A REALLY NEAT GUY!
by David N. Goodchild
When I was a boy, (a distressingly long time ago now), I used to go to the annual fair that was held on Heston Green (a village on the outskirts of London, [the Hounslow tube stop on the Northern Line]) and all of the tents were rigged using a particularly interesting little wooden device which was able to easily and quickly tighten and tension the guy lines which kept the tent from collapsing on the occupants.

I have chosen to call this a "guy", and my version works with the tiller so it is a "tiller guy" (until someone tells me differently)! This is a really neat little device which is highly useful so that's why the title of this little piece is called "a really neat guy"!

I'm writing it so I'll call it anything I want!

Anyway you can see from the pictures how it looks and here's how it works.

All it consists of is a single piece of wood with two holes in it. The line which is to control the tiller is threaded thorugh the "guy" just as is shown in the pictures. It is vital that the line is bent at an acute angle through the holes in order to achieve the friction which causes it to hold. The dimensions of the piece are unimportant except for the size of the holes. They MUST be sized so as to JUST allow the line through. Friction is important here! Thread the line through the "guy" just as you see it and you will have no trouble.

To adjust the line, lift up on the side with the stopper knot and the friction bend will be taken off the business end of the line. This will allow the "guy" to be tightened up (moved towards the load) or loosened (moved away from the load). It's as simple as that and just as foolproof.

I made mine from some oak scraps I had lying around (I never throw anything away, remember?) and coated them with epoxy and then varnished them. They are ideal for lashing a tiller and still maintaining a quick adjustment, and for anything else which has the same requirements of secure holding and quick and easy adjustment.

By the way, I saw these at the Annapolis Sailboat Show a couple of years ago; they wanted big bucks for them, and in plastic no less! Why? They are so easy to make, it's a crime to buy them from someone else.

Make up a bunch; you will never know when you will need them!

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