how much do they cost?

About sixty bucks, depending. Seems quite the deal when you consider how hard they would be to make. http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=201 &prrfnbr=118646&outlet= Giles Morris -----Original Message----- From: rc2222@postoffice.pacbell.net [mailto:rc2222@postoffice.pacbell.net] Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 4:14 PM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: Tiller extension Tom: Why not just buy a J24 Tiller, how much do they cost? I'm not capable of of building one. Regarding night sailing on the M15. The only time I tried it-I grounded in a hotbed of night bugs. It was awful. Now I make sure I'm anchored or tied up before nightfall. Rich Cottrell "Smith, Tom" wrote:

The M15's short tiller is awkward with an extension in many situations. Thanks for doing the experiment and coming up with a 54 inch starting place. It would be a nice winter project to glue up and shape a new tiller with a rise similar to the stock J24 tiller...

Tom Smith & Jane Van Winkle Sandpoint, Idaho M15-345, Chukar

-----Original Message----- From: Conbert H Benneck [mailto:chbenneck@juno.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 8:13 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: Tiller extension

Hi John,

Your comment about wanting to make a longer tiller for your M15 got me thinking too.

My present set-up left a lot to be desired; even using the Forespar tiller extension. This worked - after a fashion - but the geometry was all wrong. You were trying to control the boat, sitting in the forward corner of the cockpit with the Forespar Tiller Extension to tiller connection, via an obtuse angle, which didn't give the control or the feel that I like.

So, your comment about making a longer tiller had me grabbing a suitable piece of pine in my shop, and I built a new tiller extension, as a mock-up to try out the concept

Part of my design involved length - the tiller end now is about 2 inches forward of the sail locker lid.

The second change was to cut the aft end of my extension at a shallow angle, raising the front of the tiller by about 3 inches, to make it easier to reach and to hold.

This is just a mock-up to test the idea. I fastened the tiller extension to the tiller with a length of bungee cord and tried it our yesterday.

Initial reaction:

Great improvment over the existing tiller. I can sit in the forward corner of the cockpit, and can easily hold the extended tiller with two fingers.

Steering control is vastly improved through the longer lever arm of the extended tiller. Now you can make minute corrections to your course rather than sail in "S" bends, as was previously the case.

Extending the tiller to about 54" in length, also gives you very excellent control when a gust hits; and I had enough gusts yesterday to give me a very good test of the idea.

After my initial test voyage yesterday, the conclusion is that I want the longer tiller. The open question is how do I attatch the extension to the standard tiller so that it is easily removable. I've got some ideas and will play with those as a next step.

I will also change the tiller angle to raise the forward end about another 1 to 2 inches: it makes for easier holding and sailing. You are not reaching down to your knees to hold the tiller.

You, as I understood you, were going to make a new tiller to the length you required.

I am going to go my route of having a tiller extension available to play with first, and then, after having lived with it for some time, maybe I too, will feel that a new long tiller with the proper height at the forward end will be the ultimate way to go.

But even with my primative lash-up, it is a big step forward in sailing comfort, control, and feel.

Connie M15 #400 LEPPO

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