Matt,

Perhaps you can shed some wisdom on the whole issue of non-conducting tiller extensions. This has probably been hashed over to nausium in the past.

Comptip masts are one thing, but how does a tiller extension become a target when you are sitting on a metal frame (14, 16) or completely insulated from the mast support network when sitting in the normal helm positon?

What situation would you be worried about by having a metal tiller extension in your hand?

Hard to imagine running into a powerline while trapped....but?