CD25 Tiller replacement

[Doug Fallin]

I'm looking to replace my tiller. Does anyone know of a good source?

[viejo]

I once spent a weekend with a steel grinder working on a clear oak 2x4 replicating the tiller off of the boat I owned at the time. The oak was rock hard and the steel grinder was the only thing that would work it well.

At the end of the weekend I had sculpted a pretty fair replica of the tiller (I was trying to keep it close to original).

Found later that the guy I bought the boat from had just gone to Ace Hardware and gotten a post-hole digger handle when he needed to replace the tiller.

Still, it looked good.

Try West Marine, they have generic tillers in the catalog.

[Brad Smith]

When we broke our tiller, we used a piece of ash. I am sure that it is easier to work than oak. We used the old tiller as a template. A few minutes with a bandsaw and quite a few minutes with a belt sander and we had a workable piece. When varnished it turns a nice yellow.

Good luck with your project.

[Dan & Pat]

There's nothing like a good piece of Ash! (alright you with the dirty minds!)

Its great stuff - hard and light, both weight and color, takes a steam bend well, but doesn't warp easily. That's what some of the best oars used to be made out of. Today, its most often seen in baseball bats, hammer and axe handles, and lightweight canoe framework.

I think the only drawback to using ash on something like a tiller handle would be that the constant handling would make it difficult keeping a good finish on it. It is so dense that you would have to get a good penetrating base on the bare wood, and follow that with many coats of your 'finish of choice'. Scratches and dings would have to be attended to promptly.

The modern laminated tillers are attractive, but leave something to be desired in the aesthetic sense. I love the look of a well cared for solid wood stick.

[plumber]

I still have the original one but found a need to have a replacement just in case. Being the kind of person that I am I have now several to choose from. Oak, ash, teak, pine and so on. Only one of them is a match for the original. The one I like best is an extra heavy oak phallic that brings a lot of comments at the dock. My wife is not to thrilled though!
Plumber
Dreamer CD25, 724, Oswego Harbor

[spoefish]

When I needed to replace the tiller on my Typhoon I traced the curve of the old one on a piece of 3/4" plywood. Then sawed out some curved blocks and bolted them to the curve I had drawn on the ply. Ripped ash and mahogany strips about 3/16" thick and glued and clamped them one at a time. When it was all glued up I carved it to shape - came out great and seems much stronger than the one-piece. And I still have the bending form somewhere in case I ever need another (unlikely).

Stephen