Attaching tiller handle

[Dorsilfin]

Hey folks,

Quick question for you.

I've got a Hunter 22 and I have my tiller off because i've dug some rot out, re-epoxied some of the wood that was cracking at the seam. Looking online for replacements just because my woodwork is fairly crappy(as seen in the picture) and Id like to just keep my options open going forward.

The reason for me questioning is the rudder has a bolt through it and the tiller handle has a U dug out of it on the end that slides over the bolt into the frame with 2 pieces of metal on the side.

While looking online at replacements the end of the tillers do not have this cut out and instead look to be completely solid.

Is my tiller handle maybe seen better days and had some water intrusion because of this cut in the back?

If I end up getting a new tiller with a solid butt, is it better to dig it out like this? or just drill 1 hole and epoxy seal it and take a bit longer to setup by having to put the bolt in and out to remove the tiller as needed?

Pic attached for so you can see what I'm talking about.

[Delancey]

once upon a time your tiller was solid like the ones you see online.

water infiltrated the hole for the bolt and caused the laiminations to fail. maybe fill the hole/slot with thickened epoxy or try to glue in a new piece of wood then drill a new hole for the bolt.

what you see here is the common failure mode for laminated tillers like this. anybody with any sense knows that holes should be perpedicular to the laminations, not coplaner. they always fail like this.

if you get a new one drill an oversized hole for the bolt, then fill with thickened epoxy to create a bushing, then drill the correct size hole for the bolt, the thickened epoxy bushing will help prevent water infiltration and failure of the laminations.

[Stumble]

Measure the slot, and buy a piece of G10, mix up some epoxy and wet out the slot and G10, then slot the board in place. It will be stronger than the original.

[Dorsilfin]

Originally Posted by Delancey

once upon a time your tiller was solid like the ones you see online.

water infiltrated the hole for the bolt and caused the laiminations to fail. maybe fill the hole/slot with thickened epoxy or try to glue in a new piece of wood then drill a new hole for the bolt.

what you see here is the common failure mode for laminated tillers like this. anybody with any sense knows that holes should be perpedicular to the laminations, not coplaner. they always fail like this.

if you get a new one drill an oversized hole for the bolt, then fill with thickened epoxy to create a bushing, then drill the correct size hole for the bolt, the thickened epoxy bushing will help prevent water infiltration and failure of the laminations.

Thanks very much for the feedback. Ill see how the summer goes, might end up trying to patch a chunk of wood in there like you recommend, or at some point ill just pony up the 150 bucks and order a new one and keep this as a backup in its current form for easily throwing it on the rudder when needed.

[Yellowtulip]

That's an easy tiller to make. Buy a piece of marine ply, cut it into strips the same length as your present one, glue the strips together, with the laminations the other way, taper to taste later. Drill and bush a hole with epoxy as mentioned above for rudder fixing. A fun project, especially as you can continue with the current one for now. Will save you at least 100 dollars.


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[Cheechako]

I sure wouldn't use Ply for a tiller. That tiller looks in pretty good shape. Fill the slot with teak or other hardwood like white oak that is water resistant and epoxy to avoid water ingress into the wood.

[Pete7]

Followed by lots of UV resistant varnish and a cover when not in use or you will be back to square one in no time.

Pete

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I sure wouldn't use Ply for a tiller. That tiller looks in pretty good shape. Fill the slot with teak or other hardwood like white oak that is water resistant and epoxy to avoid water ingress into the wood.

Why not? Epoxy glued and coated and varnished it should be fine for many years. Good quality marine ply will be strong enough. The original tiller is a lamination, after all.


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[GordMay]

My emergency tiller was fashioned from an ash (or hickory?) axe handle.

[Dorsilfin]

Originally Posted by GordMay

My emergency tiller was fashioned from an ash (or hickory?) axe handle.

Thats a fantastic idea. Ill shop around for a 40 inch ish axe handle and drill a hole in the end. Give me a cheap backup to have around incase my wood repair sucked and this thing ends up snapping.

[Livinchi]

I also have some questions regarding attaching a tiller handle. Mainly with how to properly drill out and attach the tiller to the bracket. Some ideas were mentioned above I was wondering if somebody could expand on a little bit.

My tiller bracket has 3 bolts that go horizontally through the wood and 1 bolt that attached to the rudder post. The rudder post bolt sometimes gets loose allowing the tiller handle slam down from an upward position. This creates shock that I am sure slowly weakens the wood and laminate glue around the bolts. For this reason some kind of cushion or bushing would be helpful to protect and seal the wood.

I saw mentioned above to drill out larger holes than needed, fill those holes with thickened epoxy, then drill bolt size holes through that to make epoxy bushings. So this means to just fill the holes, let the epoxy set and cure, and then drill again? Would I also want to fill the holes with epoxy or sealant as the bolts go through and it is tightened?

What epoxy or sealants do you recommend for that? I am thinking the Six10 Thickened Epoxy like available at West Marine is what was mentioned above? Any recommendation on using that vs Loctite Marine epoxy or Marine Sealant by Loctite, 3M, or something else?

Could I just drill holes, fill with goop 'x', insert bolts, tighten and let set? Any advice appreciated!