INVESTIGATOR 563

Thanks - the guys in Tasmania are making one for me. I might also give the extended aluminium bracket a go as a backup.

Could you post a pic of Snoopy's new tiller when you get it please?

I've been looking at some photos of the various tiller designs of Investigators and there seems to be numerous variations. I wonder if there was a standard tiller that came with the boat. I always thought that my tiller (curved and made of laminated ply) was original, but now I'm not so sure.

Hi Ray this was a pic I had in an earlier post of my tiller. It’s pretty basic but is easy to clip out with a single locking pin . The previous owner indicated it was the standard tiller. Does it look like yours?
Note to newer owners . It’s a “category xyz” or something or another for racing that you have an emergency knife on your tiller or at least retained in the cockpit to free yourself or a crewman from ropes. I don’t race but thought it was a bloody good idea and probably should be an RMS reg ( and I hate over regulation) my pic shows my cheap whitworths sheath/divers knife( straight and serrated) solid plastic sheath is screwed direct to the tiller.

Get one...please.

My tiller is substantially different in that it has a pronounced swan neck curve in it. There a couple of pics of it on the previous page. It is made of laminated ply. When I bought the boat, it came with a second tiller as a spare. It too was made of ply but didn't have much of a bend in it. One question Ozzie. Do you use the extension much? I haven't missed one but probably don't sail the boat hard enough to need it. One tiller accessory I have been thinking of is tiller lock. I noticed one on SkyBird on the last video that Atlas made. I think it could be a handy thing to have for the occasional time that you need to let go of the tiller.

I blame Countrypiper, but I now have tiller-envy for the beautiful laminated tillers in the link that he posted. As a result, I've experimenting with steam bending and laminating timber. I'll post some pics of my progress later down the track.

On the subject of the knife, I also carry a pair of wire cutters in the boat. I think that they might be handy if the mast ever came down.

Hi Ray sorry, I must have been asleep when I came back and just read the last post in the thread, I did see the pics of your tiller before and I think that your shape is probably more practical. On occasions I have more than my wife and I on board not having the tiller able to clear your knees means those in the cockpit need to squash and I mean squash forward when tacking.

Yep wire cutters great idea . I have the smaller ones Bias used to sell. Sufficient to chop through Investigator rigging and always in my sailing bag.

Regards the tiller extension, yes I do use it a fair bit come to think of it. Mainly so I can lean back with my feet braced against the opposite seat when healed. My wife actually likes sailing the boat at high angles of heal (often considerably more than I’m comfortable with) even though I’ve told her it’s somewhat inefficient as far as catching the wind. I think this is somewhat the opposite problem some husbands have sailing.

My other use for the extension is as per this post

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=622&p=3164&hilit=Boogie#p3164 “........but in light breezes I have a float cut from a rubber boogie board that I lay against the taffrail as a backrest , put my feet up on the seat , grab a beer from the esky and all is right with the world...”

In which case I’m just using the extension to be lazy ....is comfortable though.....!

Only copy of that pic I have left, it was my shrunk down avatar on TS Com.

Yara50 wrote:Just buy a short length of aluminium channel, and two bolts, and you can convert to a lifting tller. The cut/hinge is in the cockpit, so it does not interfere with the traveller.

All finished - thanks for the advice.

Yara50 wrote:Just buy a short length of aluminium channel, and two bolts, and you can convert to a lifting tller. The cut/hinge is in the cockpit, so it does not interfere with the traveller.

All finished - thanks for the advice.

Hi, what do I need to do to post a picture to the forum chat?

Hi, what do I need to do to post a picture to the forum chat?

CP, just use the “Choose File” box below the post in the Upload Attachment section . Only issue is the pic size which must be below 90k. To resize on iPad just email the pic to yourself and use the resize function. Most desktops have a resize function. It will take the name in your storage system or you can rename the file itself. File comments are optional .

Hope that helps.