When you start helming from the wire you need a longer tiller extension and because they tend to break when you fall on them this can get quite pricey as they need to be about 2m long. With a bit of ingenuity you can make your own extension without spending too much

  • Difficulty - low

Get a length of 22mm or 30mm PVC drain pipe cut to required length. Fit the UJ in the bottom and attach with a screw or bolt. If you are using a 30mm tube you will need to pack the tube with tape or foam to get a tight fit for the universal joint.

Advantages

This type is dirt Cheap at approx £3.50 for the tubing which, is available from any good DIY store.

Disadvantages

The PVC tubing is heavy, flexible and slippery when wet, which is quite fun when going down wind with a bit of lee helm and the whole thing suddenly goes like a bow and you bear away suddenly.

Rating

Emergencies only

Version 2A Carp Landing

  • Difficulty – low to slight

Go to your local fishing emporium and ask for a one piece carbon carp landing rod. Remove the heavy steel thread from the end and insert the universal joint, pack to fit and secure with a screw or bolt.

The carp landing rods are also available in two pieces; these can be made into one piece with the careful use of a fibreglass or carbon bandage over the joint.

Advantages

Very light weight and seem to be available at low cost. Approx £10-15

Disadvantages

If carp are not fished in your location you get some strange looks in the fishing tackle shop. They are extremely light weight but for the cost can not have much carbon in them and potentially a bit fragile, only time will tell

Rating

Fishy stories abound of an increase in shrimping or trawling the kite when in use

Version 2B - Fishing rod handle

  • Difficulty - Low to minimal

Instead of a carp landing net handle - a cheaper version is that of the carbon bottom sections of a fishing rod. Usually found in any “half decent” fisher-ing-stylee shop. These can be sourced at around 6ft & very stiff with often a very fancy carbon weave on display. When fallen on they dont break, & can be obtained for around £5 each as most people tend to snap the tips - so the shops sell these and are left with bulk 'rubbish' which they are more than happy to flog on. Just strip off the metal reel bracket & Bobs your uncle!

Advantages

Very quick and easy to attatch UV joint as the thin end is often exactly the right size, and its a nice diameter rod to hold onto. & if your lucky, you may be able to lay your hands on a fine rod, such as “the COD father”!

Disadvantages

Much micky-taking of the rod, and utter jealousy from tin stick holders.

Rating

8/10 Even to carry as a cheap spare - its ideal!

  • Difficulty - low

All you need is a bamboo garden cane, a short length of hose pipe and cup of boiling water. Select the garden cane and cut to length so that one end is slightly thicker than the inside of the garden hose. Cut a 10-12cm length of garden hose and place in the cup of boiling water. This will soften the hose and make it expand a bit. Once it is soft push the Universal Joint and the end of the cane into the hose so that they butt up against each other. When the hose cools it will contract and hold the UJ tight on to the end of the cane. For extra security a screw or bolt can be used. Bamboo tiller Extention The joint between the hose and the UJ is a bit flexible and can give control problems when right at the back going down wind; however this can be improved by taping a short length of batten along the joint as a stiffener. If you were being really trick you could make a glass sleave.

Advantages

Very low cost bamboo cane is available from about £2.50 for a pack of 10 Garden hose is also cheap especially if you just shorten one that you already own. They are light and can take a lot of abuse good ones will just spring back to shape if you land on them.

Disadvantages

They are a bit flexible and slippery and if you get a bad one it will not last long. Rot is also a problem and will get even the best cane in the end. You might get a slagging for bringing the class into disrepute with new levels of sailing a boat made from junk.

Rating

Visiting garden centers may lead you into more sedate hobbies, when do you plant bulbs? hr-tiller-b.jpg

  • Difficulty – Very low

Just buy from a shop! It will come ready to work you just need to attach it to your boat they come ready with built in grip and great names like battlestik and carborod.

Advantages

You do not need to do anything but fix it to your boat

Disadvantages

They cost anything from £50 to £100 and the high end carbon ones are so strong that falling on them is more likely to snap your boat than the tiller extension.

Rating

A bit too flash, may lead to being ostracised from the Cherub class for blatantly buying part of your boat from a shop.

  • Difficulty – medium to high

Rather than buy or convert something into a tiller extension you can always build the whole thing yourself Described below is one way of making a tiller extension, there are others and they may well be better. You will need a mandrel, wax, epoxy and glass or carbon. Get a length of 22mm diameter copper pipe and coat liberally with wax, this is best done with a brush and the wax melted in a pot on the stove. Making sure that every part of the pipe is covered in wax is important as you want to be able to get the pipe out at the end. The tube is made from a layer of braided glass sock followed by a layer of 300gsm unidirectional carbon fibre and an outer layer of glass/Kevlar sock.

tillerexmat-20060722a.jpg

The braided sock is great for this sort of application as it can be expanded to thread over the tube and when pulled tight will shrink down to a neat snug fit with no seams. There did not seem to be much difference in difficulty between wetting out the sock on the tube and wetting out on the bench and feeding it over the tube when wet. Both methods were messy and sticky and the ease of use seemed to depend on the make up of the sock used. One type was easy to handle when wet and the other was a pain. With everything wet out and assembled the whole thing was wrapped as tightly as possible in peel ply to consolidate it and squeeze out some of the excess resin. Once the resin has cured the copper pipe can be filled with hot water to melt out the wax, when the wax is soft it is easy to slide the new tube off the pipe and remove the peel-ply.

Then just fit your UJ and attach to the boat ready for sailing.

Advantages

As light/stiff and strong as you want to make it just add extra layers in the build if you want it to be a bit tougher. The peel-ply leaves a textured finish which is good for grip. Cost is from about £15 depending on how much carbon you use. The satisfaction of having done it yourself

Disadvantages

It takes a bit of time and preparation to build plus it is easy to make a mistake and ruin the whole thing. You do need to get all the materials and have access to somewhere that you do not mind getting messy.

Note

A bit of work may be needed on the specification after one of them broke first time out.

Rating

Acolyte, you are now starting the journey to become a cherub guru. If you make the UJ yourself you will achieve the rank of guru.

hr-tiller-a.jpg

  • Difficulty - Medium

Carbon Kite Rods are availible from many online kite shops with 2m long 16mm diameter tube availible for approx 30 Euro on at least one side of the channel There are a little bit thick but it's OK and you can improve with a little grip at the bottom end

Advantages

It gives popping the Kite a whole new meaning and you will really fly down wind.

Disadvantages

You may need to brush up on your GCSE French to order.

Rating

très bon

  • Difficulty - low

Take the broken stub of your tiller extension and a long sail batten. Apply vast amounts of ductape to bond them together in a 'splint' fashion with the flat end on the batten towards the joint. Sail Away.

Advantages

You probibly have a sail batten somewhere anyway and if you dont have ductape someone else will so ideal for those emergancy brakage occasions.

Disadvantages

Next to no grip and extremely flexible. Ok in no wind, dont bother in more than a F2. Due to being so flexible they also have a tendancy to literaly tie themselves up with anything in their near vicinity: mainsheet, toestraps (what are you doing with toestraps anyway?) and even under the rudderblade at times.

Rating

Emergencies only, if that.

  • tech/tiller_extension.txt
  • Last modified: 2020/12/09 19:22
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