Narrowboat Tiller Pins. This much ignored piece of kit usually sits astride the narrowboat owners tiller and allows the tiller arm itself to be securely attached to the swans neck which in turn is attached to the rudder. In many cases, it allows for a bit of visibly flamboyant individuality. I have seen tiller pins in a variety of materials – the most common being brass, although there are many chrome and even wooden examples around the cut.

We were fortunate enough to bump into a unique individual on one of our trips around the country – one hot summer day (yes we did have them!)  just outside Wedgewood on the Trent and Mersey Canal. Expressing our interest in getting a new tiller pin, the boat trader scurried away and returned with a collection of around thirty tiller pins in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. We duly selected ours – that’s the Grandfather Clock in the pictures below and it soon took pride of place as we moved on.

It struck me that there must be hundreds of tiller pins around that have rarely been seen apart from by passing boats – so I am proposing to start showing those pins that readers and web viewers send onto me. I respect your anonymity – so all I ask is that you include the boat name with your photographs.

To share your Tiller Pin picture – and appear on one of the UK’s top narrowboating sites – just forward a jpg to colin@narrowboatinfo.co.uk – I can’t promise every single one will be shown, but I will attempt to include as many as possible.

Happy Boating