Hobie Cat Forums

Larry, that tiller extension method is an outstanding example of the reason the KISS principle is a winner. Simply brilliant.

Thanks Tony, But KISS is also another work for lazy and in a hurry. I want most of the things too serve duel purpose. I have some bench seats that I got for ball games at the high school but never used, they will not last long in salt water but at least I'll get some use out of them. I will strap them under the back strap for the boards, and see how long the ratchet back rest will last this weekend. I'll have the gopro on and the other camera so more next week.

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“Remember life is short- eat dessert first.”
The world is 70% water – So that means we should spend 70% more time sailing than mowing lawns!
Larry

Don't be so modest Larry! All the other solutions I have seen for attaching a tiller extension have been more complicated/pricey. Yours, on the other hand, could easily be swapped to either tiller on a TI, is easily adjustable, and just as importantly, easily maintained (by swapping in some new cord).

Good luck with the deluxe seating arrangements too

You want simple?
20mm conduit offcut, 2 rivets (one each side), bungee, heatshrink, rubber handle.





OK.... I overdid it with the heatshrink and the rubber handle and I probably could have got away with one rivet.

Thanks for the idea Larry!

Thanks NOHUHU and to all for your contributions. They helped me decide on my haka version.

Here are some details: each haka weighs ~13 lbs. I used bike tire inner tube on each channel to protect the aka from getting scratched. The rubber tube also prevents the haka from slipping. The spacers are made of 3/4"x1"x12" HDPE (cutting board material) screwed (#8 brass machine screws) on the channels. Painted to match the hull color. The bench flexes a bit which I guess gives better performance. When I sit on the center, where the AI is on solid ground, the haka sags about 1.5"; granting I weigh 165 lbs. Total time to finish... 7hrs including runs to the hardware store. Will I do it again? Maybe. It was challenging but I had a great time building it.

http://flic.kr/p/bxQjHf

Tony, Thanks. I'll get some pictures of the seating and any crashes this week end. I remounted the mounts for the gopro last night so will have it running this weekend.


Stringy, That looks great! Very well done. Nice and light also.

_________________
“Remember life is short- eat dessert first.”
The world is 70% water – So that means we should spend 70% more time sailing than mowing lawns!
Larry

Saturday 4-14-2012
Steve and Christina helping me test the boards. Tiller extension failed too weak to pull to you, so back to the drawing board with it. Boards on the other hand were a great success, but you be the judge.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3481/21108224.mp4
1. New GoPro Mount.
2. Tiller Extension.
3. ?????????

_________________
“Remember life is short- eat dessert first.”
The world is 70% water – So that means we should spend 70% more time sailing than mowing lawns!
Larry

I think a stick with a carabiner and a hole in the tiller handle would make an OK tiller extension. That's my plan anyway. First I want to build some foam core Hakas.

I used that system for years and it works fine with the old style rudder lever.



It's not so easy to implement with the new style rudder lever, so I switched to using RAM fittings.



The connection works very well, but I have had to replace the ½" dowel handle with ½" copper pipe. The problem is that in their wisdom, Hobie has the new rudder lever moving in a more vertical plane than the old one, which moved in a near horizontal plane. That means that instead of just pushing and pulling on the tiller extension, you need to exert some sideways force, so you need a stronger handle. That's also probably why Larry's bungee loop extension proved too weak. I'm sure it would have worked fine on the old style lever.
I must say I'm mystified why Hobie provided a threaded hole in the new rudder lever, presumably to accept a future tiller extension, then re-oriented the lever so it is much harder to control with a tiller extension.

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Larry,
You might want to try a better quality HD bungee. I was happy with the way the bungee tiller performed. I am using a fairly stiff 3/16" bungee. There was a little bit of stretch but I found it manageable on the AI. It was only in light winds and I still have the original TnS rudder. I will try it on the TI this week.
The next simplest solution looks like Chrisj's snap hook. An eyebolt in place of the knob should work. Problem here is that it's hard to get a SS imperial eyebolt to fit. I'll keep looking.
BTW -Have you tried the R3 setting on the GoPro? You get a much wider field of view and less "jello wobble" in fast moving scenes.

Larry, we have tried all sorts of articulating joints and threaded connection on the tillers. Presently I just use a good quality plastic cable tie around the base of the new tiller knob. Just tighten it to the perfect size and clip the end. Works and rotates perfectly.

At the end of the sail, I just cut it off.

_________________
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."
- Ayn Rand

tailwalker, Great info. Sounds like it's just slightly heavier than wood.

What was your total cost of materials?

_________________
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."
- Ayn Rand

Yup Nohuhu. It gets quite heavy hauling the AI with the Haka and all my
fishing gear on it. But I get rewarded once on the water.

Sorry, I did not keep tab of the cost. But it's quite pricey.

I'm considering going with some Safe-T-Span grating. Looks like I can get a 2 ft x 6 ft piece from Grainger for around $250. Not too bad compared to tramps, or even compared to lumber and stainless hardware when you factor in build time.

Cut it in half lengthwise then bungee it to the amas. Highly resistant to sun and salt.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/SAFETSPAN-Grating-4AUC3?Pid=search


http://www.fibergrate.com/frp-products/pultruded-grating/safe-t-span-pultruded-gratings.aspx

Best part is, it comes in yellow! Second best part, I might be able to use them as a type of sand ladder for getting unstuck on the beach.

If I decide to use it, I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

-Chris

I was just looking at the all the FRP profiles and was checking these out. Those are the I-beam grates, and they make lighter versions too.



At half their price I would do it for sure. Right now, I'm in sticker shock...

_________________
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."
- Ayn Rand