Tiller or Wheel

I love tiller boats and have always ran tillers. My dad made the switch to remote steering about 6 years ago or so. I will stick with my tiller. I don’t have anything fancy or new just a 1990 16ft Lowe Lunker V with a 1983 50hp merc 2 stroke w/tnt. I have only had this motor since last Aug but after using it alot last year I know it is a thirsty motor But Runs smooth and powerful, about 34mph GPS. Was told back in the day it was a very common motor for walleye guys and very reliable. I will be upgrading in a few years hopefully to a larger ,newer tiller boat.I love space and you get that without the wheel. What are you running and why. Tiller or other…

Even though the raw numbers don’t reflect it, I made the jump from a 16′-48″ mod v john boat with tiller to a Tuffy 17.5 x 84″ wheel. I am glad I went with the single drivers counsel as it kind of gives the best of both worlds. The dual cousels and walk-throughs take up alot of space and limit mobility around the boat. There are some larger tiller boats out there with pretty big motors and power steering, Lund and Tuffy are two, there are probably more. Good hunting.

PS. Also on the tuffy if i need even more freedom of movement such as chasing a hooked musky, I can remove the windshield with my fingers. Now I just need to hook my first musky…but that will be another story.

Tiller allows better boat control. If you need to move a short distance say when river fishing in lots of current you don’t have to be moving from seat to wheel and back.Person fishing front of boat snags up or something start motor and move quikly. Counsel steering is a waste of space as nobody can sit in that seat to fish decent anyway in my opinion. I think if your going to mainly use a boat for fishing tiller is the best option ina 16’and smaller boat and 60hp to 70 hp and under. Just my $.02

Totally agree. I made the switch to a tiller back in ’06 and outside of a few times that I take a wave wrong on a cold, windy day it’s been one of the best things I ever did for my fishing game. I do most of my work from my “office” and when I do have to move around the open floor is a pure joy. jerr

I will agree with the two previous posts when fishing tighter more technical water meaning swift current rivers and close in work where immeadiate powerfull correction is needed. On my little Alumacraft with 25hp Mercury Jet I go places not many others would even dare. My nephew who is customarily on larger wheel / prop boats freaks out sometimes where I manuever the Jon. I believe the larger boats like my newest one get some of that back with the very robust and power full trolling motors now out. I can be standing anywhere in the boat and engage via I- pilot and manuever very quickly. Then again having a tiller and a 101lb thrust I-pilot you could hold a dance in the floor space…hmm.

I think most guys if the choice was left to them would run tillers. However since the financial commitment is so large these days it seems consulting the wife is a pretty good idea. For reasons unknown to me women seem to like a windshield if it’s cold, rainy or a long run.

I’m guessing not very many guys will make a $35,000 plus commitment to a boat without mama’s blessing.

Fishing… hands down a tiller for me! I run a 2009 1825 ProGuide with a 90 4st Yamaha. Love everything about this boat.

Family…. wheel boat with full windshield for the obvious reasons.

I only have 1-2 outings per year that it would be nice to have a windshield and I fish from ice-out to freeze up!

My wife wouldn’t go out if super windy so tiller is what I will always have. I am looking at getting splash guards wondering what you guys are running? I am also looking at a minnkota vector 55# with the 3x steering. I have wanted one of these for a long time. I know they don’t make them anymore so used it is. I want the steering capability on it.

My first real boat was a 1775 pro v tiller. In my opnion the best boat for 1 to 2 people ever made. I sold it and steped up to a 620 wheel boat with a 15hp tiller kicker. I ran the 620 for 6 years and never fell in love with it. Dont get me wrong ranger makes a great boat but the control you give up for coutour trolling drove me nuts. I now run a triton 202 tiller and would never go back to a wheel boat for walleye fishing again.

Whitecap splash guards

My next boat will be a center console boat about 19-21′. There aren’t many in this part of the country but if you want the fishing space with the comfort of the console, center is the way to go.

Any of you use Walleye masters splash guards?

I gave up my tiller for a wheel boat 7 years ago and will never go back. Running the river at 20-25 degrees it is so nice to have a windshield to get out of the wind. I was one that never have done a lot of backtrolling, and with my T8 I can still back troll if I so desire, not exactly the same but close. With the Ipilot and the kicker motor I can be any where in the boat and control course and speed with out ever touching the kicker.

My fishing buddy is huge in bow fishing and runs a carolina skiff I believe is the name of it. His is a center and it has alot of room.He also has huge platforms on it though. Heavy boat!

I run a 17 ft tiller with a 75 horse. I love the space and control of a tiller. However my next tiller will have hydraulic or power steering.

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Any of you use Walleye masters splash guards?

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Yes, and they are great. A must for back trolling with the tiller

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Any of you use Walleye masters splash guards?

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Yes, and they are great. A must for back trolling with the tiller

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I also saw on their site they have a ez shift that will move the handle to the throttle area. I wonder if it would work on my ’83 50 hp. I see it says 60 hp and up but I believe the handle is very simular.

Im a river guy and you can’t beat a tiller for controll and useable space, yes it’s cold in the winter and the rain is harsh on the face but its worth it for the controll. I also run a Tuffy and with I-pilot you have the tools for the best controll witch means more fish. Tillers all the way!

2025 prov LE. best of both worlds. the cockpit is set back so you are sitting where you would if it was a tiller. single consel for room to fish and 225hp powerplant to get it up on plane. mount the kicker on the starboard side and you are set up just like a tiller. the big tillers did not come out until the year after i got this boat. there isn’t a boat that will do it all, but this one comes close for the way that i fish

I am on my 2nd Alumacraft with a half console. Nice when it is cold. Plenty of room nice to have to just boat in with the wife. If she is with me when it is cold, she just puts a blanket around her and faces backward.

Doesn’t the question have a ton to do with where and how your fishing?

For example I do a week or two up at Rainy lake each year. We spend 80% of our time casting for pike. 20% with some other presentation for walleye.

The wheel with a full windshield is the only way to go. We have the bow mount for boat control. There’s been many a day where the windshield is invaluable with the wind, rain, and even snow coming at you. My guess is that bass guys and others who primarily cast may feel the same way.

However if we are in a smaller boat and doing 80% for walleye the tiller is the best choice. More maneuverable and much better for backtrolling.

Guess a guy needs to have a boat index

Everyone I fish with has two engines. Big one on the wheel and little one for tiller. We all use both methods in the same boat. I cant imagine not having a windshield.

Ran big tillers for years. Main reason I went to a single side counsel was a lot easier on the back and neck. I was constantly fighting low back and neck pain running big water in tillers. Think about it. Your head is turned 45 degrees always looking over right shoulder . That and low back turning/twisting running the tiller all day. For me it was a killer.

The comment about families with young kids. Tiller all the way. Everything is always in front of you. No losing a passenger without seeing it happen in a tiller.

River fishing. Tiller or wheel boat. Don’t matter. Most river guys work off the bow anyway.

I say this quite often. Guy needs about 5 boats to be happy all the time!

-J.

“The comment about families with young kids. Tiller all the way. Everything is always in front of you. No losing a passenger without seeing it happen in a tiller.”

That makes good sense. Never thought of it that way.

I love tiller also–lil more space and i like the boat control also-all depends on what you fish for and personal prefernce kinda like Ford or Chevy!!

My last two boats were wheel boats, but I am switching to a tiller (1825 Pro Guide). I think my style of fishing is better matched by a tiller. It comes down to personal preference, family and fishing style. I don’t think there is a clear cut answer between what style of boat is better.

Me personally unless all you do is backtroll is where a tiller shines other then that wheel boat all the way. Forward tolling with a tiller and no one else in the boat in wind is pure hell trying to control the bow. Using a bow trolling motor is better but in ruff water the trolling motor is always coming out of the water with no weight up front. Cold nasty weather no way would I go back to a tiller.

Edited to add… Long runs sitting behind a windshield one hand on the wheel the other drinking my coffee in comfort NO WAY A TILLER EVER Again.

Just out of curiosity what boat did you have Tom?

Great topic/question. I grew up fishing tillers with my Dad in N.D. on Sakakawea and swore when I could afford my own boat I’d get a wheel boat cuz I was tired of being drenched – gets a tad windy in N.D. But when I moved to southern Minnesota and began fishing the river I realized for my budget etc., a tiller was hard to beat and, hey, maybe the old man was on to something with his insistence that a boat is for fishing and you spend (or should spend) most of your time fishing a spot, not driving to it. My first river boat was his old Tuffy 18-foot which I eventually sold for my current 12-year old Crestliner tiller angler, 40 hp. I love it, though a 4-stroke motor would have been nice. Oh well. Oh, and my old man? A few years ago he bought a Lund 2010 ProGuide tiller. Holy crap. Now THAT is a nice tiller boat, huge amount of space to fish in. Maybe when he gets tired of that boat….heh.

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Tiller allows better boat control. If you need to move a short distance say when river fishing in lots of current you don’t have to be moving from seat to wheel and back.Person fishing front of boat snags up or something start motor and move quikly. Counsel steering is a waste of space as nobody can sit in that seat to fish decent anyway in my opinion. I think if your going to mainly use a boat for fishing tiller is the best option ina 16’and smaller boat and 60hp to 70 hp and under. Just my $.02

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Better control, maybe but not with a bow mount on the console model.

When I upgraded from a 14 foot boat I sold the tiller and never looked back, single console on the 16 footer and full/split windshield on the 185.

Al