Tiller tie-off?

[Gordonmc]

In anticipation of forecast gales I paid a quick visit to the boat on its swinging mooring.
A matter of concern was the tiller which I had tied off in the "midships" position. With constant wave motion the grub screws at the rudder stock head have slackened leaving a lot of play in the tiller.
Thinking about it, the boat's motion must exert a lot of effort on the rudder. The reason for tieing off the tiller was to reduce wear on the pintles with constant movement.
So... short of immobilising the rudder, tie-off or not?
Or take the tiller off and let the rudder swing free?
Views welcome. Advice (free) seriously considered.

 

[philip_stevens]

Use some bungy straps. This way, it will allow the tiller/rudder to turn but always return it to the centre position.

 

[aitchw]

In another thread recently it was suggested that the tiller be lashed over rather than dead ahead to help reduce swinging on the mooring. Might be worth a search.

 

[starboard]

Just come back to Troon.....bet you never had that problem here!!

Paul.

 

[Guest]

Re: Tiller tie-off? Always a trade-off ....

Either you have constant waer on the pintles / stock-tube etc. or tiller head.

I lash mine amidships - but I am in a marina .... previously boat spent significant time on swinging mooring exposed - same as previous boats ... and all I have lashed at miships position.

None suffered damage as a result ... although tiller at point lashing was made had to be bound ...........

I would in most cases advocate lashed midships especially on a swinging mooring, particulrly in these days of crowded moorings - so that you swing with the trend and not askew ...

If you have rudder head working loose from having lashed tiller - I might think that something is amiss and check carefully cause and solution ... as a rudder head and stock etc., should be able to take this in its stride ... as its not that different to you holding the tiller while sailing etc.in fact should be less force as boat is not moving so fast with flow over the rudder ... etc.

If you are able - can you tie off the rudder blade itself ? to relieve the stress on tiller .... ? On transom mount, skeg mounted such as mine - you can pass a jury rig line through ... just a thought ...

 

[KREW2]

I always lash my tiller on a swing mooring, constant pivoting to its full extent over a long period can't be good. The bungee idea sounds even better.

 

[Spuddy]

Sounds like your problem might be like mine - wear at the junction between tiller fitting and rudder stock. They are squared off with a bolt to sqeeze em together going in on the diagonal. One solution is to get some sheet copper and see if that will fill up any gap. Then anneal it, which is a doddle - just get it red in a gas flame of some sort and shove it in water which will bring the oxide off. Annealing softens it so it should be easier to poke everything together with a good smack where necessary. If the grubscrew has a slot head, why not try a replacement with a hex head so you can get a socket on it. If the copper squashes too much over time you might need a couple of folding wedges machined out of SS.
Let us know how you get on

 

[MrFish]

My keel boat is on fore & aft pile moorings, with about 3knots of tide coming around the corner. I 'tie' the tiller off with 2 bungies - the loads are obviously reasonably high at times as the bungies fray quite quickly - as in about 2 months. 1 bungy is a backup for the other. The tiller can move if it needs to, but is generally held amidships. Holds the tiller steady for the waves, boat wash etc.
If the grub screws are loose, I'd fix that promptly.
Cheers

 

[jim99]

I also use bungies, two on each side (or, rather, two long bungies that are wrapped around the tiller as they pass to the other side) and find it quite satisfactory. Motion is gentle, no shocks.

 

[LeonF]

You ought to be barred !!!!!! Posting from a location like that as we get ready to weather our winter!!!

 

[Guest]

Did you say Winter ?????

Are you SURE you mean winter ..... that mild autumn that pretends to be a winter that UK suffers .............. all that wet and rain ...

Winter is -20 or lower ... as often dips to out here ......>>>

or ....

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Gordonmc]

Yup.
The grub-screws in my case are imperial allen heads which I now think I will bin and replace with hex-heads if I can source the right thread.
I don't think I can seize the rudder itself... its a large piece of solid mahogany under a canoe stern. The tiller is a fairly heavy lump of oak, so the stock-head is likely under- engineered.
The copper packing and bungee strops seem sensible.
Paul... I'll be back at Troon in the spring for a fit out. Look out for Eilean BTW (formerly Emma) We tried to bring her down at the weekend but got blown into Largs instead.