Tiller Fix / F style tillers from Defender
Mike, Great photos of your tiller rehab. Just what the doctor ordered for those damn delams.
It's too bad so much carving has to be done to get the tiller to fit the head.
Current online Defender catalog pictures only "F" style tillers from H&L. Some look like they are 'on sale.'
These do certainly seem to be the tiller style that MaiTai has. I don't know what size Bill has. They come in different lengths and widths. And at the moment Defender seems to be offering all the non-custom F style tillers that H&L makes.
I don't know what is best. Believe that racers might want a tidier version because of extra knees - while a cruiser might go for a longer one to make it easy to reach areas of the cockpit and still have a bodypart on the tiller.
Perhaps the time has come for that spare?
I've ordered the big one. Figure I can always cut it shorter and trim the sides down.....
Defender H&L 'F-style' Class tillers
612322>Mod130F (Santana 22/27) 45"L - butt 1 5/16"X2"H........62.99
612323>Mod1251F (J-24) 48 1/2"L - butt 1 12/32"X2 1/8H.........64.99
612324>Mod1252F (J-30) 54 1/2"L - butt 2 3/8"X2 1/2"...........102.99
612318>Mod101F (Cal 20/21) 60" - butt 1 5/8"X2"H..................68.99
612319 Mod105F (Cal 25) 48" - butt 1 5/8"X2H........................63.99
612320>Mod112F (Ranger 26/28) 43"L - butt 1 1/2"X2""............62.99
I'd call H&L and ask what the rise is for the tillers you are interested in.
The rise is, as I understand it, the height the S makes measured from the bottom of the butt. Maybe they have a fax-able data sheet???
So if you had that measurement and have the length and assume a fair curve (because tillers are bent wood the S curve won't be too radical) you could fake a decent representation of a tiller on cardboard - and see if that is what you want in the cockpit. You need two measurements: the rise and the length measured along the same horizontal the butt rests on.
It's an assumption this group of H&L "F" tillers are all proportionate to their length. In other words that they are all scaled versions of one another.
Seems unlikely considering these are class tillers and may have to conform to original designer specs and class racing rules. While Defender has 6 'F' tillers listed online (and the lowest prices), pyacht lists 16 class tillers in the 'F' design - more expensive but not near as ridiculous as rigrite.
I felt the Cal 20/21 was too long and skinny for me and ordered the J-30 because of its extra lams. Have other ideas for a tiller head and felt I needed a hefty tiller to play with.
Shortening one of these tillers, if so desired, would consist of cutting short or long on a fairly healthy length of butt-end these tillers all look like they have.
The 5 footer may well be the ideal off the shelf customizer for the Ariel. And the Commander too.
INPUT...INPUT...NEED INPUT... PLEASE RESPOND..
It's important to have a comfortable tiller. When you're reaching around for it in the dark you'd want it to be there above seat-level, easy to grab, right where it ought to be.
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These are current Memorial Day Defender prices 2008. (and they may have changed.) Copied the data as best I did, but it may be screwed up.
Gas prices this holiday are above $4gal and rising - all prices are skyrocketing. The only thing that'll be cheaper tomorrow is the dollar.:eek: