Replacing tiller

[Dan]

Has anyone replaced their tiller on the Hunter 22? I need to buy a new one but the price for one from H&L seems pretty high. None of the other models seem to have the same width going into the rudder housing. I am considering buying a tiller for Catalina 27 which has similar dimensions except for the width and cut two pieces of 1/4" Starboard to use as bushings on each side of tiller to make up the difference in width. Has anybody else tried this yet or have a better solution. The Hunter 22 tiller is around $70 from H&L and the Catalina 27 tiller I can get for $50. I already have scraps of starboard from other projects. I am also going to be mounting a Raytheon tiller pilot to the tiller so I can't have any slop. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.Thanks,Dan

 

[Ray Bowles]

For a $20 bill I wouldn't cobble up a rudder,

especially since you are going to add a tiller pilot. If your geometry is not correct on your modified rudder you could defeat the effectiveness of the pilot. I'd use the Hunter designed rudder, but then I don't know your ability with tools and design. Good luck whatever way you go. Ray

 

[jcherubini]

Changing the tiller.

If you can't find a perfect match for the rudderhead go with a slightly wider tiller and plane it down. It's only a hunk of wood-- honest, there is not that much to it. It's like the steering wheel on a car-- as long as it does the job correctly, etc....My dad always put alternative tillers on his boats. We still have the original one from our 1973 Hunter 25 standing in the garage window. It was never installed because even before the factory put it on my dad had found a better one (from a 27 or 30 I think).The autopilot can be easily adjusted for tiller length and resulting leverage. You may find you like messing with it more than going with the autopilot maker's recommendations exactly anyway.Some things shouldn't be messed with and some don't matter. As far as this one goes, don't fret about it. Just go sailing.JCPS- That Hunter 22 is really a cute little boat. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Gregg Brock]

Spend the money to do it right

I've replaced the tiller on my h22 but went through West Marine. You're right, it is expensive but you get what you pay for. My suggestion would be to replace it with the correct tiller, anything else is just going to end up causing you problems. The last thing you want is for a catastophic failure to occur when you're on the water.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for responses

I have been sailing the boat for a couple of years now with a non-original tiller. A previous owner installed it. To me it looks like one of the handles from a wheel barow. Anyway I had gotten the measurements from H&L for the Hunter 22 tiller then measured my rudder housing to find that it would most definitely have slop with the "correct" part. The only failure that I can see with a tiller would be for it to break off. This is not likely to happen with this model. I have decided to adapt the tiller for a J-24 to my boat since they are readily available, reasonably cheap, and all of the dimensions but one are identical to the H-22. I will make large thin spacers that can transfer the forces to the rudder housing properly and reduce play so that my autopilot won't be fighting with it.Thank you for your opinions. It is nice to see people thinking about safety.Dan