I paid $130 for it and $25 for the cover. It also has a stainless
Universal Joint (360 degree spinning eye bolt) for a Spinlock tiller
extension. (I think that's around here somewhere too. I'll have to take
a look.) The cover has some wear on it, but the handle is pristine. I
can let you have it all for $100. If you email me, I'll send you
pictures of it and dimensions.

Oh, I'm in Northern Virgina.

Mark


Renata wrote:
Thanx for the offer.

It's a 27' (I think) Windrose. Looks like the tiller's just a tapered
hunk of wood (I haven't been out yet this year, so I'm going by the
partial picture provided).

Where are you and how much (if it would work)?

Thanx
Renata

On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:03:45 -0400, Mark Witczak
wrote:

What kind of boat is it? I've got a tiller (with cover) sitting in my
shed for a Catalina27. I used it one season and then Isabella sank it. I
guess Davy Jones wasn't happy about me changing the name.

Email me if your interested. It would be a whole lot cheaper than
building/buying a new one.

Mark


DIYGUY wrote:
Sorry to hear about the mishap - I have had similar experiences myself ...
I would reuse the original hardware - as long as it is not suspect in
anyway. Heck, you might even be able to salvage the tiller depending on
how bad it is cracked. Ordinary carpenters glue might work for you.
You could always put some SS screws in it if you feel the glue would be
insufficient. And the suggestion that you buy an OTC replacement may be
heresy, but the price of your time and materials will probably greatly
exceed the cost of a fairly good tiller. If this is a labor of love
then that's another story.

Renata wrote:
Tiller. Not extension.
26' Windrose. A speedy, nimble craft (not!).

Thanx for the wealth of info.

I intend to copy the form of the original. It's oak I think (I don't
have it at the moment). White oak is what I was thinking, but wasn't
sure if there was a better choice. And for this boat, my plethora of
other projects, the $ (gratis), etc., I'm gonna stay away from
laminating.

The rest o the story is that the boat had a run in with some rocks
after getting cut off but a tourist boat stopping to take 'pitchers'
(yes, I know,...). Turning to port ran you head on into the wind, and
starboard was the lighthouse - with the notso-nice rocks. The
helmsman did what he could but still "brushed" the rocks. No, I
wasn't sailing it, but I belong to the club which owns it and offer my
services to make the replacement.

BTW, the tiller cracked at approximately at the half way point,
lengthwise. Don't know if it runs the whole length, but from the pic
I saw, it runs for a good bit of it. I'm presuming we'll reuse the
hardware, etc. from the broken tiller (including the extension). ANy
reason not to?

Renata





On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 18:53:26 -0400, DIYGUY
wrote:


Well, you left out a lot of details that might make a diff. For
example, what kind of boat? Classic wooden? Racing dinghy? Oldie but
goodie clorox bottle? Not that you will lose sleep over the decision
but form follows function, right? An extension is not a tiller but is
used when holding onto the tiller itself is either awkward of
disadvantageous to performance when racing. If you are making an
extension I suggest you scratch the idea and invest in an after-market
one instead. Among the benefits of these are a wide array of lengths
and materials (carbon-fiber, alloy, fiber-glass) as well as design
(think telescoping). My tiller extension folds back nicely on the
tiller and is held out of the way with a clever grip.

Now if you are not discussing an extension, but an actual tiller, then
my suggestion is that you try to mimic the original design. Most naval
architects take pains to work out even the smallest of details,
including the tiller. As for material, heck you aren't making an
heirloom here. I would not worry too much about laminating something as
it is not going too buy you a whole heck of a lot. A stout piece of
white oak with a good varnish (I like Captain's, YMMV) on it should
serve you well. And when the varnish fails and the oak turns black it
just adds character. Sand off the varnish and redo for the pleasure of
adding more "character" to your tiller. And last but not least.
remember that the tiller must attach to the rudder somehow, and where it
does is your most likely source of failure so pay particular attention
to reinforcing this area. I used 1/4" SS angle iron - it worked great
for 10 years and for all I know may still be working now, 15 years down
the road.

Have fun and good luck ...

Renata wrote:

I'm gonna make a new tiller extension handle for a club's sailboat.
What's the best (and cost effective) wood to use? White oak? I'm
thinking teak might be too $$.

Thanx
Renata