converting a single console to a tiller?

[oldschooltiller]

I'm still giving a vote to go ahead and convert it.

You might however be better off selling your motor, then sourcing one that is already a tiller motor.
Use search tempest to search multiple cities in craigslist at once, and you will find what you are looking for in a motor.


If you can post up some pictures of your boat.

[Tweak]

Originally Posted by npauls

I wish I could afford to buy a tiller or even just a motor for my rig but none of that is in the cards these days.

Been off of work for almost 2 years due to a back injury that needed to be surgically repaired and am now waiting on another surgery to fuse 3 vertabra in my lower back. This means all the money I have is going back into bills and paying things off so we can keep our heads above water.

My only options are to run the boat as is or try to make a swap for a tiller handle or a tiller motor right now.

With my son getting bigger I have found that the boat is feeling quite a bit smaller this season and would just like to open up the interior a bit more and make it more fishable for us as a family and also lighten things up a bit.

Like I mentioned before I don't think it would take much to convert my boat considering it is the same as the tiller version but with a console screwed and riveted into the spot it is now. The only thing that will be a bit of work will be transferring all of the gauges, fuse panel, sonar, and stereo to the back corner of the boat and replacing one of the removable seat bases with the permanent drivers seat base.

I'm all for a good project. But I can't see a back injury and converting your boat to a tiller. Do you know if a tiller will aggravate your back? Can you physically do all this work right now?

Perhaps you are just looking for a project. But I wonder if you should just leave it be until your back stuff is through and decide then. I don't think changing it to a tiller will make it noticeable faster or lighter. Perhaps re-evaulating all the gear you carry with you would make a difference without tearing your boat apart.

Just 2 cents.

[1860Angler]

Although the ride is smother in the back of the boat in a tiller, actually running a tiller is going to be considerably harder on your back than a console would be to control. Knowing a little more about your situation makes me even more confident in my last post, keep it the way is is and use it, it will be much easier on your back. If you don't have any money to put into the project, there is no way you can get it done. If you are still dead set on a tiller, sell your boat and buy a used tiller, like I said before, you should be able to do this with very little if any additional money then you will have an actual tiller boat that you can sell in the future, a modified console turned tiller will not be worth much if you ever wanted to sell it.

On another note, if your back is bad enough to have not worked for the last 2 years, is it really the best idea to be bouncing around out in a boat in the first place?

[troll'n]

The handle is available through your mercury dealer at probably $700 parts only....given your health i would make due with what you have....i have an 18 lund 99...50 merc. hp tiller....sitting sideways twisted might be hard on your back problems....good luck. I love my tiller drive though. Might be a better project for when you feel better.

[npauls]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys.

My back holds up pretty good in most conditions. I really watch the weather and wind and if I notice things getting choppy I either don't head out at all or if I am out I head in and call it a day.

I will keep looking into the possibility of converting my rig into a tiller or just selling it and buying a tiller.

I do like projects like this and I really think if I could get the handle kit it would be a very easy swap.

I will try to post some pictures of the interior so everyone can see what type of set up I am working with.

I threw my hydrofoil back on the motor which I haven't had on since adding the jack plate last year. I couldn't believe the difference it made on my set up. I planed out in about a quarter of the time that it use to plane out and I gained a few mph top end speed.

I will also ask a question about seat post height after I post pictures so that everyone can see what type of seat bases I am working with. If I am going to keep my boat how it is and run it as a console I will at least be wanting to get a shorter set post for the drivers seat.