gazmo

Tried dredging the cut from my boat but to no avail. Spent most of Saturday dragging various implements along the bed and found nothing. Ruined an extendable hook in the process too! I'm near a boatyard so will see what they can do. Sigh.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'll post some photos as soon as I can. Happy New Year.

Ha! Funny you say that as I've recently noticed some grease in the stern that solidifies a bit like goose fat. I've got a hydraulic system and there seems to be a lot of oil leaking yet the tank never seems to get any emptier. Nice idea. I've got some old RWP I can cut to length for that. My mom's just suggested putting a sticky LED light in the bottom somehow for a bit of illumination.

I'm on the Oxford Canal, almost at Cov. Other than the weather it's been problem-free since the launch. I'm hoping I can get it sorted early this week and move on before my 14 days is up.

That looks useful. I've borrowed a similar thing from my mom who's got allsorts of gardening stuff. I'm determined not to have to buy a new one.

Fortunately I'm right outside a fishing tackle shop so if the worst comes to the worst I can get some waders which I'm thinking might be a good investment anyway! My sister is also on that stretch of canal on her springer with a similar tool to the keb you posted. I may end up asking her to meet me and help out as the springer could do a 360 in that particular section. The tiller in your link just looks like a straight circular steel section. Is the intention that the chandlers bend it to spec or is the swan-neck a generic one? I suppose any slack could be taken out with the handle if I'm lucky... I might get in touch with them and ask about mounting as I need to rethread it now anyway. Still not really living on her and she's little more than a sailaway atm! I may be able to dream of a shower in the spring I think a couple of rakes and a grappling hook should do it. And a couple of spotters on the bank!

Yes, having slept on it I've decided to fish it out. My hat came off as I went into the bank and got stuck in an over-hanging tree at the exact moment the tiller went in. It means I can pinpoint it to a couple of yards radius as the hat's still there. I've decided to keep the bow tethered to the bank and let the aft drift out to the spot. I've managed to find a decent size magnet and rope and a few gardening tools to I can sit on the deck and have a dredge. If I get someone to hold the aft with a long rope I should be able to search a decent area and pull myself back in if other boaters come past. The handle was a brand new chrome one so that might help visibility!

Hello. Yes, it's the tiller and handle and they came out taking the thread-worn bolt/washer and everything above the stock with it. As you say, I suspect it's bespoke, given the history of the build and even the flattened connection/mount that slots onto the stock seems like quite a unique pattern. It could be a real pain to get remade.

Hello there. When I set off this morning I'd gone a few yards when the tiller went wobbly and fell into the cut leaving me adrift and watching my tiller and handle settle into the silt on the wrong side of the canal. The bolt thread had worked loose and rusted and was much worse than I'd realised. I've managed to moor up almost opposite the spot it sank into and I've been promised by a few locals a helping hand to try to fish it out. But if I can't find it, would anyone know the best place to buy a replacement tiller and how much I'd expect to pay? I'm happy to have a mooch around some boatyards if second-hand is the best option as I'll need a full repaint in the spring and have much else to do in the meantime. Any help gratefully received. I'm also looking for a mobile welder in the Brum area to do a few small repair jobs such as hinge replacement etc if anyone has any recommendations.