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Carbon Tiller Split

Great thanks for those tips I will defo focus on that area more when I rinse it down now.....

30/06/2025 17:56:00
clairep
Posts: 3

Suggestions & what I do

especially if you are a sea sailor, give that part a good rinse after every sail trying to remove the salt (accelerating the corrossion) as much as possible. Leave out to dry or wipe dry, as moisture/water provides the pathway for corrision
your left picture shows a 'gunk' build up around the cleat, I used to get the same. Every now and then I submerge this part in a bucket with fresh water for a day or so and then use a soft handbrush to remove the gunk. Not sure it really helps, but it gives me the feeling I have done something about it

Indeed, the design is not good. Very frustrating as corrosion is well known to boat designers/builders and has been studied as early as 1800 something

24/06/2025 08:22:00
[email protected]
Posts: 25

@ Michael Heber :
Going from my memory : I think I reduced the length by around 70mm. I wouldn't shorten the tiller excessively as you will need a longer tiller extension which gets tricky and alters the upwind sailing steering dynamics between the tiller and tiller extension- especially in lighter wind when your body is further forward.

23/06/2025 23:50:00
Sean
Posts: 2

Great thank you for the reply Sean that's really helpful and great tips !

23/06/2025 18:53:00
clairep
Posts: 3

Shortening the tille looks for me as a very good idea.

I read in the rules:

The Originally Supplied tiller may be shortened but the length shall be no less than 700mm.

That is maybe to short. To what length have you shortenend the tiller?

Best regards

Michael

23/06/2025 08:53:00
mheber
Posts: 76

Hi:

I had a similar experience, I cut down my tiller to the shortest allowable length. Check the rules- I think about 950mm? I made up a simple cardboard tempate on the rudder stock to allow me to drill a hole in the tiller that would align with the existing hole for the cleat. Applied some duralc that slows down the corrosion and re applied the tiller with a screw in the aligned hole per above.

A shorter tiller works for me: easier tackiing and better down wind when its blowing hard - can get weight further aft.

See if your damage extends past the minimum tiller length and if not then the above is an option.

Basically the tiller / rudder design is not awesome: A full carbon assembly would have been the go. good luck!

23/06/2025 00:19:00
Sean
Posts: 2

My carbon tiller has split because the aluminium underneath it has corroded and expanded, I think it must be the aluminium/carbon corrosion issue that has been detailed many times before. It is quite bad .

I asked RS and they said they wouldnt replace it because it was second hand from them ( it had been chartered once by RS for a competition ) and it is not under warranty any more - it is quite old now. Which I thought was a bit mean as it is not from wear and tear or that it's not been looked after, but a known defect with their boat design. But there we are.

Anyway a whole new tiller set up is over £250 and not an option at the moment. Also weirdly you dont seem to be able to buy it without the carbon tiller extension ( which is obviously not needed) which is a bit annoying. I'd really likely to sail it over the summer, so does anyone have an idea of anything I could do until I can get a new one - maybe cut down the carbon tiller past the split bit and file off the overgrown aluminium from the rudder stock. Or it is not broken or loose, though there are a few sharp edges but I could tape these over so I suppose I could just keep sailing it for now as it is - it doesnt actually look weak., but I guess it might be....

Anyway thank you for any advice. Have attached a couple of pics - it looks a bit more dramatic in real life !

22/06/2025 15:03:00
clairep
Posts: 3

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