Shakes Tiller

Sep 11, 2013
242
Catalina 25 6106 Lake Erie Metro Park
The tiller on my Cat 25 started shaking today whenever I reached about 4 knots. Did it under power and under sail. Weird sensation. Kind of like an old car with worn ball joints and tie rods. Just enough of a shimmy to make it rattle in the gudgeons and shake the autopilot bracket. There’s a little play in the gudgeons but not what I would consider exceeding. They’re not loose on the boat either. No seaweed streamers on the rudder and the tiller handle is tight on the rudder. What gives?

Tom G
 
Sep 11, 2013
242
Catalina 25 6106 Lake Erie Metro Park
I’m going to pull it out tomorrow and inspect it. It was late when we got back and the skeeters were swarming...
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
If you are lucky you may have just picked up a plastic garbage bag or some other debris.
 
Sep 11, 2013
242
Catalina 25 6106 Lake Erie Metro Park
I pulled the rudder today and didn’t see anything that would cause it to shake. No plastic bags, seaweed, etc. I leaned it up against the cockpit and kneeled on it and there was no flexing, bending or cracking. I weighed it before I launched the boat in the spring and it weighs the same, 26.8#, and it still floats.
There was, however, what appeared to be tiny blisters, about 1 mm diameter on both sides. The pic doesn’t do justice. Is this a sign of water and intrusion and is that what is causing the shimmy? The rudder was painted with Interprotect 2000 followed by VC17 before launch in May.
I couldn’t duplicate the shaking since sailing conditions were much rougher than before. At speed, I could still feel a minute vibration but not the pronounced shaking previously experienced.
Tom G
 

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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
It does not seem like that would be the culprit but since you got nothing else to go with I guess I would pop those blisters and fill/fare and do a test run.
Seems like a mystery.
Is there a chance someone struck your rudder and bent a gudgeon? Maybe the rudder is not hanging plumb by a hair and at speed your keel and rudder are fighting each other.