Where ever possible, try and be consistent with your Tiller UJ’s across your fleet. This means you can quickly and easily replace a tiller extension without worrying about whether the UJ will fit.

Consider a UJ as a consumable item; make sure you carry spares and know how to replace them. Some people replace a whole tiller extension rather than just replacing the UJ. If possible, have a few spare tiller extensions available so that when a UJ does break you can easily swap the tiller extension (knowing that the UJ will fit!).

If you are regularly running events, it is often sensible to use a UJ with a rope core. This means that when the UJ breaks the boat can continue sailing and therefore minimises the need for resails.

From a UK School and University Firefly perspective, boats which were built by Rondar were generally supplied with the Allen UJ as standard. The more recent Ovington Firefly is being supplied with the Seasure UJ as standard. 

kSail carry a range of UJ’s from the main manufacturers, including Allen, Harken and the various parts of the Seasure modular set up. All of our Tiller Extensions and Universal Joints are available online.