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Tips, Tricks, and Flat Out Advice From Joel himself... |
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Avoiding Stearing Problems - Rudder Stearing systems on most sailboats are relatively easy to inspect and maintain. For a proactive boat owner, inspecting your stearing system not only helps you keep your stearing system dependable, it keeps you and your crew safe from experiencing failures while under sail.
The simplest and easiest-to-maintain
is the transom-hung rudder. Inspect
the
gudgeons and pintles for corrosion or cracks along high-stress points
and welds. Universal
gudgeons and pintles are a
relatively inexpensive investment to keep your transom-hung rudder
performing
as designed. Also
be sure your
retaining pins are in place on the pintles to prevent the rudder from
being
lifted free in sloppy conditions.
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Avoiding Stearing Problems - Tiller Tillers and tiller connections should be inspected on a regular basis. Inspect nuts, bolts, and tiller straps for corrosion. Replace if necessary with stainless steal hardware. (To go a step further, at IdaSailor, we electro polish our tiller straps, gudgeons, pintles, and rudder heads to minimize metal corrosion. This may be a limited service in most areas because of the chemical process involved.) Also check areas on the tiller where holes have been drilled, as these areas are more prone to absorbing moisture, causing the tiller to delaminate. A strong sound tiller keeps sailors and their crew safe. To protect your tiller-stearing investment, apply your favorite marine penetrating varnish to help seal your tiller off from moisture. Teak oil may also be applied. More frequent applications of marine penetrating oils may be necessary throughout the sailing season, depending on the tiller's exposure to the elements. Regardless of tiller coating preferences, a fresh coat or two of marine penetrating varnish or oil is always a nice way to start out the sailing season to keep your tiller in safe, working order, and to keep your tiller from delaminating. |
2009