[quote=Edchris177]Rip, your idea of a longer bar will certainly work, but I would not extend the cross bar over top or under both the tiller arms.
In this photo the adjustable X tie is on the bottom, the tiller on top,(tiller would be rotated 90* clockwise, to point at the top of photo when installed)
My Nacra came this way(I don't think it was factory, the previous owner did a Bondi bungle) If set up as shown, it very quickly wears the soft aluminum of the X bar & the tillers. Every time you push/pull the tiller it is akin to inserting a screwdriver in a crevice & working it back & forth.
[img]http://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=76947&g2_serialNumber=4&g2_GALLERYSID=dff8c36c2f416c9b36b47e405d4fe333[/img]
I built SS U brackets to make the connections,& used a horizontal bolt.
Murrays sells a U-joint.(Again the X tie goes between the tiller arms) I would also use a couple of these little 80 cents gizmos,(the plsstic ones are $.80, the U joint $$) so as to distribute the load around the bar,
[img]http://www.murrays.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/56-5516sm.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.murrays.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/01-0061sm.jpg[/img]
The other problem you will run into if you redo the X tie bar, is aligning the rudders with each other, so you don't end up with toe in or toe out. In my first photo you can see the X tie has a threaded section. This allows you to fine tune the X tie to the exact length you need to ensure rudder alignment. Dan Berger usually has some used ones, or get your metal works people to make it, they are kind of expensive new.
When all together it will look like this,(you might have to "save" the image & paste it into your photo viewer & enlarge it to get a better view) precise, no slop, & it won't wear much
[img]http://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=74464&g2_serialNumber=3&g2_GALLERYSID=dff8c36c2f416c9b36b47e405d4fe333[/img]
Here is a slightly different way to do the same thing, I would use the plastic concave chip between the bar & the nut, you can tighten it down then without deforming the bar. If you build your own U-joints, a 1/4" bolt/pin is fine, but leave enough room so the head of the bolt does not interfere when you move the tiller full travel.
[img]http://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=75017&g2_serialNumber=4&g2_GALLERYSID=dff8c36c2f416c9b36b47e405d4fe333[/img]
Here is another sailors rig, using the factory U-joint. The U joints do tend to move, & can get into a position where it locks up the steering, just lockwire the U on the tiller arm so it can't move, problem solved, cost 50 cents.
[img]http://www.thebeachcats.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=35660&g2_serialNumber=3&g2_GALLERYSID=dff8c36c2f416c9b36b47e405d4fe333[/img]
Hope this helps, tight problem free rudders are essential. I see 40 pics added to your album, it seems to grind on forever, even single add ons are slow, but they all get there eventually. <!-- editby --><em>edited by: Edchris177, Oct 10, 2010 - 11:21 PM</em><!-- end editby --> [/quote]