Laminated Tiller

[Helpful Son]

My dad has been building a pocketship, so I thought that for Christmas that I would laminate a tiller for him with two different coloured woods. Could some let me know the dimensions? Is it safe to use most woods, as long as they are well varnished? I could ask my dad these questions, but it would be less of a surprise.

[John C. Harris]

I have an emailable version; john [at] clcboats.com

Or let's see if I can post it:

Tiller Dimensions.jpg (153.59 KiB) Viewed 11051 times

[Helpful Son]

Thanks, John. Maybe I'm missing something, but I couldn't figure out the thickness.

[JonLee]

The tiller should be 3/4" thick. I'd go with at least one strong, fairly stiff wood in your laminate...at 3/4" thick, the tiller can be a bit floppy under load if you use a wood that is not stiff enough. I sailed PocketShip #1 and found her 3/4" tiller to be a bit too compliant for my tastes.

My tiller is made out of solid 1" thick ash, milled to 3/4" where just where it slips into the rudder. It doesn't deform under load, but of course it isn't as attractive as the laminated tiller you are hoping to build.

Good Luck!

[Helpful Son]

thanks for all the quick responses.

[Pascal]

I did mine with mahogany and fir and it is great. I since added an extension to it . I tried to post a picture but could not sorry
You could see it on the "Pascal pocketship blog" My daughter had given me 4 hours of her time in the shop for father's day and we built the tiller that way. Loved it !

[Helpful Son]

Pascal, that is exactly what I had envisioned doing! Very helpful pictures on your blog. How thick did you decide to do each strip? Would you advise that I do an extension from the start? Did you simply do ten 1/4" strips that were an inch wide?

I'd have my daughter give me a hand, but at seven months old, I'm still not allowed to put her to work in the wood shop.

[Pascal]

I would recommend doing the extension at the same time. While sitting back you cannot use the tiller very well. With the extension it is very comfortable. I did use 1/4 " strips and I took the cut off part to do the extension. I could send you a picture to an email if you like.

[John C. Harris]

I consider a tiller extension, with a universal joint on the tiller, to be almost indispensable for enjoying a boat this size. Naturally, as these things go, mine has been sitting in the box uninstalled for four years now.

My original tiller was longer and thicker-sectioned, stepping down to 3/4" where it slotted into the rudder. This "felt" right, but I drew the hole in the transom too small on PocketShip #1. The thicker tiller bound in the opening, limiting the swing of the rudder. Also, that tiller extended nearly to the front end of the cockpit, great for singlehanding but a nuisance with a crew aboard. I replaced it with the shorter laminated tiller in the plans and manual.

[kilderkin]

So, guess what Kilderkin II got in her stocking - a beautiful ash and mahogany tiller, with a matching piece for an extension - really cool. So, thanks to my son Rob (helped in spirit by Kate), and also JonLee, JohnC, Pascal and any others I don't know about - I love this Pocketship community!

Now all I need is three warm days to finish sheathing the hull! Not easy in MA.