Tillers and tiller extensions

RogerMusser

Member
Our sailing club has more than a dozen Sunfish boats, some of them need a little work.

I got some great tips from a recent thread about bailers, thanks to those posts I have the bailers working well.

My next project will involve the tillers and the tiller extensions.

1. On just a few boats the tillers scrape the back deck. Does anyone have any experience with that?

2. Some of the tiller extensions need replaced. Has anyone used any inexpensive alternatives to buying replacement parts? On at least one of our club’s Flying Scot boats a golf club shaft was used as a tiller extension and it works well.

Roger
 
Check out previous solutions at threads titled "tiller rash". (Search).

I thought to fix the problem by drilling two new holes at the tiller's attachment bolts; however, those bolts were "staked", and not readily removed. :( Discouraged, I glued metal strips to the worn aluminum contact areas instead. That works. :)

You could also install a long adjustment screw into the wood of the rudder, but I suspect frequent adjustments would be necessary. :confused:
 
You could buy as many of these as you need, Allen Replacement Universal Joint and then if you can get old ski poles for the extension you will be set. Other choice is to buy a good hardwood strip (I don't know standard hardwood dimensions, but something like 1 1/2" x 3/4"), cut it to the appropriate length, varnish it, and install using a bolt to act as the swivel. That is how Sunfish extensions were back in the day, but the universal joint is much preferable, but will need replacement every few years.
 
Correction: upon closer examination I see that the tiller extension made from a golf club was actually a golf GRIP mounted onto a cylindrical piece of tubing. Every golf club that I have looked at, while at our local Goodwill Industries, has been tapered.
 
I never considered bamboo, it’s light, flexible, strong, and there is some growing in my neighborhood.
But, how to attach it to the tiller? Insert a dowel? Directly to a Universal Joint?
This sounds like a good winter project. Thanks!
 
I never considered bamboo, it’s light, flexible, strong, and there is some growing in my neighborhood.
But, how to attach it to the tiller? Insert a dowel? Directly to a Universal Joint?
This sounds like a good winter project. Thanks!
One could do both. :cool:

Epoxy a dowel into one hollow end, drill a ¼" hole through, and bolt a universal joint in.

Viola! :)
 
As far as I remember, bamboo extensions are used by some on Hobies, Contenders and high-performance dinghies with racks. I found a few references just by googling 'bamboo tiller extension'.
For instance, here is a link:
 

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