Engineering Resilience: The Pop_Off_UJ® System
In competitive dinghy racing, a broken universal joint (UJ) can often end your race and potentially the event. Traditional UJs degrade rapidly under high-angle stress when the tiller extension is folded over with the tiller and left in your foil bag until the next time you sail. When they break, it is not always immediately noticeable until you're on the water, and they often require a tedious onshore repair process involving, rivets, bolts or tiny screws. Worst of all, you could lose your tiller extension over the side.
To solve this persistent point of failure, the team here at CF by L and L developed the Pop_Off_UJ® System. A durable quick-release mechanical mechanism designed to protect your gear and keep you on the water.
Anatomy of the Pop_Off_UJ®
The system replaces standard UJs with a precision-moulded, high-impact composite base and matching core and reinforced 'cover' with dyneema (in various colours).
The Internal Rope Core:
Traditional joints crack and then snap clean through when fatigued. The Pop_Off_UJ® features an internal dyneema rope core that provides secondary safety, ensuring that even under catastrophic overload, your extension should remain physically tethered to the tiller so you can still steer home.
Quick Release Mechanism:
By utilising an intuitive design, sailors can detach their tiller extension from the tiller in under two seconds.
For those who prefer non-rope core:
There is also a non-rope core version of the Pop_Off_UJ® but with the exact same quick release mechanism.
Low bulk, light weight:
It is not the only 'quick release' UJ on the market...but....unlike others it is compact, lightweight and easy to release in all conditions, even at the end of that cold, tiring event. The UJ base also fits the majority of tillers, with the same hole spacing as most other UJs on the market, thereby usually eliminating the need to drill new hole(s) in your tiller.
Increased Lifespan:
The flexible joint element is manufactured from a custom polyurethane blend optimized for extreme high-angle articulation without developing structural micro-tears.
When ashore, instead of bending your UJ and folding your tiller extension over next to your tiller, you can instantly detach it and store your tiller extension safely inside your foil or spar bag, without any stress to the UJ.
By re-engineering the humblest component in the cockpit, the CF by L and L Pop_Off_UJ® system delivers peace of mind to performance and casual sailors alike. Check out the innovative design on the Product Page here and for the non-rope core version here.