What is it.

[Captain Grandpa]

Time to show my ignorance again. Is this a whisker pole? If it is I must ask, when running wing and wing how does it secure to the vessel? If its not, does anyone know what it is, what it's for?

[Abaco]

I'm going to assume your question is real and say it is a hiking stick also known as a tiller extension. Should be attached to the end of the tiller.

[boatman61]

Looks more like a tiller extention of some type to me...

[Captain Grandpa]

Question is definitely real. I'm a total noob who decided he needs to learn to sail. Doing a lot of reading and studying while it takes me far too long to get her in the water. A tiller extension never occurred to me. Thanks. When I'm next up on the trailer I will see ifI can figure out how it attaches. Thanks!

[azsailor12]

There should be a metal socket on top of the tiller. The steel pin on the left end will drop into the socket.

[boatman61]

With a boat called 'Precious' should your tag not be Golem...
Just a thought...
"Hello my Precious..."

[JonathanSail]

Also, this tiller extension is telescopic. If you turn the black ball on the end counter clockwise while the gold/anodized segment doesn't turn then the extension will unlock and you can almost double the length. When you have found a length that you like you can twist the black ball clockwise to lock it into position. If the black ball is loose you can scuff the socket up, clean it (alcohol/acetone) and glue it back on (epoxy may be good) and it should work well for you.

Jonathan

[Captain Grandpa]

I did discover already that it was telescoping, just had no clue where it went. Now that I do know I wonder why I would want it. My tiller covers the entire cockpit almost. Perhaps once I finally get her afloat I will see how handy it is. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. It is probably for the best that I wound up with a project. Otherwise I would be out there in the water already and in my ignorance I would just be a danger to myself and everyone around me. I have learned there is a lot more to sailing than making the boat go where you want it.

[boatsail]

If you have one of the tiller lock boxes, you can put the black ball in it and use it to hold your "tiller locked" into a specific position.

[David M]

Yup, there is a heck of a lot to sailing and boating in general. Lessons from a professional instructor can help you learn really fast. You can start with the very basics by buying a few books on sailing and boating. This will help with the terminology and the theory. The lessons will help with the necessary practical experience of applying what you learned from the books.

Taking out knowledgeable friends after the lessons are over will help even more and maybe even keep you out of trouble until you become completely familiar with your own boat and have gained more time and different experiences on the water.

A tiller extension allows you to sit further to weather, which is the high side of the boat that the wind hits first. This can do two things for you, it can allow you to see better and on smaller boats where weight placement matters more, it allows you to sit further up on the weather side of the boat allowing the boat to sail flatter than if you were down in the cockpit. Flatter is faster and more comfortable for others. People who do not know how capsize resistant keel boats really are get freaked out when they heel a lot. Plus heeling a lot is slow. People who get frightened or uncomfortable on your boat tend not to want to come back, whether that fear is rational or not.

You can get a little U-shaped holder and put it on the tiller as a holder for the tiler extension for when you do not need it while underway, mostly when broad reaching or running when you do not need to be sitting far outboard.

It's the little piece of plastic on the tiller itself.....

[Captain Grandpa]

Thank you very much everyone! Over the next months I am sure there will be many many more opportunities to show my ignorance

[Captain Grandpa]

Originally Posted by David M

Yup, there is a heck of a lot to sailing and boating in general. Lessons from a professional instructor can help you learn really fast. You can start with the very basics by buying a few books on sailing and boating. This will help with the terminology and the theory. The lessons will help with the necessary practical experience of applying what you learned from the books.

Good advice truly. I have gone through some basic sailing classes. /shrug probably not exactly the classes I needed. We were in lido 14's which was a fun boat, but we didn't do anything more than buoy to buoy in Newport bay. When the instructor referred to the hanks as "this question mark looking things" I was extremely saddened. in the meantime I am reading and cleaning and sanding and planning for it all to come together much sooner than it actually will. *Cackles maniacally*

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Captain Grandpa

I did discover already that it was telescoping, just had no clue where it went. Now that I do know I wonder why I would want it. My tiller covers the entire cockpit almost. Perhaps once I finally get her afloat I will see how handy it is. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. It is probably for the best that I wound up with a project. Otherwise I would be out there in the water already and in my ignorance I would just be a danger to myself and everyone around me. I have learned there is a lot more to sailing than making the boat go where you want it.

It allows you to sit where you want in the cockpit and steer. Very handy really. Keeps you from getting arm/back fatigue on a long sail too. Also allows you to get your weight on the "high side" when beating to weather.

[SkiprJohn]

Because of the size and style of boats I sailed for a lot of years I never used a tiller extension. Once I moved to smaller boats to teach sailing I found the value of the tiller extension to be incredible. You'll enjoy it too.

"Start Sailing Right!" is one of the best and well written basic sailing books that will cover lots of this kind of stuff.

Good luck on your learning curve. Basic sailing classes are something I always encourage and take your grandkids with you if they are over 10 years old.

kind regards,

[Captain Grandpa]

I will read it. It's not on iBook unfortunately. Maybe on kindle or i will get a paper copy if need be I am pouring through Chapman's piloting. This is how started to realize how much more is involved than just making her go. Unfortunately I spent my budget on basic sailing course already. I won't say I didn't take anything away from that class, but if anything it forwarded my misconception that all I needed to know was how to make the boat go. I would love to take more lessons but it would be hard to justify that with so much to do on the boat.

Now if there were anyone in southern California that was going out for a day or three and wanted extra crew with little experience but a hunger to learn...