J/70 Tiller Shortening
As some of you may know, the J/70 Class Rules now allow you to shorten you tiller. The new rules states,
The tiller length may be modified provided that the length does not exceed 1460mm and is no less than 1270mm. Measurements are taken from the forward end of the tiller to the bolt attaching the tiller to the rudder head.
Below we will take you through the process that we use to shorten a tiller from start to finish at Sail22.
Step 1 : Measuring
The length of the tiller is measured from the center of the hole that is used to bolt the tiller to the rudder. Using the center of that hole as a center point, imagine striking an arc with a radius of 1270mm. Where that arc meets the tiller is your minimum length. Check out the video to see exactly how this is done.
Step 2
The next step is to add a piece of G10 to the underside of the tiller, so the new hole we drill for the universal has something solid to screw into. In the video to the right, as well as the photos below, you can see that we used a piece of G10 rod. We first drilled a hole down the center, tapped it with 10-24 threads, and inserted it through a hole we drilled into the bottom of the tiller.
Before we added the epoxy to secure it in place, we first screwed in the universal from the top to keep it aligned as the epoxy set.
Step 3
The next step is to fill the bottom of the tiller with vinylester filler and begin shaping the end of the tiller. The area in blue represents the area that will be filled. While you are working on the universal, mark the forward edge (represented here by the black dotted line). This will help you know how large of a radius you can make the end while still allowing the universal to sit on a flat surface.
Step 4: Finishing
The final step is to finish the end of the tiller. By now you should have it all shaped, and the bottom filled. Add any additional vinylester to fill in any small dents or voids. Sand it all smooth and apply multiple coats of gelcoat. Because of how small the area is, the easiest way is to brush the gelcoat directly on, and wetsand it smooth after it is fully cured.
If you don’t want to tackle this project yourself, we’d be happy to take it off of your boat list. We are currently taking tillers in for shortening and can ship back to you when complete. Send an email now to info@sail22.com to check this project off today.