Hinged lift-up tiller

Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
Does anyone have some sort of hinge in their tiller so it can lift up when you're at anchor or docked? I'd love to be able to lift it up to make more room in the cockpit.

My solution now is to push it all the way over to port and use the tiller tamer line to hold it there, but that swings the rudder over to starboard which gets in the way of the swim ladder.

I would think it would have to be a pretty stout hinge, since it would be taking *all* the force of the tiller.
 

ToddS

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Sep 11, 2017
248
Beneteau 373 Cape Cod
For many, many years I sailed a 35' 1964 Allied Seabreeze sloop with a tiller... and the bottom/back end of the tiller had a hinge with a bolt that connected it down to the rudder shaft. To say that it was a "stout" hinge would be a collosal understatement... I would bet the hinge itself was proabably 10-15 pounds of cast bronze. So yes... stout enough that the tiller itself would likely snap well before the hinge gave way.
 
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Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
I thought they all swung up. Both of ours do/did. Can you post a pic of what you have?

We swing it up and lash it to the mainsheet at night to keep it from banging around.
 
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Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
I thought they all swung up. Both of ours do/did. Can you post a pic of what you have?

We swing it up and lash it to the mainsheet at night to keep it from banging around.

Huh, really? Maybe I'm the outlier.

I'll take some pics tonight when I get home.
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Normally you'll see two stainless plates, one on each side of the tiller, bolted through it, and connecting it to the rudder. Then there's one bolt at the aft end of the plates, which goes through the rudder body. That's your "hinge". Maybe that bolt is just too tight.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
The traveler bar probably interferes with raising the tiller all the way. What you can do is replace the bolts on the rudder/tiller bracket with something that can be quickly removed... wing nuts perhaps, or even a couple of quick release clevis pins.... that will allow you to simply ship and unship the tiller when you want more room with out removing the whole rudder.
 
Aug 31, 2011
243
Catalina C-22 9485 Lake Rathbun, IA
Further to Gene's note, I thought ALL tillers raise up on these boats. For one, it makes it more ergonomic when sailing to adjust the tiller height relative to your size/position, etc. But those two 'metal plates' are pretty sturdy. When docked at the marina, I raise and lash the tiller to the mainsheet. It folds up nicely out of the way. Attached a couple of pics when we're anchored up and have the grill table in place. Usually, we push the tiller hard over and fold it up out of the way.
 

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Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
Huh! I can't believe I never figured that out. It looks like a previous owner attached the tiller a little too close to the rudder so it doesn't have room to swing up. I just need to cut 0.25" or so off the end and that should do it.

But as someone said, won't the traveller get in the way then?
 

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Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
Huh! I can't believe I never figured that out. It looks like a previous owner attached the tiller a little too close to the rudder so it doesn't have room to swing up. I just need to cut 0.25" or so off the end and that should do it.
There's no way you could know - given how the boat was set up when you got it. Goofy PO's handiwork fooled everybody. Good thing you posted on the forum--
 
Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
The previous owner also had a goofy linkage from the rudder to the outboard that was getting in the way. I'd never used it, but I hadn't removed the parts.
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
I always wished there was a GOOD way to link the outboard to the rudder, but if there is, I couldn't come up with it.

One never quite masters the nuances of simultaneously jockeying two separate tillers - one of which is behind you, outside of the boat, and a throttle/gear selector in yet another place, outside the boat, all while approaching your boat trailer with a current from one direction and wind from another ... in front of a crowd, of course. ;)
 
Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
I usually lock the motor and steer with the tiller in forward, and lock the tiller and steer with the motor in reverse. The only time I use both is when I've mis-judged something and am coming up the dock wrong and need a some quick thrust vectoring to avoid a disaster. WhIcH nEVeR HaPPens tO Me!

I need to re-varnish the tiller anyway, so I took it off this morning. It's so close to swinging up! I think I'll only need to remove 1/8" of material to make it work.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I always wished there was a GOOD way to link the outboard to the rudder, but if there is, I couldn't come up with it.

One never quite masters the nuances of simultaneously jockeying two separate tillers - one of which is behind you, outside of the boat, and a throttle/gear selector in yet another place, outside the boat, all while approaching your boat trailer with a current from one direction and wind from another ... in front of a crowd, of course. ;)
I mastered the two tiller tango but never quite got used to the forward/reverse shifter while continuously looking forward and backward :redface:
 

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
I mastered the two tiller tango but never quite got used to the forward/reverse shifter while continuously looking forward and backward :redface:
On my Yamaha the shifter was on the tiller. I had the same problem with getting forward/reverse right until I marked the positions with large white F and R stick on letters.
That helped my mind recognize the position quickly without thinking about it.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I'm glad to hear I wasnt the only one. My trolling motor is even more confusing. twist the tiller one way for forward and the other way for reverse
 
Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
Hmm. Shoot.

The tiller swings up now, but the traveler is in the way so it can only swing up about a foot, not enough to open up more room in the cockpit. Dang.
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
Mine seems to have pretty decent clearance, when flipped up and tied to the backstay. What year boat do you have? If it really bothers you, one thing you can try is a different tiller rise. I have the 9.75" clearance in the top of the photo - and that probably makes a difference. I like the higher rise - and it gives more leg clearance when down as well. Others don't like it-

https://store.ruddercraft.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=181_32&product_id=29
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
+1 on what year is your boat.

Mine is an '88. Looking quickly through some pics, here is one showing the tiller lashed to the split backstay. The tiller is almost completely out of the way: