Home made tiller

all last season i used bamboo for a tiller extension...filled pin end with resin and glass and wrapped it then drilled it out...worked awesome!! ultralight, easy on the hands...broke 2 of them in "oh s**t" moments, takes about ten minutes to make another...got regular tiller extension over winter and don't like it as much as the bamboo ones...plan on making more bamboo ones soon, i'll post pics.

Do you have a source of bamboo near?

i have a lifetime supply in my back yard...i was cutting some back about a month ago and currently have hundreds cut and almost cured and it didn't even put a dent in the supply. i planted the stands about 15 years ago, these are a variety that grows in crowns(no runners invading surrounding areas) with an average height of 25' and average diameter of 2". if i thinned them again i would have enough to build a house! amazing natural product, makes my carbon fiber tiller feel heavy.

How long do you make them?

I have used a West Marine telescoping boat hook, nearly 8' long, often available for under $25 on sale. Pretty easy to whack off the hook and adapt to the universal on your crossbar.

Dave

i made short ones(5' or so) and longer ones(8'or longer) for trapping out. if you go with longer ones you have to be careful not to let it fall under the tiller and get caught by the water(snap!). i broke 2 of them last year that way under extreme conditions, but overall they work great. this year i might wrap the entire stick with glass and see how that holds up, i left them natural last year.

Anyone want to post a pic? I've been messing around with "found objects" for an hour or so and haven't come up with anything that seems strong enough at the linkage. I don't have the fitting from the old one. (Creeping along up river in light wind, semi-napping while steering with one foot on the tiller crossbar... and it just disappeared.)

We've used a stainless steel tube with an OD of 3/4, filled 2" on both ends with polyester, then slid a clear hose over it. On the end with the hole, we drilled the hole oversize and inserted a bushing.

Depending of wall thickness of the available SS tube, it's pretty light yet stiff enough.

edited by: catdan, Jul 19, 2010 - 06:03 AM

a telescoping fiberglass paint stick from home depot will work in a pinch. I'd still save a few bucks and get a new Ariba stick.

https://store.catsailor.com/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=8126&idcategory=0

fiberglass poles are known to wear and "shed" fibers into your hands.

andrewscott wrote: fiberglass poles are known to wear and "shed" fibers into your hands.

HTFU 😉

I used a Wal-Mart paint stick this weekend. It goes from 3' to 6'. I just cut off the end and drilled a hole in the end for the linkage. Don't think it will last but one season but it only cost $6.

mummp wrote: [quote=andrewscott]fiberglass poles are known to wear and "shed" fibers into your hands.

HTFU 😉

Yes we all know Philip sleeps on a bed of nails and uses pink fiberglass rolls for his blankie...

he also eats nails and poops glass...

andrewscott wrote: fiberglass poles are known to wear and "shed" fibers into your hands.

I didn't say it was a good idea...

andrewscott wrote: fiberglass poles are known to wear and "shed" fibers into your hands.

Arriba sticks are, for the most part, bullet proof. Just for you Andrew, these items should help.

haha..

fortunatly i only need 1 working finger to respond to Philip.. can you guess which one i am waving? 😆

I was referring to using a fiberglass paint stick, not the ariba's

aribas are great, i have purchased at least 6 in my tenure sailing cats. the only drawback (besides the price) is they don't last more than a season or 2 (unless you take em apart and referb them when the locking mech wears down)

andrewscott wrote: haha..

fortunatly i only need 1 working finger to respond to Philip.. can you guess which one i am waving? 😆

Geeze, you are SO sensitive . . .

hahah.

is that a diaper or a sumo wrap?

LMAO when I saw the picture. I was looking for a picture of Pampers.

mummp wrote: LMAO when I saw the picture. I was looking for a picture of Pampers.

Perv

http://www.arribastick.com

I got the Arriba FX03 from Salty dog for $129. They didn't charge anything extra to ship it, some vendors called it oversize & added a premium to shipping.
It doesn't show up on Salty dogs website, but they have them.

I made one 7 footer for my 17 w/wings and trap out of narrow PVC and wood dowels inserted to stiffen. I forget the dia, but there is a size at Lowes that fits the dowels without any mods. I put a bike grip on the end epoxied any exposed wood and drilled the hole for the tiller bolt. It fit INSIDE the U joint for my tiller crossbar.

Well, the stick isn't the problem, it's the bracket at the crossbar. The existing bracket is only 3/8" tall, so just drilling a hole in the stick won't leave enough material to make a strong link. Maybe I need to build an all new swivel.

Just used a piece of plumber's tape to wrap around the pin today, but that was a temporary desperation solution. The wind is in a weird and rare direction this week that allows us to reach the LONG way on the river, for a change.

No solutions over $15 accepted.

Piece of rubber hose as linkage?

No solutions over $15 accepted.

Go to a hardware store and buy a pipe ($7).

take the pipe outside and mug someone (or however many people needed) to go buy a real hiking stick.