As Boat Builders and operators of narrow & wide beam boats for over 25 years, Starline had, for several years, been looking at ways to provide an alternative to the conventional tiller steering typically found on narrow boats.

Tillers were often found to be unsociable, and undesirable for skippers left out in the rain, also for people with limited use of limbs or in other ways disabled or wheelchair bound, tillers often excluded them from steering boats completely.

As specialist builders & operators of boats built specifically for disabled people, these problem were witnessed on a daily basis, and the below are details of the design which has been developed & successfully operated in recent years.

The Steering System can be operates from a variety of sources (i.e. a joy stick, mini tiller, steering wheel, pressure tube etc.). The steering source is connected via a cable to a waterproof socket, which activates a 12v or 24v electro / hydraulic powerpack, which in tern actuates a hydraulic ram connected to the rudder stock via a pulley & notched drive belt.

The powerpack is also fitted with a feed back response system that allows precise control to the operator, and an emergency override button to instantly revert to the conventional method of steering the boat.