Hi Rich, I like to sit all the way forward in the cockpit while sailing alone. It keeps the transom out of the water. When I bought LEPPO, it came with an un installed Forespar tiller extension. I installed it and tried using it but rapidly came to the conclusion that this was the wrong solution for the problem. Why? Well, with the standard M15 tiller, and the Forespar extension, the extension was at about a 120 degree angle to the tiller itself. This gave you no leverage when a gust hit. For that you need a 90 degree pull, or push. Back to the drawing board.... I built a wooden extension that had a total tiller length of about 50 inches (off the top of my head since LEPPO now has new owners). I hollowed out the bottom of the extension to fit over the regular tiller. I made a pin to fit the Forespar fitting. The extension was held in placed with a VELCRO strip on the tapered back end of the extension, behind the pin. This allowed instant removal of the tiller extension, and proved strong enough to hold properly in all the sudden gusts I experienced on the lake. ....but, I didn't build it so it cleared my knees. Then I built my final model; new and improved with enough rise to clear my knees when I sat all the way forward in the cockpit. It was a great success. Easy to hold: ....the added length made tiny course adjustments easy (longer lever arm to rudder). My $0.02 worth of know-how. Happy sailing Connie