Looking for ideas to prevent the tiller from slipping while wearing gloves. What do you hard core racers use to keep a
firm grip,(on the tiller). My son suggested reverse wrapping duct tape, sticky side up. This will, however get the glue all over the gloves which in turn get on to the sheets,sails, etc. Ideas?

just get a bicycle grip that appeals to you. don't mess with tape. you are right it will get messy. i've never had a problem of losing my grip on the tiller. cheers!

Rigging tape works well.

I cover my "Hotsticks" w/ the same stuff that they use on "Windsurfer" booms. It's a 1/8" thick Neoprene varient and comes in various colors. It also is used on the gunwales of the boat for traction ... excellent stuff!!!!

Call Murray's (www.murrays.com or 800-786-7245) ... it is 4" wide and can be purchased per/ft. Doug @ ex27 will know what you are asking for ...

For a "Hotstick" you will need to trim it ever so slightly ... approximently 1/8".

Also when you have to beat the crew w/ a stick for "slacking" ... you won't leave any marks ..... (HAHahaha...)

Good Luck
Harry

Hockey stick tape. Nearly waterproof, thin and lightweight, and very cheap. It's hard to find in Florida, however.

Second that...regular old athletic tape holds up well on an aluminum tiller.

I've never had a hard time with my hand slipping on the tiller. Perhaps if you're having that much trouble with it, you need to look at your mast/rudder rake and see if your rudders are giving you a lot of weather helm.

I have, however had a problem with the stupid extendable tiller hot sticks unlocking at the most inopportune times and nearly causing a mishap.

I've had the same issue w/ the extendable tiller sticks .... but I spend alot of time sailing in really light airs in the summertime here on the Chesapeake which means I'm usually sitting on the front crossbar steering the boat. I still have my one-piece tiller sticks but they get hung up in the trap wires and on the shroud when trying to tack or gybe the boat. So I haven't found a better solution yet .....

Harry

+1 - I really like that stuff.

Cheap way is to wrap a bit of string round your stick then stick tape over it.

I use some "o" rings with heatshrink over the top. 5 to 10cm between the "o" rings. Gives a physical barrier to pull and push against so can have a loose grip on the extension.

Darryn

cork ball on the end. prevents the end from messing up the deck alot (if you are lucky enough only to have the end hit the deck) mine came that way. Was Matt M's boat. maybe that is his secret:)
I live in fear of the tiller extension slipping on the 31. talk about an OH **** moment. bury the lee bow and PULL and slip! yikes.

Tried the cork ball, found it got in the way alot and the extra drag when tacking or steering with crossbar wasn't worth it. Also can be handy to sink the extension to move it behind the rudders post capsize.

Darryn

just hammer some 4" nails through the tiller all over the place.. they will provide plenty of "GRIP" and all the blood will help to lube the stick and keep it slick when trying to extend.

I don't advise this method if your sailing in salt water too much corrrosion. Glass shards and west system will produce the same result though.

Hockey tape - We have hockey in Florida...mostly concrete hockey but some ice hockey...it's indoors though.

Rigging tape good. A little cheaper and just as good, I found at home depot a clear (translucent) silicone tape in the plumbing dept used for pipe leaks. Works just like rigging tape.

And Dennis Palin says:

(everyone is listening in a hush right now)

that you rarely 'grip' the tiller, rather, you lightly touch it, and 'will' it where it needs to go.

As has been said, if your helm is that hard to steer, definitley need to rake in your rudders!

Heavy on the helm = SLOW

This is very true on a well balanced boat. The T only needs very slight thumb & index finger movements to hold course.

I like to be able to let go of the tiller breifly (when needing two hands to yank on the mainsheet for example)...so being able to place the tiller on the deck without it sliding away out of reach or just moving at all is very important. I've used rigging tape on the tiller extension and yes it works. But, over time is does get chewed up and lumpy (not good when I toss the tiller over the rear beam during spinny runs), plus a roll of this tape runs about $15-$25 bucks for something like 15 ft....so renewing is regularly gets expensive.

I much prefer the thin grip foam from Murray's...use a good contact cement to adhere it (comes with a small can). You can sand off (I used a dremel with a sanding drum) any overlapped sections after it's stuck down. This stuff lasts for 5+ years per application. The surface is very smooth yet it is easy to grip. I can place the tiller on the deck and it stays put quite well. I can toss the tiller over the rear beam and not get much drag off the waves.

Mike.

I'll second the heat shrink tubing, that's what Hobie started putting over the standard glass H16 stick.

Whatever that black stuff is named, designed for baseball bats, turns into a soggy mess when it gets wet...don't ask me how I know

I use the string, but, curses man, no tape! Try a tasty french whip instead!

http://www.marinews.com/French-Whipping-532.php

I'm scared to click on that link... is it SFW? Or is it as BDSM as it sounds?

Rolling half-hitches. I tried it a long time ago, but always pulled it off the end of the tiller.

What I did on my old H-16 stick back it the 80's worked real well. NOW it took at while to do it though. I used some braided white twine and did loops over the stick. It made a slow spiral around the stick. It was real easy to hold and lasted till I sold the boat. I KNOW it is old school, but it worked.

Doug

Whatever you do, if you do some type of spiral string wrap, DON'T epoxy the string. It makes a very effective rasp that will carve into gel coat with ease. Don't ask me how I know.

So in other words, rolling half-hitches.

I have used everything from a shovel handle to PVC to get out on the water. My favorite is the extendable fiberglass that twist down. They are a little fatter and never corroded and as mentioned before, there should be little effort to steer unless a released rudder has happened. Plus they are electrically isolating. A subject us Florida sailors never tire of discussing.

Good gloves go a long way by themselves especially when wet.

Bingo got to love the insulation from the FL squalls

What I ended up doing was using a piece of foam pipe insulation around the tiller and overwraping it with rigging tape. Now have a nice soft grip which does not slip. Also took the advise & messed with the rudder & mast rake. Got to try these adjustments this evening during our Friday night club races. Grip is much better & boat seemed a lot easier to helm. My little 5.2 was able to beat three F-31s,(not by much,but a win is still a win.) We use a staggered start time system. Thanks to all.

I have used everything from shovel handles to PVC to get out on the water. I find two things that help me grip smooth surfaces, good gloves and diameter of shaft.

There is a fiberglass twist lock adjustable that is designed to use as a paint roller extension. The push button roller extensions are trash. The twist lock is a little thicker than most tillers and gloves grab it well. Plus it will not corrode and is non conducting.... something Florida sailors are always concerned about.

As was mentioned before, if the rudders and mast rake are set correctly, it is almost like power steering. Unless a rudder pops up and becomes a lever, there should be easy grip enough to hold it in your teeth for the most part.

It is the fine point of weather helm seeking to turn you up wind or raked where the cat will leave you stranded and sail on if you fall off. Since I do not race, getting worried about advantages of weather helmed set ups vs ease of operation tends to lead to the more comfortable choice.

Tequila cork. They are free at most bars, keep the tiller from sliding out of your hand.

MY old Hobie 16 was so tweaked I could hold it with 2 fingers. Was REAL nice back in the days of ACABCAC course 7 days LOL

Doug