EA, I sure hope you don''t think I was indirectly criticizing you when adding my piece to the thread about trying to use an emergency tiller under sail. You did what 90+% of us sailors fail to do routinely, namely test & practice with the safety & back-up gear.
Also, you make an excellent point about looking a 2nd (3rd? 4th!) time at how the builder put critical systems together. Anchoring quadrant sheaves into fiberglass with self-tapping screws is a horrid thing to find but probably very much in
line with other construction techniques on ''price boats'' these (and former) days. Which boat, BTW - to help us check for or avoid the problem ourselves?
We sail an older Pearson 424, which is - with the sole exception of the shower stall, which is a one-piece fiberglass mold - a 100% wooden boat, built inside a fiberglass hull & deck. You''d think that would be a great endorsement - and I guess it is, to an extent - but Lordy, some of the things we find over time.
Jack