiller has never been tried; the hatch key is missing, the stock head is full of paint, the arm is buried at the back of a locker. The rule for emergency kit applies here too: a spare that has never been tested is not a spare.
Annual drill
Find the tiller and open the rudder stock cover (it should not be hidden under teak decking or covered with gear).
Fit the arm; on a hydraulic system, the tiller will not work until the bypass valve is opened, and you need to know where that valve is and which way it turns.
Steer the boat to port and starboard, then stow it back in place.
The most valuable result of this drill is often knowledge, not hardware: the words ‘the arm’s seized solid, or the cover won’t open’ should be spoken in the marina, not out at sea. At cruising speed, the loads on the rudder are high; keeping a boat on course with the emergency tiller means slowing down and, in some cases, rigging an extra purchase system.