tiller

[jerome]

İ have already build my tiller but i came to the conclusion that it is just too big and too long.
The way it is right now it goes from transom almost all the way to the traveller track. That is about 45 inches long .
İ
f you fully deflect it to one side or the other , it goes up high enough to give knee clearance for someone sitting and the back of the boat. İn other words the tiller passes above the upper decks.

So İ am now thinking about something much smaller and manageable wich will be used with a tiller extension.

Any basic recommendation ? For instance, when fully deflected to either side should it clear knee high or should it never even get close to that ? İf that is so, then it should not be longer than about 30" since the distance from mid transom to upper deck shear inside edge is at 32.55"

[Ron Bowman]

Hi Jerome,

Your tiller length overall will depend on how it attaches to the rudder. My tiller is 46.75 inches long overall which includes the yoke. The length of the tiller from the forward face of the rudder to the forward end of the tiller is 40.5 inches long. Originally it was longer but I cut it shorter because it interfered with the main sheet.

Ron

[jerome]

Hi Ron,

that is exactly the issue İ have and in order not to interfere with the main sheet swivel, İ must cut it about the same length (5 inches)......but from an aesthetical point of view, it will look crappy so İ was thinking about building a new one. Not too much work.Doable.

[Kevin]

My new tiller will be straight and angled up just enough to be above the side decks to maximize the usable rudder arch. I believe my first tiller extended 42ish inches forward of the transom. It was a little long, and it's a challenge to get a working tiller and mainsheet that don't interfere with each other. With my bridle setup it's especially challenging. I think jeff is using a telescoping extension and shortens it for each tack. I'm now sheeting from the boom instead of a swivel on the cockpit sole which makes tacks much easier.

Just remember, that the length of your tiller is your lever arm on your rudder. The short the tiller, the more force it will require. In general when the boat is setup right this force is pretty low. But it takes time to get that balance right. And if you have lots of rudder forces, then something is going to break probably (rudder, tiller, rudder mount or ? ).

Kevin.