What to do with a dried out tiller.

[bedouin]

My tiller, which was beginning to get rather tired anyway has really suffered in the recent hot weather. It seems to have dried out totally and shrunk so it is now loose in the stainless steel fitted where previously it had been so tight it was impossible to remove. And it also seems very dry and brittle - so much so that I would hesitate to use it in its current state.

So I either need to give this one the kiss of life or get a replacement PDQ. If I leave this one in a bath of water is it likely to swell again at least enough to be snug in the fitting? If so I might screw a couple of pieces of strengthening to it to keep going this season before doing a proper replacement over winter.

Or is there someone who sells off-the-shelf tillers or suitable wooden blanks I can shape myself?

The existing tiller (for a 32' boat) is laminated and straight (rather than curved as many are) so should not be too difficult to cut and shape.

 

[Refueler]

Make your own ...... surely ?

If the wood has dried that badly - I would not trust it at all even after dunking in water - regardless of adding strengthening to it.

I have an emergency spare tiller which is laminated white and red wood layers ... straight ... and sanded smooth. Not much more than a days work. My working tiller is longer and has a lovely curve to it ... with Turks head at end. It is laminated from dark woods while set in formers to induce the curve.

Both have been saturated with thinned varnish and then polished ..... working tiller is at least 30yr old ...

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

If rehydrating with H2O, seawater would be a good choice, as the salt will always attract moisture from the air and keep it from shrinking. I suspectit has had too much rainwater and not enough seawater. As suggested in the above posts It is time to replace it and perhaps keep it as a spare.

 

[bedouin]

Make your own ...... surely ?

If the wood has dried that badly - I would not trust it at all even after dunking in water - regardless of adding strengthening to it.

Making my own sounds like a winter project and I agree about not trusting the existing one - at least not in anything over F3 - so I have to find some way of rescuing the rest of the season.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

How about an axe/ pick handle as a quick and temporary fix from ebay.
Some are over 3 feet long and a small bit of modification might do it.
Ash is nice and strong.

 

[V1701]

Or this...

Any old bit of wood as long as the grain is going the right way should do as a stop gap, assuming you have some basic woodworking tools - shape it a bit, sand it a bit, slap some varnish on and off you go...

 

[bedouin]

How about an axe/ pick handle as a quick and temporary fix from ebay.
Some are over 3 feet long and a small bit of modification might do it.
Ash is nice and strong.

Now that's a great idea - I should be able to find something along those lines that will be quick and simple.

Having removed the fittings the tiller where it goes into the housing is pretty rotten - no hope of saving or reusing any of it.

 

[LiftyK]

Once you have your new tiller, do make a cover for it. Leaving mine covered when not in use has made a huge difference. It still looks great after several seasons.