Tiller Extensions: What’s the deal with the different diameters?

You may have noticed we offer our tiller extensions in 3 different diameters; 18mm, 22mm, & 25mm.

There's a few reasons to choose between them, so read on and we'll help you choose which tiller extension to go for!

1. Personal Preference.
   Everyone is different, everyone sails slightly differently, everyone sets their boat up slightly differently, and it follows that different sailors will favour a different girth of tiller extension purely based on how it feels in their hand!

2. Sailor's Age/Size of Hands.
   Typically, junior sailors will prefer a skinnier tiller extension as it's easier for them to hold onto – remember, there needs to be room to hold the mainsheet as well. So for a young child with smaller hands, a 25mm extension plus 6-8mm for the mainsheet may mean they aren't able to sheet as effectively as possible.
   Conversely, the old salty seadogs out there may favour a more girthy extension as it's a larger radius for the fingers to curl round – if you find your sheeting hand is cramping or in pain when it's windy, it can be quite a welcome break to have a nice large tiller extension to give your steering hand a rest on each tack & gybe.

3. Weight & Strength.
   Our lightest tiller extension will be the 18mm, then the 22mm, and finally the 25mm. This is purely down to the amount of material in the tube; smaller tube profile=less material=lighter weight.

   Parallels can be drawn between the weight and strength of our tiller extensions. Our 25mm tiller extension has a greater wall thickness than the 18mm & 22mm versions, and this makes the 25mm our most robust and hardcore extension.
   This comes with the trade-off that it will be heavier than the thinner diameters, so if you're looking for the perfect middle ground, go for the 22mm as this has the same wall thickness as the 18mm, but the greater diameter gives better mechanical strength.
   As a professor of mine once said, “buckling occurs in long slender members”. If it's less slender, it will be stronger and stiffer.

We hope this helps you pick out your perfect FM Sailing Carbon Fibre Tiller Extension.
If you have any questions or queries, don't hesitate to get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to talk through your options!