big day out in Boston Harbor, broke tiller connector!

Small craft advisory, 2 foot swells, 15-20 knot winds with gusts up to 30kts. Can you say fun! So I was out with my first mate, we screamed along on double traps, flew hulls, pitchpoled once into a big wave, dumped it twice, generally had a great time until...big gust of wind and a big wave combined to reverse pitchpole us backwards. On the way down (I think we were near vertical, just the sterns and rudders in the water) my crew fell over the hull and I fell backwards thru the tiller bar. I snapped the aluminum endcap piece on the starboard rudder tiller tube (left a nice bruise on my left elbow too!), thus leaving us with only a controllable portside rudder. Not a problem as we were able to cruise to the launching beach on a long port tack, even got back out on the wire!

So, question is what do I replace it with? My boat is 82 vintage, and I understand the newer boats have an updated connection between the tiller tube and the tiller crossbars. Compatible with my old boat or should I just drill out and rivet in a new endcap piece and call it good.

There was another similar post recently about this. If you're willing to spend the money the 20 style connectors are the way to go. I think it was posted as costing around $120, somewhere in that ballpark anyway. I think the original style cost $32???

Brogger,

Thanks, I had searched the forum before I posted and found the thread about the 20 style connectors, but it didnt make much sense to me. With a little more research, I've found it is the HC 1953 tiller connector kit, priced about $120. Can anybody comment on what kind of drilling is required to install this kit onto an older crossbar/tiller tube setup?

I did it on my old cross bar, and it's pretty easy if you follow the instructions included with the kit. Expect to spend about 2 hours at the most doing it (I'm very cautious so I may take longer than others). I forget the size drill bit you need to drill out the old rivets, but make sure you get a bit that is stronger than stainless steel.

Also, you'll need a pop rivet gun. If this is the only time you expect to use the gun then you can probably get away with the $15 one at the local hardware store, but if you think this is a tool you'll use more often, then upgrade to one that will last through multiple stainless steel rivets.

If you've got the money and plan to keep the boat for a while, then go with the upgrade tiller connector, since it makes installation and removal of the rudders much easier, the connection of the tiller to the tiller cross bar is tighter, and rudder toe-in/out adjustment can be done without tools (one end of the connectors screws in and out for adjustment).