PocketShip.net

Hi all, I'm pre-drilling some things for the fitting out process before fully finishing the epoxy fill/sand/paint to limit the amount I need to go back and touch up. I have the rudder temporarily hung and tiller slotted in. I did a quick check of swing and came up with 75* total range of motion. What are the expected angles to be achieved or has been seen in practice? Running port and starboard the angle between the transom and rudder was ~ 52.5* for both. Should I be closer to 45* on both sides? If so I'll open up the cut out a bit more. I've read elsewhere that a swing over 35* does not add much to the turning moment for most boats and if that's the case I'm already at 37.5*.

At some point, won't the tiller hit the sides of the boat, limiting the maximum possible swing? (I am away from my boat at the moment, so I can't check).
I recommend making it possible for the tiller to reach its limits before it binds against the sides of the hole in the transom.
Otherwise the tiller and the sides of the hole will get scuffed, and you could even break the tiller if it reaches the limit while you are still yanking on it.
The sideways force on front end of the tiller will get multiplied at the transom by at least 10x because of the leverage.

The hole in my transom is a tiny bit too narrow, and the sides of my tiller are getting scuffed.

Doug

Thanks, Doug. I double checked the swing on the tiller and clearance. I also noticed on PS #1 the hole in the transom was beveled to the inside which if I echo will give me the full range rather than the roundover that I have. Cheers!