I have been meaning to put a tiller extension on my M17, but just haven't decided on what to get yet. When sailing solo the other day I was desperate so I created a tiller extension out of a piece of line. It actually worked amazingly well, so I thought i would share. I tied a piece of line about 2' long to the end of the teller and  I put a little loop in the end so I could hold it with one finger. Using it I was able to stand in the front of the cockpit and hold the boom out when sailing down wind while still being able to steer. Going up wind, because I had some weather helm, I was able to sit back and just keep a little tension on the line. Once in a while I had to grab the tiller (when it swung toward me) but it worked pretty good.   If it was just a little longer I think I could of reached things in the cabin or uncleat the halyard without letting go of the tiller and going into a death spiral. I still want to get a fixed extension for heavier weather but until then I will count on my soft extension.  If anyone can advise on a brand or size extension that's good for an M17, please let me know. Thanks, Ron McNeil M17 #675 / Jackpot