The tiller is a weak spot on the M17. I've broken one in the heat of action by dropping the boom on it while pulling down the main without the topping lift engaged. I performed emergency surgery at the marina using ss screws so I could keep going for the weekend, but brought it home and glued and screwed as Howard suggests. I happened to have a new one at home, so I replaced it with that, but I keep the old one and now carry it as an emergency spare in case I perform that swift move with the boom again. t On Sat, Aug 9, 2008 at 7:04 AM, Howard Audsley <haudsley@tranquility.net> wrote:
Robbin:
Having been to the Chesapeake a few times, I can say that the only time my rudder has grounded has been out there. A lot of Bay is shallow (even a mile or so from shore). In fact, that was probably the biggest surprise I got from the Bay. How shallow much of it is.
While the M17 rudder does raise and lower, even when the rudder is all the way up, it's the first part of the boat to "find land". If the Bay was home a kick up rudder might be nice. The M15's come that way. Short of making your own (doable), Ida Sailer might be the way to go.
As for the tiller, it sounds like yours may be laminated, and if so, as long as you clean up the old joint so the epoxy has something to stick to, it should be fine. You gotta be careful not to over clamp it or else you will squeeze out the glue and you will get a weak joint. Mine tiller was one piece, but it too split. So I made a new one.
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n165/haudsley/200209181932166-1.jpg
In one of the Pardey books, I read where Larry's test of a tiller was to block it up on both ends and be able to jump up and down on it in the middle. So I made mine out of a piece of quarter sawn white oak. It passed the jump test and I weigh 200 pounds. I was reminded of this recently when I read the account of Charlie Whipple and "Resolution". When he made it topsides, he still had time to save her, except he found his tiller had snapped (it had been lashed for self-steering). So he had no way to steer the boat off the rocks. As is often the case, sounds like Larry was right again.
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