Hinged tiller on PC

[glenn1489]

On a previous topic, Bruce posted a picture of his hinged tiller. I'm curious how this was done (hardware, etc.) and if others have done anything similar. Seems like it would be a nice improvement, but are there downsides to it?

[bruce]

That was one of those projects that I did just for the fun of it. A PC owner on the Yahoo list said he wanted to stand while piloting and asked if anyone had hinged their tiller, and I figured why not. I've found it more useful than I expected, and the tiller has been in no way compromised. I was concerned about that, so designed the mod accordingly.

I'm on the road, it will be Monday before I can write it up, but I'll be glad to share my thoughts.

[bruce]

My initial plan was to conceal most of the hinge within the tiller, but as I developed the design I was concerned that I was removing too much stock so I abandoned that approach. Long, skinny strap hinges aren't common, but Sea Dog makes a nice one out of 316 SS for folding wooden ladders that fit the bill perfectly, #205290. I elected to inlay the hinge, which entailed a fussy router set up, and easiest done before the tiller was cut. If you forgo the inlay, and surface mount the hinge, it would go quicker.

The hinge is not designed to provide the longitudinal rigidity required, so I elected to use cheek plates made of the same stock used to fasten the tiller to the rudder head, 3/16" 6061 aluminum. On the forward end the plates pivot, while aft a slot allows them to slide along a carriage bolt that can be clamped with an adjustable handle to hold the tiller at the desired angle.

When the tiller is down and clamped the plates are under axial tension and compression and the tiller feels solid. When the tiller is raised, there are additional torsional forces, but the tiller still feels comfortably firm.  The tiller is down when sailing, and even if I've forgotten to tighten the clamp, the tiller doesn't flex noticeably at the hinge.

I cut the tiller 20" from the forward end, and limited the rise to 65 degrees. Both are somewhat arbitrary, but they've worked for me.  Raised, the end of the tiller is about 6" below the boom resting in the gallows. The template shows the cheek dimensions. The cheek profiles roughly reflect the tiller profile at the hinge. I mounted the hinge and used thumb tacks to mount template to the assembled tiller to determine the slot dimensions. Probably a good idea since tillers my vary some, and adjustments at this stage are easy. All dimensions are on center, so the slot is larger to accommodate the shoulder of the carriage bolt. The angle of the raised tiller can easily be adjusted by modifying the slot. If the sides of the tiller aren't parallel, you'll need to shim the tiller a bit to cut and drill perpendicular to the axis.

I've had someone ask for a parts list previously, so I'll include it here. All part numbers are McMaster Carr. All of this can be sourced elsewhere of course.
Sea Dog hinge, part 1528A24
Aluminum bar, 6061, 3/16", 2", 2' long, part 8975K53
Carriage bolt, 316 SS, 3/8"-16, 2 1/2", part 93180A450
Adjustable handle, nylon and 304 SS, 3/8"-16, 11/16" deep, 3 5/8" long, part 6320K81
Hex head cap screw, 316 SS, 3/8"-16, 3", part 92186A636 (partial thread, trimmed to length)
Hex lock nut, 316 SS, 3/8"-16, part 90715A145
Teflon fender washers, part 95630A486

I do like this style of clamp handle, but it could foul a line if used on a Sun Cat with end-boom sheeting, for example, or interfere with a tiller cover. A lower profile knob might do better.

In use, I do like to stand when piloting in the harbor. Better visibility, and better to engage other skippers maneuvering around. I don't raise the tiller when crossing over when tacking, but if we had extra crew it could be useful. Sometimes it is nice to be able to get the tiller out of the way.

[glenn1489]

Nicely done -- very professional looking. I don't think I'm going to attempt it this year, but maybe in the future. I was mainly thinking of the benefit of getting the tiller out of the way while tacking - on most boats I've sailed, it can be raised up, which is especially beneficial as you stated with extra crew. I haven't had 4 on the PC yet, so I'll wait and see how that feels. Thanks again!

[bruce]

I agree Glenn, it's not the first thing I'd do. I do keep a spreadsheet of mods the I've done, with rankings for design and utility. These are subjective of course, based on our view. The hinged tiller gets a 3 out of 5 for utility, "most will find it useful".

If you, or anyone else, would like to see the spreadsheet send me a PM with your email and I'll forward a copy.