PocketShip.net

I am ready to cut out the tiller hole in the transom but note that the dimensions recommended are 3 inches high and 3 1/4 inches wide, but the mark I made from the rudder opening is only 2 inches high. Any recommendations for final fit of the tiller? Do I start an inch higher than the marks I made on the transom or maybe split the difference and just center the 2 inches in the 3 inch opening? Since the tiller movement allows for some vertical activity I don't want to wait until I have a tiller in hand to decide and possibly need to make additional modifications.
Thanks for any recommendations.
Mike

Mike, do you have your rudder built that you can mark exactly where the hole needs to go? I would recommend that to make sure it is exactly where you want it. I also copied Jeff Perkins build and cut an oval hole which was much bigger and should allow enough horizontal and vertical movement. I also like the looks of the oval vs. square.

I would wait until you have your rudder mounted and tiller made. Even then, keep in mind that the tiller comes out of the rudder at a bit of an angle.

This may be a mistake unique to me, but I dramatically overestimated the vertical movement of the rudder and cut a bigger hole than I needed to. If i was doing it again, i would wait until I had everything in place.

I went strictly by the plans when locating and cutting the opening.
Because the rudder floats it travels between the upper and lower limits of the “Pintle” depending on whether the boat is in the water or on the dry and the designed opening allows the tiller to travel between these limits without coming into contact with the transom.

Thanks for all the good input. I do have the rudder done and did mark the location of the tiller hole on the transom. I guess the hole size itself must not be too critical as long as the tiller fits through and can move about. I will look at Jeff’s oval idea too.
I think I'll just wait until I have the tiller built and the mounting work done for the rudder based on all the discussions here and do the cutting before painting and finishing.
Thanks for great feedback
Mike

I saw Jeff's boat that oval cutout also looks very sweet. I wish I had done it that way (I suppose I still could).

Bill

I just cut mine and realized after that the tiller has a small drop on the bottom after it exits the rudder. I had to go back and cut another 1/4” off the bottom of the cutout. Otherwise I did as the manual says and I think it looks about right. Used a 1/2” radius router on the inside and a 1/4” on the outside. My router was just able to go around the entirety of the cutout. Must have had a bigger router in the manual.

BTW I was looking at the plans to see how far the rudder might swing as I’m looking at outboards. The rudder on the drawing is not centered on the boat. Hope that’s an error!

Make sure that the hold is wide enough (and the edge is beveled enough on the inside) to allow the tiller to swing all the way to the seatbacks.
Otherwise the tiller can bind on the edge of the hole, which puts a lot of stress on the tiller and the rudder pivots.

BTW, I built the pivots exactly according to the plans and manual, but I was horrified how much those four eyebolts and the SS rod cost!
I suspect that Racelite could make a custom-designed set of pintles and gudgeons for less money, and they would be lighter as well.

Doug