Tiller question

[Sanman]

Hi Y'all,I am replacing my wobly cold impersonal metal tiller with one from Ida sailor. When I removed the tiller there was a piece of plastic about 8 inches long by 4 inches wide which was inside the stock which the tiller's bolt passed thru. (It was pretty beat up)...Here are my questions, what is this for? is it important? and if it is, how do I replace it? is it something I need to make myself? and if so out of what? and if not, who sells it? Thanks in advance,Sanford Hardy, SV Windancer, H23.5 Birmingham, AL

 

[Mark Major]

Ask Ida

who I just submitted my numbers to and probably know exactly what your model needs, but...I manufactured a new rudder housing for my '86H23 (in excess of original sheet metal thickness) and currently have a metal tiller I made as well, but am considering going back to a wood tiller. I have my original tiller in hand as I write, and see the "wobbly-ness" therein was caused by: rot/wear around the through bolt and; wear upon the surfaces within the rudder housing. I suspect that the previous owner of my boat fought its weather helm tendencies causing damage to the housing (evident by repair welding) that stressed the tiller as well. I also have to admit that when a new owner of this old boat I did the same causing previous repairs to fail, ultimately resulting in aforementioned replacement of housing and unmentioned repairs to the rudder.All that being said, what I will do when installing a new tiller within the aluminum housing is to place a shim of "Teflon" or UHMW plastic between wood an metal. This will allow me to tighten the through bolt that the tiller pivots on more securely so that the vertical surfaces take the steering stress. Furthermore the plastic absorbs flex and allows self lubricated pivotal movement instead of wood abrasion. I will no longer allow any "wobbly" in my tiller, for that is indication of damage to the through bolt hole and vertical sides. Mark Major'86H23 Lesismor

 

[Sanman]

yep, my metal tiller did the same

I actually ordered my tiller through Ida, and the reason I am replacing my metal tiller with the wooden one from Ida is that the Bolt hole on the OEM tiller had reamed itself out. You are spot on regarding the reasoning for the teflon pad I think (sorry couldnt remember "Teflon" in my first post...didn't wanna say "Plastic thingy")Where could I find a piece of Teflon or UMHW plastic big enough to recreate my old shim?

 

[Jonathan Costello]

made replacements myself

I did a couple of things. First, the "teflon" pads act as shims because the rudder is wider as well as providing a little compression. I made new ones out of UV resistant plastic 1/8" thick. An industrial plastic/rubber supplier will have this. My tiller bolt hole was wallowed out too because of the bolt threads constantly grinding against it. I drilled it out to the next larger diameter and got a larger diameter bolt with a longer collar (un threaded portion) that no longer has threads in contact with the tiller. I can't take credit for the idea as someone else on the forum did this. If you already bought the new tiller it might not be a bad idea to drill out to the next larger size to prevent the same problem from happening again. Good luck

 

[mmsailor]

plastic thingy ,

I was at my local rigger one day for something and I asked him where I could get some large plastic discs to put on both sides of my rudder . He walked over to his waste basket and picked out a plastic lid from a coffee can . I went home and used a 4 inch hole saw to cut some discs from an old truck mud flap . The plastic type not the rubber kind, hope this helps Mike

 

[BrianW]

Hunter Tiller Shim Price

I needed to replace mine recently and got a quote from Hunter. They quoted $18 a pair! BrianW

 

[Sanman]

thanks guys!

I appreciate all the help!

 

[Ed]

Leaxn Shims

My metal tiller wobbled out too due to the threads on the through bolt wearing the tiller hole out. I had the tiller welded to fill the hole and redrilled. I used Lexan cut to the pattern of the original shims to space it out. I replaced the original through bolt with a slightly longer one to keep the threads out of the tiller so it won't happen again.

 

[sea_casper]

Plastic source

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item 45349 UHMW Sheet 12" x 24" 1/8" Thick$9.04 + shippingThis Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene sheet has exceptionally high abrasion and impact resistance properties. It will outwear all other materials, including metals, nylons, urethanes, and fluoroplastics. In corrosion resistance, it has the same qualities of other polyethylenes. The working temp range is from -60 to 200 deg F. Because it resists wear, friction and corrosion, it cuts maintenance costs, energy consumption, and extends equipment life. Its properties include: low coefficient of friction, self-lubrication, non-adherent surface, FDA and USDA concurrence for contact with foods, drugs, etc. Use mechanical fasteners in construction.

 

[Jonathan Costello]

Yep, that's the stuff I bought

The stuff I bought is black which is also UV resistant unlike the stuff Hunter uses (the white stuff) that is not UV resistant and becomes brittle over time as it breaks down and falls apart. Which is why I had to replace mine.