peejayell
New member
I have a Standfast 33 sloop, a very swift 1980 fast cruiser.
If there are other owners out there, I shall be delighted to hear how they cope with a problem which at best is an irritation, and at worst a source of fatigue and muscle strain.
Perhaps someone can offer me advice:
The yacht has a fin keel with 1.8m draught.
There is no skeg, and the tiller-operated rudder is enormous. It is rectangular, with vertical leading and trailing edges. It has a shapely foil section, widest at the shaft, and with only about 10%-15% of balance. Its length takes it almost as deep as the keel, and its width is around half a metre.
My problem is that with all this rudder area the helmsperson gets kicked quite violently sideways by the tiller if there is any cross-sea or wake from passing power boats.
The effect is worst at low speeds in nearly calm water. As we get sailing at 5 knots upwards everything goes much steadier, with a constant pressure on the helm. Presumably this is because the rudder is streaming backward due to speed more strongly than the sideways disturbances.
When motoring ahead I can hardly hold the tiller when making a sudden turn. The boat turns very well, but as she starts to pivot round, the tiller is forced hard over.
Even more difficult is steering astern, except at very low speed, with both hands holding firmly.
We love the boat in every other respect, but I am reluctant to go to considerable expense to build a different rudder unless I can be sure of solving the problem.
Your comments and advice will be appreciated.
If there are other owners out there, I shall be delighted to hear how they cope with a problem which at best is an irritation, and at worst a source of fatigue and muscle strain.
Perhaps someone can offer me advice:
The yacht has a fin keel with 1.8m draught.
There is no skeg, and the tiller-operated rudder is enormous. It is rectangular, with vertical leading and trailing edges. It has a shapely foil section, widest at the shaft, and with only about 10%-15% of balance. Its length takes it almost as deep as the keel, and its width is around half a metre.
My problem is that with all this rudder area the helmsperson gets kicked quite violently sideways by the tiller if there is any cross-sea or wake from passing power boats.
The effect is worst at low speeds in nearly calm water. As we get sailing at 5 knots upwards everything goes much steadier, with a constant pressure on the helm. Presumably this is because the rudder is streaming backward due to speed more strongly than the sideways disturbances.
When motoring ahead I can hardly hold the tiller when making a sudden turn. The boat turns very well, but as she starts to pivot round, the tiller is forced hard over.
Even more difficult is steering astern, except at very low speed, with both hands holding firmly.
We love the boat in every other respect, but I am reluctant to go to considerable expense to build a different rudder unless I can be sure of solving the problem.
Your comments and advice will be appreciated.
