As I stated in part 1 of this post, I opted to repair the tiller rather than simply buy a new one. The reason was two-fold; Obviously it’s less expensive to repair than replace and secondly, if I repair, I gain some bit of new knowledge.
I did a small bit of internet research and talked with a friend about repairing it and the consensus was to simply use epoxy to repair the broken tiller end.
I already had some 2-part epoxy. It was Gorilla brand with 3300 psi bond strength, so I figured that would be plenty strong enough.
I mixed up the epoxy, spread the split apart a little more than it was already and put the epoxy within the split. I put it as far down into the split as I could. I then clamped the tiller end shut with the C-clamps. If you’re wondering what the paint-stirrers are for, you’ll see in the next photo.
I let it sit for a couple days and it seems like a successful repair. The bolt holes are still unprotected, old and worn out, so my next step was to fill the bolt holes with epoxy. The idea is to re-drill the bolt holes and also reinforce the holes with some type of metal sleeve inside the hole.
I don’t have a full workshop full of all the necessary tools and equipment necessary to perform all tasks, so most times, I have to adapt and overcome [a term I learned and embraced while in the military.] So in order to re-drill the bolt holes, I used the tiller brackets clamped together to help align my drill so it’d be a more accurate hole. This method worked, for the most part, as I only missed one of the three holes by less than 1/16 of an inch. It was an easy fix to simply drill from the opposite side on that one hole to get everything aligned.
I took the tiller to the boat today and re-installed it. See below video for results.
Any ideas, thoughts or input on how I did this? Please comment.
Mike
Nice job. It’s all about using what you have to get the job done.
SV Kintala
http://www.theretirementproject.blogspot.com
What is the yellow wrap on your tiller? My tiller is failing at the other end as your and after I repair it, I’d like to wrap it with something for extra strength. Thanks!
Hi there, thanks for the comment/question. The tiller was wrapped with that whipping when I bought the boat. No telling how long it’s been on there. It’s some kind of small diameter cord. It’s not soft. I think whoever braided it covered it with some kind of epoxy or something to make sure it never comes apart.
But to answer your question, this particular style appears to be French Whipping. With a quick internet search I discovered a blog which describes the process. Here’s a link: French Whipping Tiller
Thanks and good luck with it!
Mike
Thanks Mike!
I decided not to repair my tiller when I found out it was a wheelbarrow handle. I bought a new one for $10. Living and learning.
Hey there. I’ve heard of people doing that and I think, for the most part, it should be ok. One thing to keep in mind though is that wheelbarrow handle is one solid piece whereas the actual tillers are multiple laminate wood strips which are ultimately much stronger than one-piece.
All in all, sounds like a pretty good, and inexpensive, option!
Mike
As a further improvement to the repair have you considered placing a metal strap on the bottom of the tiller and attached to the ends of the through bolt closest to the far end of the tiller and a metal strap on the top of the tiller attached to the ends of the through bolt closest to the transom. The over under placement of the metal straps will counter any downward leveraged force applied at the tiller end and minimize the potential to again split along the lamination. It seems to be poor design to align the attachment bolts with the lamination.
Thanks Ed, that sounds like it would very likely make it sturdier. Maybe I should have done that….seeing as it broke again a year later and I bought a new tiller. Might have saved me that cost, but now this new tiller should last quite a while!
Mike