C-025 Bisquit

[ebb]

99% of all traditional tillerheads attach the tiller on its sides.
Leaving the top open.
Every once in awhile you see one that holds the tiller butt in a channel, like
ours, if you have the original.
It's really a massive fitting. Easy to imagine ours translated to formed steel
channel, which is seen sometimes in modern boats.
If you've given the tiller a snug fit in the fitting, where can it go sideways??

Sideways bolts really mess with the laminate. How many pieces in the
glueup? 5 - 6 ? Drill holes sideways thru the tiller, you've severed two or
three of them! Sideways holes will collect moisture. We will seal the holes.

Clamping the tiller into the 'channel' seems so natural, it boggles the mind
why it isn't done by everyone.
Nuts are on the bottom, some may object to that. but you could dap them
in a bit in shallow counters with a medium size fender washer, leaving the
nuts half exposed.

Besides the sides of the channel are too short to spread the bolts properly.
Tiller has some lams that are even more compromised, maybe causing the
break you experienced. The original tiller probably was cut from solid wood.

Can use carriage bolts in square holes for a smooth look.

I found some slotted oval head bronze strut bolts at TopNotchFasteners,
Drilled three chamfered holes in a row like buttons along the top of the
channel. If anybody asks what the empty holes in the sides are for,
they're there so the tiller can breathe, of course!

Line up the slots and nobody will argue with you....

[mbd]

Here you go - a variation of Capt Ebb's excellent advice in action on an original tiller fitting:



From the "tiller Discussions" thread: http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...er-Discussions

From post #40, this pic shows the potential problem Ebb is talking about.



Thanks again Ebb!

[Bisquit]

I'm going to do this. It makes so much sense. I have the original fitting. I had it re-chromed last winter. I'll get some nice stainless carriage bolts and recess the nuts in the bottom of the tiller I'll live with the temp tiller until the end of the season (unfortunately pretty soon). My laminate has 11 layers at the butt end. A 1/2" bolt will go through 2 - 3 of the layers. Thanks for the excellent advise.