J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum Racing Tools and Techniques Spare tiller

The Port Huron to Mackinac Safety regs require a spare tiller.
has anyone devised a good plan to have a spare on board for emergency use. What does it look like.
I thought of a very long Louisville Slugger. Can't find one.

I would say the best thing to do is have one welded up using some 1/4" thick plate for the "U" that goes over the rudder and then use some 1" sch 40 pipe for the tiller it's self
Make sure you have a spare set of bolts and nuts to attach it
Probably would put a set of box open end wrenches and the bolts in a bag taped to the tiller that way in the middle of the night when you would need it all the tools are inplace

I've seen this type used for guys going off shore

Why not just spare the wood stock? Is the requirement that the steel plates that connect the tiller to the rudder be spared too? I think a 5 megaton nuke could go off and those plates would still be there.

If you break the wood tiller its going to be in not nice conditions there is no way you are going to be able to change out the wood part quickly in the middle of the night in a storm that barn door is going to be slapping around

The event organizers are looking for a "fast" installation of a emergency tiller I would even consider making up a bolt that would except a hitch pin ratther than messing around with nuts and bolts

Good point Charlie. Perhaps even something as simple as a couple of 1" x 3" boards with big eye bolts at the end or clamps over the top on either side of the rudder.