cd25 tiller/rudder play

[Ryan]

I'm noticing some play in my tiller to rudder joint (boat is in water). I can't tell if it is getting worse or if I am just noticing everything more lately. If it is getting worse, it is doing so in very slow increments. Since the boat is in the water, I can't look at it quite like I'd like to. When I lie down on the cockpit sole and get my face down there, I can't see anything that is loose except for a little play between the bushing on the tiller handle and the post (with keyway?). However, this small amount of visible play doesn't account for the overall play I feel in the overall steering. The problem is especially noticable at slow speeds in the harbor.

Thanks for any help.
Ryan
SV Sojourner
Chicago



digistill@aol.com

[chuck yahrling]

I'm noticing some play in my tiller to rudder joint (boat is in water). I can't tell if it is getting worse or if I am just noticing everything more lately. If it is getting worse, it is doing so in very slow increments. Since the boat is in the water, I can't look at it quite like I'd like to. When I lie down on the cockpit sole and get my face down there, I can't see anything that is loose except for a little play between the bushing on the tiller handle and the post (with keyway?). However, this small amount of visible play doesn't account for the overall play I feel in the overall steering. The problem is especially noticable at slow speeds in the harbor.

Thanks for any help.
Ryan
SV Sojourner
Chicago

Ryan;

My CD-27 shows the same basic behavior, and I've isolated it to the hinge and bolt assemblies between the tiller arm and the rudder post. I bought a new hinge assembly (both pieces) because I wanted a spare, and noticed it is much tighter, although the ss bolt Spartan gives you is slightly smaller than the whole in the tiller fitting and the post fitting. Also, there is quite a bit of space between the cheeks of the tiller fitting, which you can shim up using thin bronze washers from Hamilton or most other chandlers.

All these can add up to a lot of slop, and some unnerving creaks that seem worse at low speed, as you mention. I've checked my rudder to see if the internal part of the post was loose, but it seems OK. So I would bet your tiller slop is mostly due to wear in the fittings, which you can fix using shims as above and perhaps by building up the bolt diameter by stamping strakes or (much better) having the bolt shank "knurlized" at an engine rebuild shop. Or, if you can remove the post fitting, take it and the tiller fitting to a machine shop and have them rebore to slightly larger size and to a snug fit with a standard sized bolt or bronze or ss.

Anything left after that would be from the post fitting wobbling due to being loose, which you could probably fix by tightening up on the setscrew.



cyahrlin@cisco.com