Rudder Reinforcement Plates

Entry # 21

In Entry # 16, I mentioned that I felt a little uneasiness last summer with the give I felt at the helm while under sail. Not unlike the looseness one feels while steering a car with worn out ball joints. So last fall I purchased a beautiful new tiller made of oak and mahogany with the intention of replacing the old one. Finally, with the weather easing last weekend, I removed my tiller and the two reinforcement plates that were bolted on either side of my tiller (top) and fiberglass rudder (bottom). Wow, take a look at what I found in regard to the condition of my reinforcement plates _

I found the inside of both plates mildewed, portions rotting and splitting. No wonder there was give and take with the helm! It is very unlikely this tiller assembly would have lasted through a single heavy sea episode let alone a three month passage. I proceeded to buy a piece of oak this week and just completed shaping reinforcement plate replacements.

I completed sanding the original tiller. All signs of wear were aesthetic. Unlike the stanchions, there were no soft spots or pieces of wood missing. And cracks were found to be on the surface of the tiller only and were easily removed with sanding. The tiller is solid!

I applied four coats of wood stain for a deep rich finish. ‘Never Too Lates’ reworked tiller assembly is ready for installation _