Fatso or Fatso jr.?

P

Paul Shields

Member
I've used sticks that have been long enough that they interfere with the mainsheet between the boom and the block, and I don't like it....might someone save me the trouble of going out in the cold rain and tell me whish of the Fatso's would be right for me?? Thanks
 
how long have they been? i use a 48". if your hand agrees with the jr. get that, the fatso can snap if you ever slip on a roll gybe. it crushes easier than jr.
 
Paul, they are both 48" long, and the Jr. is just a little smaller in diameter. I use the Jr, but people with slightly bigger hands prefer the FATSO.

Best way to is try them both out at your local dealer and see which one feels best.
 
Steve Cockerill had an interesting comment on the thickness issue. He likes his extension thin enough that he can easily control it with his thumb wrapped around it when it's in his palm, leaving the 4 fingers free for sheeting as nec.
 
I would defenitely get a Fatso Jr if I were you. First, like 49208 said its easier to hold and sheet the main. Second, the Fatso seems really delicate to me. It hasn't snapped on me yet but it feels like I could break it with ease. Mostly, go with whatever you feel most comfortable with.

Tim
 
Just a slight departure from the above:

I have a Fatso Jr tiller extension which works fine except that the oval section takes a bit of getting used to. My question, however, is about the 'swiveling' of the rubber universal joint inside the extension.

Most tiller extensions I have seen (used) have the rubber 'pinned' thru the extension. The Fatso Jr has no pins so it can rotate around the flexible rubber tendon.

I expect that the tendon is thru some sort of disc that is wedged or glued inside - but have not seen one 'dissasembled'.

If (when) I need to replace the flexible universal joint - how do you do this without damaging the extension?

Does anyone have experience retro-fitting or replacing the 'swiveling' universal (rubber tendon) on the Fatso?

Thanks

GL
 
glasky said:
Just a slight departure from the above:

I have a Fatso Jr tiller extension which works fine except that the oval section takes a bit of getting used to. My question, however, is about the 'swiveling' of the rubber universal joint inside the extension.

Most tiller extensions I have seen (used) have the rubber 'pinned' thru the extension. The Fatso Jr has no pins so it can rotate around the flexible rubber tendon.

I expect that the tendon is thru some sort of disc that is wedged or glued inside - but have not seen one 'dissasembled'.

If (when) I need to replace the flexible universal joint - how do you do this without damaging the extension?

Does anyone have experience retro-fitting or replacing the 'swiveling' universal (rubber tendon) on the Fatso?

Thanks

GL
Click to expand...

Acme sells a pre-made repair kit with a new universal that makes replacment very simple. You bang out the old plug/universal and glue in the new one
http://www.acmecarbon.com/ACMECARBON/repair.html

(if your local dealer sells the ACME products, they most likely carry the repair kit as well)

I've made my own about a year ago, I used a very short piece of extension (about 2" long) that I cut off a broken extension, taped one end closed, sprayed some cooking spray (for a release agent) on the inside of the tube and then lined the inside with wax paper (just to be sure on the release and to also reduce the molded piece just a bit) , poured a slightly thickened epoxy in, sprayed the new universal with cooking spray and then set the universal into the epoxy (you need to make sure you are centered in the tube with a way to hold the universal in place while the epoxy hardens). It works fine, but I'm not sure I would do it again, the savings was $10 or so....

As far as I can tell, the universal is held in the plug by the fact it has a few grooves in it, which the epoxy flows into, sort of like a snap ring effect. At least, that's exactly how my home made one stays together. To get to the inside of the ACME made one, you have to destroy the plug, but I have yet to find any discs or other material on the groove of the universal, so I'm assuming it's done the same way.
 
I broke a fatso recently, and the replacement will definitely be something skinnier, with thicker walls.
 
49208 said:
Acme sells a pre-made repair kit with a new universal that makes replacment very simple. You bang out the old plug/universal and glue in the new one
http://www.acmecarbon.com/ACMECARBON/repair.html

(if your local dealer sells the ACME products, they most likely carry the repair kit as well)

I've made my own about a year ago, I used a very short piece of extension (about 2" long) that I cut off a broken extension, taped one end closed, sprayed some cooking spray (for a release agent) on the inside of the tube and then lined the inside with wax paper (just to be sure on the release and to also reduce the molded piece just a bit) , poured a slightly thickened epoxy in, sprayed the new universal with cooking spray and then set the universal into the epoxy (you need to make sure you are centered in the tube with a way to hold the universal in place while the epoxy hardens). It works fine, but I'm not sure I would do it again, the savings was $10 or so....

As far as I can tell, the universal is held in the plug by the fact it has a few grooves in it, which the epoxy flows into, sort of like a snap ring effect. At least, that's exactly how my home made one stays together. To get to the inside of the ACME made one, you have to destroy the plug, but I have yet to find any discs or other material on the groove of the universal, so I'm assuming it's done the same way.
Click to expand...
what is the difference between a hair dryer and a heat gun?
 
Glen said:
what is the difference between a hair dryer and a heat gun?
Click to expand...

Output temperature.

Heat gun - softens/melts paint, will burn wood, will seriously burn skin, will light hair on fire (don't ask me how I know :D )
 
Im 16 and my hands aren't huge and i have the fatso. I've never used the fatso jr but i will never move to a regular extension again. The one huge advantage is gripping because i personally have a tendency to hold it lower so on the standard ones my hand would slide all over the place on the metal. I was testing my freinds new boat which had the standard one after having the fatso for a couple of months and it felt really empty and their wasnt as much feeling to it. I highly recomend the fatso.
 
Milford 49208,

Thanks for the info on replacement of Fatso Jr universal - have followed the link etc.

regards

GL
 
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