After reading the above, I downloaded some inspirational pages from the web, thanks to you guys, and then purchased a used copy of John Letcher’s book “Self Steering for Sailing Craft from Amazon.com for about $12.50 plus shipping.
In the attached photo is my first attempt at a sheet to tiller rig for close-hauled sailing. I have not yet cut any lines or surgical tubing, so I had to tie a few temporary knots and make some adjustments as I went. (Ever tie a bowline or a half hitch in surgical tubing?). Nonetheless this crude system worked great while beating in variable wind and swell in the ocean today with working jib and full main.
I am most interested if anyone else out there has experimented successfully with sheet to tiller arrangements and I am especially interested in photos and specs for sheet to tiller self-steering rigs for all points of sail on an Ariel.
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