Olson 34- replacement tiller shape?

[PNW Jeff]

I'll be doing PNW Offshore this year in my Olson 34. I need to have a replacement tiller available as part of the safety equipment for the race and I'll be using this opportunity to replace my existing tiller- which is straight, 43" long but angled UP. Wondering what tillers other folks have on their Olson 34s... I'm thinking of something around 48" with maybe 4.75" of rise in it and mounting slightly above horizontal- not UP like my current. Like the B tiller in the photo below.

Any thoughts?

 

[Loren Beach]

While you await some better guidance, I have to ask if the current race requirements also require an emergency rudder? (That might only be for the TransPac and the Pacific Cup.)

The majority of the O-34's were delivered with the optional wheel, as was ours. We were looking for one with a tiller, and were not successful in finding one when shopping the used boat market.

FWIW, a former RCYC member had an Ericson 33RH, with the stock tiller. Just more trivia.

Edit: if you have an AP (tiler pilot) be sure that the location for the drive pin does not get compromised by any changes in rise or shape.

 

[PNW Jeff]

While you await some better guidance, I have to ask if the current race requirements also require an emergency rudder? (That might only be for the TransPac and the Pacific Cup.)

The majority of the O-34's were delivered with the optional wheel, as was ours. We were looking for one with a tiller, and were not successful in finding one when shopping the used boat market.

FWIW, a former RCYC member had an Ericson 33RH, with the stock tiller. Just more trivia.

I need to have an emergency steering system- not a rudder. A drogue on a bridle to the spinnaker pole is a common way to meet this and how the boat was rigged when it won Offshore in 1999. It's not pretty but it works.