Rudder Stops

[DaveMancini]

Dear Friends,

I'm getting ready to mount the rudder bearing/tiller and remove the wheel steering in my tiller conversion.

Those of you with tiller boats or conversions to tiller: what about rudder stops? The wheel version has stops on the edson drive wheel. Do the tiller versions have stops of any kind?

Thanks for your help.

Dave Mancini
PSC34 #305 "Swan"

[jackdale]

Generally tillers do not need stops. The stop is in place to prevent the quadrant from rotating too far, resulting in the cable dropping off.

[DaveMancini]

My question is directed to owners of PSC 34' and 37's. These boats generally have drive wheels, not quadrants. I am primarily concerned with the possibility of the rudder of these boats contacting the fiberglass of the skeg or hull if it swings too far in its travel, particularly when backing, and whether stops are typically in place to prevent that.

Thanks.

Dave

[BirdBrain333]

When I removed the wheel I left the quadrant, with stops, in place. This made it easy to attach the Cape Horn Windvane and, if some subsequent owner want to go back to Wheel, easier to covert back. I agree, I think the stops are important.

Jay

PSC 37, Kenlanu

[DaveMancini]

Good idea, Jay, thanks.

I'm still curious about whether standard tiller boats had stops of some kind. I'd like to take the drive wheel off if there's another method for stops, just to make more room in that area and to get some weight off the rudder shoe since I'm adding more weight with the stock extension, the tiller and the bronze tiller/rudder head.

May end up leaving it on as you did, though.

Dave

[wsmurdoch]

While I know that my factory tiller steering reaches the limit of its travel with a clunk, I do not know where the noise comes from. With the boat both in and out of the water I have moved both the rudder and the tiller from one extreme to the other, but I have never wondered what limits it travel and have never gone looking for it.

We will be on the boat this weekend, and I'll look then.

Bill Murdoch
1988 PSC 34
Irish Eyes

[DaveMancini]

Thanks Bill. I would appreciate it.

[wsmurdoch]

I have not located any stops that limit the rotation of my rudder. My tiller will turn through just less than 180 degrees, maybe 80 degrees to port and 80 degrees to starboard. The tiller of the boat beside mine (a 1986 PSC 34) will also sweep through just less than 180 degrees. Neither of us knows for sure what stops our rudders, but both of us suspect that it is the half round hollow of the skeg. The ‘thunk’ at both the port and starboard limit of travel is a little soft and does not have a metallic character. Neither of us has seen any external stops either below the waterline or within the boat. The rudder shaft log appears to be continuous from below the boat to the bottom of the aft cockpit seat. It is glassed to the flat area at the very back of the engine compartment, to the cockpit sole, and to the bottom of the aft seat (oddly enough the aft seat is bolted in place). There is no seal or packing gland.

Bill Murdoch
1988 PSC Irish Eyes
New Bern, NC

[DaveMancini]

Hi Bill,

I think you're right: the skeg must stop the rudder. Your description of the shaft log also gives me the idea to glass up the missing center section and do away with the packing gland and its perpetual drip (next haul out). Also, interesting about the seat being bolted on.

Thanks for taking the time to look, Bill. It helps a lot.

Dave