Our emergency tiller (like most) attaches to the top of the rudder stock and extends the 4" stock about 3 feet. Connecting the emergency tiller to the stock and then stabilizing the vertical shaft might have kept the fiberglass from breaking down as fast as it was. We were never in any situation like that so I'm no one to armchair the struggles.

I do think that putting the 1" hole in the top aft of our rudder to put a steering line through was a good idea, even though we never needed it.