Opinions: Tillers

[dasein668]

Ok, I'm curious to get peoples' opinions on tiller shapes/sizes/etc. I'm going to be building a new tiller, as mine is just plain silly. I have a pretty good idea of what I think I want to build, but thought I'd try to get some input, just in case anyone had some great insights--before I build the thing!

Pictures of what you like? Descriptions? Any input will be accepted! hehe

[Dave, 397]

Hi, Nathan!
397's original stick(or what's left of it) is a ridiculous straight piece of oak with a taper. Personally, I like the grip at the end to lay in a more horizontal plane. The Commander's tiller (hence the Ariel's as well) had a curve in it to achieve this.

One other area of distaste I have with the original Pearson tillers is the flexiness. Not only do I find it disconcerting, but wood fibers break down eventually from all that stretching and compression, making the thing that much less strong and that much more rubbery.
For the record, I hate the look of a store bought strip-laminated tiller, but love the rigidity. I'm making my new tiller (when I get to it) with a slight curve in it, and laminating it out of ironwood and mahogany, with the strips laying on edge as viewed from the top...basically an ironwood stringer with mahogany cheeks on the sides. Stiff. Maple looks pretty varnished, but rapidly turns black and ooky if salt water gets to it through a chip in the finish or waht have you, and cannot really be recommended.

I have myself had poor experience laminating oily woods and/or wood parts subject to flexing or differential thermal expansion with epoxy, and highly recommend polyurethane glue for this purpose. Especially if you leach the surface oils with acetone immediately prior to gluing and insure that the surfaces are sanded with 80 grit for good "tooth", the wood will fail long before the glue joint.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Regards,
Dave

[Figment]

Of course my favorite tillers are the oldest, and therefore most difficult to reproduce.....

I love a tiller carved from a curved stick of black locust. Especially the ones with a nice knob on the end. I also share dave's preference for a tiller that's mostly horizontal at the business end.

I've resigned myself to the fact that the only way I'll ever obtain such a tiller is from some fool who's convinced himself that he wants to convert to wheel steering.

[Dave, 397]

I've resigned myself to the fact that the only way I'll ever obtain such a tiller is from some fool who's convinced himself that he wants to convert to wheel steering.[/quote]

Don't worry, Fig!
If things where you are are anywhere near similar to where I am, there's hundreds of fools doing it. You should find a tiller any day at the rate they convert...of course, it's less likely to see a "vintage" boat get freshly boogered up like that, but you'll find one.

Dave

[Tim]

I love a tiller carved from a curved stick of black locust. Especially the ones with a nice knob on the end.

All tiller-steered Concordia owners beware! Mike's on the prowl...lock up your tillers if you see Figment in the harbor. :<)

Seriously, though. Considering the importance of a tiller to sailing utility and comfort, it's amazing how many people put up with bad ones. In many cases, the tiller that comes with a boat is more likely a compromise based on cost and materials, rather than a design and shape expressly intended to make the best functional tiller. I like a nice beefy tiller to grip, and echo the previous thoughts about horizontal ends--much more comfortable. I also like plenty of beef near the end to properly hold a tiller extension, which I use almost exclusively when sailing.

I also think a tiller's height should be such that it's not only comfortable to hold while sailing, but is also at a comfortable height to straddle when motoring, or when sailing in light airs or downwind.

Finally, the design should be such that it can still be folded up out of the way to clear the cockpit when relaxing at anchor. Too much in the way of funky curves can get in the way of this in some cases. And it should go without saying that any design needs to be tested to ensure that it has proper clearance in the cockpit and doesn't run into interference from seats or lockers throughout the full extent of its turning arc.

[The Good Goose]

Nathan

I made mine out of ash. Cut it out rough with my jig saw then shaped it with my belt sander upside down on the bench. Had some stock left over so I made another for a spare. Be careful when you mount it in the tiller head. The angle on the tiller is different then what you would think due to the angle of the rudder stock in the cockpit. My first try the tiller was about a foot to high. Luckily I needed to cut more off instead of less.

Just as an aside. My tiller frequently loosened up. I bought a new tiller head and that didn't help. I drilled through the tiller head into the shaft and tapped the shaft. Put in a bronze bolt and my tiller is as secure as can be.

I looked at several boats until I found one with a tiller shape I liked. I climbed into the cockpit with some red rosin paper and traced it. Adjusted it according to my old tiller and away I went. It was really fast shaping them with the belt sander probably only a couple hours to make both of them not including varnishing.

Brock

[dasein668]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies. As Tim knows, since we discussed it the other day when out for an impromptu sail on Dasein, I am planning a laminated tiller (for strength) with a somewhat "s" shaped curve to it, so that it comes out relatively flatly from the tiller head, then swoops up to the appropriate height, ending such that it is basically horizontal at the end.

As for material, after much hemming and hawing, I think I'll go ahead with my original plan for mahogany. Definately not as strong as many woods, but I think that a laminated tiller will be plenty strong... I'm always amazed at how much stronger a laminated wood product is over a solid one. (could probably build the thing out of balsa, if you wanted!) Plus, I do have a steel emergency tiller on board... just in case.

I originally planned to use epoxy for this project, as I have had good luck in the past, but I think I'll at least consider the polyureathane... I've heard good things about it from others, too. We'll see... I have epoxy on hand, and a very limited budget right now...

I'll be making a cardboard template out on the boat soon, so that I can get the shape and measurements right before I build the jig.

Again, thanks for the input!

-Nathan

[Dave, 397]

Hi, Nathan-
You might look at an Ariel tiller just for grins. It's a single, throckmorton-like curve but gets the tiller to the right angle nicely and also folds up out of the way. Remember, your tiller can be a decreasing or increasing radius curve as desired. The curve just sort of humps it up so that the end grip is close to horizontal--Sweet!

The poly glue, in a small size adequate for the job, should set you back about 9 bucks. I know, a 2 dollar pitcher is a great thing if you have two dollars, but it's well worth skipping lunch to buy. You might also think about putting an oak stringer up the middle, as oak is fairly inexpensive and will add considerable stiffness. Don't make the oak part, should you use it, wider than the mahogany sides...in case the oak tries to go warpy, you'll help it not overpower the mahogany.
Most of the things sold as "mahogany" are not actually mahogany at all, i.e. "phillipine mahogany". The numbers for stiffness are not so great.
(Uh Oh. Here comes the lecture from the instrument maker.) The reason I would lean towards a stiffer center laminate would be to rely on the wood itself for most of the rigidity rather than putting it all on the shear strength of the glue joints.

If anyone's ever interested or needs to know, I still have a couple of books of tables with engineering strengths for most foreign and domestic woods and am glad to dig out the data if needed.

Best,
Dave

[tohbi]

axe handles can be fashioned into great tillers.