Extended Tiller handle for cruiser stern boat opinions please.

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

A friend was asked to turn a longer than normal tiller handle for a boater who has a square back cruiser stern, as it’s difficult to reach the throttle when doing certain manoeuvres. I found this is quite a common problem  on cruiser sterns. Below is the finished longer handle attached to tiller bar.

 I would like to ask members with Cruiser sterns for their opinions on this and do you think there would be a market for them. Thank you.

 

Edited April 5 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Higgs]

It would increase leverage, but it could be a hazard at bridge holes, if it extends too far beyond the side of the boat during turns. Maybe the kind of hinged/pivot extension arrangement they use on yacht tillers would be more practical. 

 

If the morse is too far away, it points to a bad design position of the control.

 

 

Edited April 5 by Higgs

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

7 minutes ago, Higgs said:

It would increase leverage, but it could be a hazard at bridge holes, if it extends too far beyond the side of the boat during turns. Maybe the kind of hinged/pivot extension they use on yacht tillers would be more practical. 

 

 

I don’t see how it would be a hazard going under a bridge as you don’t really do significant turns. Maybe if unattended in a lock it may be an issue and may need removing ?????

[Higgs]

Just now, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

I don’t see how it would be a hazard going under a bridge as you don’t really do significant turns. Maybe if unattended in a lock it may be an issue and may need removing ?????

 

The second bridge out of Willington would test that theory.

 

 

[Jon57]

25 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

A friend was asked to turn a longer than normal tiller handle for a boater who has a square back cruiser stern, as it’s difficult to reach the throttle when doing certain manoeuvres. I found this is quite a common problem  on cruiser sterns. Below is the finished longer handle attached to tiller bar.

 I would like to ask members with Cruiser sterns for their opinions on this and do you think there would be a market for them. Thank you.

 

You could offer a quick fit option for the end to make it into a cabin shaft, keb, weed hatch hook, washing line post. The list is endless. 😁👍

[MtB]

I can imagine that snapping off at the point it joins the brass tiller bar, if being pushed hard over in a manoeuvre with a fair it of power on. 

 

With the resultant risk of the steerer taking a look.

 

 

[system 4-50]

Fit a modified/enhanced motorcycle twist throttle to a standard tiller. 

[haggis]

I have seen a hinger tiller on cruiser sterns which seems to work well. You can just hinge it up out of the way to allow access past the tiller or when there is a risk of the tiller extending beyond the boat in a lock. 

[Hudds Lad]

I'm with @MtB, i reckon it would stress the join with the increased leverage.

 

What was the reason for a longer handle rather than a longer bar and standard length handle?

 

That said, i've seen quite a few cruiser sterns where the controls are out of reach with shorter tillers, bad design.

[IanD]

If this had a sleeve so it could slip on over the existing handle/tiller bar I'd buy one 🙂 

 

My tiller bar at the moment (semi-trad stern) is about right for steering standing up just inside the doors, too long for steering from the stern, and too short for sitting down in front of the control pillar... 😞 

 

(yes I know about steering from the stern, dangerous, getting knocked off etc -- which is why I only do it when going ahead...)

 

Edited April 5 by IanD

[David Mack]

The trouble with the longer tiller is that you have to move it further to the side to achieve a given angle of turn. Which then puts you further from the speed control lever...

[Sea Dog]

I would always wish a tiller to not  extend beyond the side of the boat when the rudder is hard over. This is particularly to avoid the hazard of it fouling a lock wall when hard over. Any tiller longer that that should have a hinge to prevent said hazard - not a rarity on the cut.

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Sea Dog said:

I would always wish a tiller to not  extend beyond the side of the boat when the rudder is hard over. This is particularly to avoid the hazard of it fouling a lock wall when hard over. Any tiller longer that that should have a hinge to prevent said hazard - not a rarity on the cut.

I did look at whether the tiller could be made telescopic with a twist-to-lock like you get on other extending handles (e.g. telescopic boathooks) but we couldn't figure out an easy way to do it in the time we had available...

 

 

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, David Mack said:

The trouble with the longer tiller is that you have to move it further to the side to achieve a given angle of turn. Which then puts you further from the speed control lever...

 

Not if you hold it in the middle when pushing the tiller away from the controls. Just because it's long doesn't mean you have to hold it at the very end

16 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I would always wish a tiller to not  extend beyond the side of the boat when the rudder is hard over. This is particularly to avoid the hazard of it fouling a lock wall when hard over. Any tiller longer that that should have a hinge to prevent said hazard - not a rarity on the cut.

 

I agree with that. I tiller that extends beyond the profile of the boat is a bad idea.

[Onewheeler]

36 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I would always wish a tiller to not  extend beyond the side of the boat when the rudder is hard over. This is particularly to avoid the hazard of it fouling a lock wall when hard over. Any tiller longer that that should have a hinge to prevent said hazard - not a rarity on the cut.

I thought that my tiller was fine like that, but my son and his mates proved otherwise. However, I find the small resulting bend in the tiller arm rather satisfactory from the point of view of standing in the rear doors and steering.

[Ewan123]

6 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

I don’t see how it would be a hazard going under a bridge as you don’t really do significant turns. Maybe if unattended in a lock it may be an issue and may need removing ?????

I've been through a couple that might have been troublesome this way - coming out of Hallingbury Marina comes to mind where our stern basically needed to slide along the inside edge of the bridge as we turned sharply on exit. It would also be true for anything at tiller height on the canal edge in tight manoeuvres though, be that walls, other boats, vegetation etc. 

 

Regarding the general idea, it presumably wouldn't be any help if the tiller is over to starboard and the throttle is on the port side, for example. I'd have thought the sort often seen on sailing dinghies would be a greater advantage, and it would fold back along the tiller arm so no trouble with getting it caught beyond the side of the boat. Or some way to extend the human arm rather than the tiller arm!

Edited April 5 by Ewan123

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

Not if you hold it in the middle when pushing the tiller away from the controls. Just because it's long doesn't mean you have to hold it at the very end

Then you are back to the original problem of having to stand too far back to reach the controls.

7 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

That is a nice piece of work.

But surely the better answer is, as often done on cruiser stern boats, to mount the speed control on a separate pedestal within reach of the steerer, rather than putting it inside the cabin doors.

[Jon57]

4 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Then you are back to the original problem of having to stand too far back to reach the controls.

I suppose it depends if it's a widebeam probleby. 

[David Mack]

6 minutes ago, David Mack said:

But surely the better answer is, as often done on cruiser stern boats, to mount the speed control on a separate pedestal within reach of the steerer, rather than putting it inside the cabin doors.

And rather than an anonymous painted steel box with a morse lever at the top, how about one of these?

[Jon57]

Just now, David Mack said:

And rather than an anonymous painted steel box with a morse lever at the top, how about one of these?

Only if you have a proper engine 😂

[Mike Tee]

Hinged tillers were mentioned earlier - anyone have an idea where I can get one ready made up apart from ProCast?

[MtB]

8 hours ago, Onewheeler said:

I thought that my tiller was fine like that, but my son and his mates proved otherwise. However, I find the small resulting bend in the tiller arm rather satisfactory from the point of view of standing in the rear doors and steering.

 

I suspect that entering a narrow lock at a fair lick then engaging astern and revving the engine with enthusiasm, can lead to the rudder snapping across to full deflection and the handle of an over-long tiller catching the lock wall while the boat is still travelling forwards.

 

Especially if the steerer is not expecting it and does not have a really good grip on the tiller. 

 

 

 

Edited April 5 by MtB
Finesse a point.

[PNB116]

9 hours ago, Mike Tee said:

Hinged tillers were mentioned earlier - anyone have an idea where I can get one ready made up apart from ProCast?

They are for sale at Midland Chandlers. I have had one for a few years now and certainly didn’t pay the current price!  It works well for me though

 

https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/products/ag-tiller-hinge-lift-up-brass-at-030-m

[Mike Tee]

^^^^ thanks but they only sell the hinge, I want to buy a complete finished item at the length I want.

At the moment I don't have a garage to use as a workshop, no vice, not too many tools etc so want a finished product. Tried Pro-Cast but ........... well, won't go there.

[blackrose]

On 05/04/2024 at 15:30, Onewheeler said:

I thought that my tiller was fine like that, but my son and his mates proved otherwise. 

 

That's the thing a lot of boat owners fail to appreciate. Things like trip hazards on decks and gunwales, slippery gloss paint on cabin roofs or excessively long tiller handles might be ok for someone familiar with the boat who knows about them and remembers the hazard is there, but safety on boats needs to account for the occasional visitor too.

On 05/04/2024 at 17:45, David Mack said:

Then you are back to the original problem of having to stand too far back to reach the controls.

 

Not necessarily. It depends where the controls are in the first place. The arc of my tiller means I can't reach the controls from the end when it's pushed hard over to starboard (to turn to port), but if I hold it halfway down I can reach the controls fine.