Play in the tiller

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Nicholas Koligiannis
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:51 pm

Play in the tiller

Post by Nicholas Koligiannis »

Hi to all:

If you have a bit of play in your tiller (and, God forbid, it's not the rudder stock tangs that have come loose) the culprit may be the bronze head which joins the tiller with the rudder stock. This is kept tight with a key inserted from the top and a pair of allen-headed screws on the starboard side. Inherently, it's a rather week arrangement. My friend Mats Wik, who sailed his Ballad to Greece several years ago and now has a berth on my pontoon in Athens, came up with an interesting solution--and having been a machinist for three decades--executed in great detail. The photos below are from my installation but I copied his exactly. Essentially, the idea is to split the back of the bronze head with a 1.5-2mm disc to create a slit and then drill through both sides so that a tightening bolt can be inserted. Obviously,the head of the bolt has to be flush with the surface so that the tiller can later be inserted. Also, we chose to make a clear hole on one side and a threaded one on the other, so that the bolt could be tightened well. It is a very solid arrangement which renders the small allen screws on the side unnecessary. However, if you wish, you could also drill int the rudder stock a few millimetres and use the screws (originally, they were just tightened against the round surface on the stock and were, effectively, useless).


Nicholas Koligiannis
Moments of Clarity, hull no.334
A heavy duty machinist's drill with a disc attached makes the cut.
A heavy duty machinist's drill with a disc attached makes the cut.
PB142092.jpg (99.2 KiB) Viewed 15013 times
A better view of the cut
A better view of the cut
PB142093.jpg (85.27 KiB) Viewed 15013 times
The port side of the bronze head with the new allen bolt.  The lower hole is where the bolt holding the tiller passes through.
The port side of the bronze head with the new allen bolt. The lower hole is where the bolt holding the tiller passes through.
PB152094.jpg (69.54 KiB) Viewed 15013 times
The starboard side of the bronze head.  The original allen srews have not been fitted yet.
The starboard side of the bronze head. The original allen srews have not been fitted yet.
PB152096.jpg (78.29 KiB) Viewed 15013 times
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prjacobs
Posts: 235
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:06 pm

Re: Play in the tiller

Post by prjacobs »

Nicholas,
That's interesting because my Ballad (#1085) has a tiller head with that exact modification. I'm wondering if it was a standard feature on later model Ballads, or maybe a previous owner did it. ??
Also, there is no evidence of any other set screw holes.
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dahlke
Posts: 111
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:20 pm
Location: Randers, Denmark

Re: Play in the tiller

Post by dahlke »

prjacobs wrote:Nicholas,
That's interesting because my Ballad (#1085) has a tiller head with that exact modification. I'm wondering if it was a standard feature on later model Ballads, or maybe a previous owner did it. ??
Also, there is no evidence of any other set screw holes.
Interesting, I'll take a look at mine tomorrow (hull #332).
Mads
Ballad #332 (aka. Obelix)
Restoration blog
Boat and restoration pictures
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dahlke
Posts: 111
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 5:20 pm
Location: Randers, Denmark

Re: Play in the tiller

Post by dahlke »

Just had a look. The tiller head on my Ballad (#332) doesn't have the modification. Would be fun to hear from some of the owners with hull numbers between 334 (Nicholas) and 1085 (Peter) :)
Mads
Ballad #332 (aka. Obelix)
Restoration blog
Boat and restoration pictures
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prjacobs
Posts: 235
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:06 pm

Re: Play in the tiller

Post by prjacobs »

I have to agree with Nicholas ... it's a rock-solid upgrade well worth the time and trouble.
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