Carbon tiller & Extension Whats the big deal?

L

Laser76489

Member
OK I'll admit i'm an old guy.:D I have sailed my laser a lot in the last 20 years but not raced, this has changed and I am now racing lasers again (full circle). I have a "aluminium tiller and tiller extension 40 inches with a golf club style grip that I bought in and around 1982. (state of the art at the time) the reason I bought this was to get the extra length that I was looking for and a better fit in the rudder head, reduced play and a displacement rubber univeral at the time really helped aswell.

I could not imagine that a $200 plus carbon fiber tiller can really be a whole lot better. I must be wrong. In fact I must be going crazy. In upgrades alone I have spent more than I did for my first complete boat!!!!!!:eek: A sail now costs more than I paid for the boat brand new with a cover, dolly and gear bag.:D

Please explain to me what the possible benifits of outlaying this much cash for a stick made of carbon instead of Al ??

My mind is not closed to the idea. I have been wrong before. Just ask my wife.

:)
 
lighter weight, and the fatso carbon fiber extension is meaty and grippy.

It trains you to steer with fingers, because you don't wrap your hand around the whole thing as it is huge.

I sell 'em for those two reasons. (and they look hot :)
 
Here in Gemany we have pro-Laserites that where able to construct a classlegal c-tiller with using an old Carbon-paddle from the canoeing sport. They ony had to ask their friends from that sport, to give them one of their old ones and of course they needed a bit time to bring it into the right shape for the Laser.
Also, the tiller extension they did not bought. They asked their fellows form the multihull racers to give them a suitable lenght of one of their broken old tillerextensions
Only the joint they had to get from the Laserstore
 
WestCoast said:
lighter weight, and the fatso carbon fiber extension is meaty and grippy.

It trains you to steer with fingers, because you don't wrap your hand around the whole thing as it is huge.

I sell 'em for those two reasons. (and they look hot :)
Click to expand...

They are also much stiffer. When you sail with an aluminum tiller it will bend when you steer hard through waves. The carbon tillers give at all which leads to more effective steering. They are also flat which allows for more traveler tension.

As far as the tiller extensions go, I like the fatso and fatso jr models because they are very light and have a much more secure grip than other extensions with foam grips. Their lighter weight combined with the lighter weight of the tiller leads to a much better feel for the boat as well. They are much more sensitive.
 
I have the Acme tiller and Fatso Jr extension. IMHO, in heavy air, the tiller has a better feel then the stock round aluminum that is now standard with the boat. There is less sideways flex in the carbon tiller, so when the breeze is cranking your steering inputs are more direct. Also, the trav can be cranked on just a little tighter, which keeps the end of the boom right out at the trav eye. It allows this without hitting on the trav cleat (which my al tiller would do on occasion). There is no truth however to any brand of the carbon tillers being so low in profile that the trav line will not rub on it.

In light air, I don't find much difference in the tillers.

I switched my extension from the supplied al golf club type to the fatso jr mainly because I was constantly bending the al extension. On benifit of the light weight fatso jr is that when you are not holding it, it's actually light enough that the rubber universal is stiff enough to keep the extension off the deck by a foot or so. On those not so rare occasions where you drop the tiller ext. in a tack, you'll find it right behind you, bobbing up waiting for you to grab it, as opposed to the alum one which has a tendency to swing towards the stern...

As far as the cost issue of the carbon stuff goes, I justified it in the sense that if I took reasonable care of it, I could sell it for near what I bought it for. Ditto for the upgrades..
 
yeah, i did 3 al tillers in a season then switched to carbon

havent had a problem and i wouldnt go back
 
I snapped my carbon TE the week i bought it. I shipped it to England for analysys, and the test showed it wasn't the manufacturers fault. I've since switched to old ski poles for training, and a Ronstan Battle Stick for racing.

I loved the carbon stick, but it's gone now.
 
They will snap if you bend them over the rail of the boat. I had a friend that went through the carbon extensions like crazy and never understood why. One day I watched how he jibed and noticed that he always rested the extension on the deck and put weight on it while crossing the boat. Sure enough he snapped it later that day doing the same thing.Got to be careful with the carbon. Always remember to let go of it if you have to ditch.
 
The one benefit I've noticed about the carbon tiller (that I recently stumbled across in our spare bedroom) is that it's lower profile than a normal tiller, so the traveler block doesn't hang up on it during tacks. I use it because I have it, but I wouldn't necessarily go out to buy one. The problem is that I'm scared that I'll break it. (And that's why my little brother hid it as soon as we got it!)
 
grrr just come back from a frustrating sail!!!!! tested my carbon tiller extension is 52 inches which is about 5 inches bigger than my old alum one. it was about a force 5 and i must of capsized about 10 times which is not usualy me. i found during gybes i could not get across quick enough. i even capsized tacking (which hardly ever happens) because the extension got cought in the mainsheet. i was jst woundering what i should do about it!! should i just get used to it or should i cut it down a bit?? and has anyone else had these problems??
any help would be helpful!!!
thanks
 
how tall are you terran?
52 is very long, even for a laser tiller, you could cut it down to 49-50 inches.

but do it properly or i think they splinter apart
 
Nothing. Atleast thats what i heard today. I was talking to an ontario champion, whose raced with olympic class laser sailers. I asked him his opinion, he says not worth the money. But i suppose its still up to personal opinion. I still you the original wooden tiller with metal extension from 79', and all old rigging styles, and thats how i plan to race next year. There is alot ot add, but true sailing is in the person, and the slight touchs. A real sailor will sail anything better then who ever has the money for the newest best upgrades and boats.
 
On the wind, you want the traveller as far to leeward as possible. The main advantage of the flat tiller is that you can get the traveller tight, which makes it easier to get the traveller to leeward, though you will also need some vang tension. Even a couple of inches make a huge difference in boat speed. The fatso tiller is nice but not necessary. Aluminum is not as strong or stiff as carbon, but when it fails, it bends. Carbon breaks. I have never had a problem with my carbon tiller, but apparently some people have.

I am another old guy. Recently upgraded a 1975 boat (I am the original owner and the boat is in very good shape). Recommendation for upgrades (if you don't already have them, in order of priority): a bailer, the new control upgrades, a launching dolly, and a flat tiller. There is a bunch of other stuff that is nice, but this stuff makes the biggest difference.

David
 
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