Noob question. Hand technique

Headley Grange

Headley Grange

Member
I have a pre-1964 Sunfish with the old rudder-tiller-tiller extension. What's the correct procedure for keeping hold of the tiller and the mainsheet during a tack? Not looking to race. Just want to have better control.
 
You know, that's a very good question. Consider this: You are tacking up wind on starboard tack with your right hand on the mainsheet and your left hand on the tiller extension (you rarely steer with the tiller itself.) You turn the boat into the wind, and while facing the bow, you move your body from the starboard side to the port side and at some point you let go of the tiller extension with you left hand, grab the mainsheet with the left hand and then grab the tiller extension with the right hand. If you have a cleat on the mansheet, this is not hard if you do it smoothly. If you do not have a cleeat on the mainsheet you will have your hand off the tiller extension for a longer time as you will need to actually transfer the sheet from one hand to the other. The trick is to make the transfer while the boat is head to wind when there is very little load on the sail and rudder - if you wait too long,the sail will fill one the new tack and the rudder will load up and try to jerk the tiller out if you "new" hand.

You actually see quite a bit of variation on these moves on the race course, and sometimes in heavy air you see skippers literally
throwing the tiller onto the new tack and then shifting weight, switching the sheet had and then grabbing the tiller extension on the new tack. Sometimes it helps to put the tiller extension on the low side before starting the tack to make sure the extension is ready to grab after you make the tack.

If you can find some video on YouTube, see how a good skipper does it. A (moving) picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Alan Glos
 
You should be able to tack without dropping the tiller and without using a mainsheet cleat. I am sure I used to be able to do it back in the days of the thru-bolted tiller extension, but that was pushing 30 years ago and I cannot remember how. Why don't you just buy a universal joint? They are cheap and easy to install. Then you can switch hands behind your back and never lose hold of the tiller. BB
 
Headley Grange said:
The videos I saw on Youtube only showed Sunfish sailors using the new-style tiller extension. Maybe I should expand my search.
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Alan's idea is a good one, but top skippers who will be worth watching will have a universal. Youtube and GoPros were not available 30 years ago when good sailors were tacking with old-style extensions.

What type of extension does your boat have? You could theoretically adapt a wood extension to use a universal, but that it probably more trouble than it is worth. Could a Northern friend send an old ski pole? They work well. BB
 
beldar boathead said:
What type of extension does your boat have? You could theoretically adapt a wood extension to use a universal, but that it probably more trouble than it is worth. Could a Northern friend send an old ski pole? They work well. BB
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BB, here's my tiller extension.


I checked the Intensity Sails website and they have a aluminum tiller extension and universal joint for $30. That might be the way to go. Would I have to fill the hole in the end of the Tiller?
 
Headley Grange said:
I have a pre-1964 Sunfish with the old rudder-tiller-tiller extension. What's the correct procedure for keeping hold of the tiller and the mainsheet during a tack? Not looking to race. Just want to have better control.
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Learned my current technique by watching some videos of Laser and Sunfish sailors racing. I've tried every imaginable combination of techniques but when I discovered this one, it made the most sense and I've done it this way ever since. Just a warning; it's an "acquired taste". Also, you're going to need a longer tiller extension than the one in your photo. But that's ok, cause you're going to want a longer one than that one anyway. :)

Ok, here goes. You are sailing on starboard tack, with the main sheet in your right hand and the tiller extension in the left hand. You decide to tack so you push the tiller away from you and head up into the wind. As you pass through the wind with the sail luffing, you are facing forward towards the bow, then are turning your body to the right (clockwise) so when you end up on the other side of the boat your chest is now facing the opposite direction from before where you started your tack.

But as you are doing this, your left hand and arm that is holding the tiller extension wants to/needs to go behind your back. Let it! As the sail fills on the new tack and you are going the direction you want, push the tiller extension behind your back even more. This will straighten out the tiller to along the centerline of the boat and now you will be sailing in a straight line.

Next, for a few seconds, don't do anything. Stabilize for a bit while steering behind your back. Now, the main sheet will be in your right hand. When things are stable, let the main sheet slide through your hand while reaching your right hand to the right, past your right leg until you can now grab the tiller extension that's to the right of your right leg. Now for a moment you have both the tiller extension and the main sheet in your right hand.

Your left hand is now free to let go of the tiller extension. So take your left hand, reach across your lap to the right (the main sheet will be across your lap) and grab the main sheet with your left hand. You are now on the new port tack with the tiller extension in your right hand and the main sheet in your left hand.

Sounds crazy? I know, that's what I thought. Until I saw racer after racer, 12 year old kid after 12 year old kid, doing it in a flash in video after video. So I tried it... in my living room with 2 chairs facing each other. Once I got it, it made total sense. Then after trying it on the water, it made even more sense. And finally after I got it down on the water, well... I always do it this way now.

Ok, so here's a video showing it.


And a kid doing it...


Again, practice it in your living room first.

- Andy
 
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Headley Grange said:
I checked the Intensity Sails website and they have a aluminum tiller extension and universal joint for $30. That might be the way to go. Would I have to fill the hole in the end of the Tiller?
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That will work but here's the thing. Because it is 48 inches long, it will probably feel a bit too long. Like it gets in the way a lot.

Although it's quite a bit more expensive, here's the tiller extension I use. I like this one a lot. So much that I have them on both of the Lasers I own... and both of the Sunfishes I own together with my brother and brother in law. And I'm about to get another, 3rd Sunfish out here in California and I'll get another one for it as well. That's 5 of these tiller extensions. Here it is.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/ronstan--aluminum-battlestick-tiller-extensions--P000554105

Here's what I really like about this tiller extension. It's telescoping. So, depending on what I'm doing I can have it really short or really long or something in between. Adjusting the length is super quick and easy.

I think I have the "RF3131" model, the one that telescopes from 29 inches to 48 inches. With it at 48 inches, you can go way forward to tend to things on your boat and still steer.

- Andy
 
andyatos said:
Ok, so here's a video showing it.


And a kid doing it...


Again, practice it in your living room first.

- Andy
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The first video with Shirly Robertson was very informative. It had some clear stop-action shots.

The announcer in the second video was talking too fast for me. I guess it's true that the United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.:)

I'll probably end up buying a universal tiller extension but I would still like to see some videos of sailors tacking using the old-style tiller extension.
 
Intensity sells shorter tiller extensions. Just look under the Daysailer section, those are 36" long and $25.99.
 
I bought the shorter extension from intensity. I filled in the hole in the tiller with resin then drilled new holes to mount the universal extension. I like it a lot, the swivel (rubber neck) allows me to angle it in any direction. However, It is a little longer than the old wooden extension and I haven't gotten used to that yet.
 
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