Kent Ranger Sailing Association

Rudder & Tiller Hardware

07 May 2007

Recently Kent Ranger HQ received an inquiry from the new owner of an R-20 that lacked some of its rudder & tiller hardware. Here is a set of pictures that shows the upper and lower rudder mounts and the swing fitting that attaches the butt of the tiller to the rudderhead.

As an aside, the [teak] wedges between the outboard mount and the transom are also shown. Someone has suggested that plastic wood-splitting wedges could sub, if replacements were needed. They may be bright yellow, but perhaps that isn't a huge problem.

Rudder & Tiller Hardware Pictures

Click a thumbnail to see larger pix:

The Tiller

(There could be variations among boats produced throughout the years.)

The original tillers were of teak--solid stock, not laminated. (The smallest laminated tiller from the boat store seems quite large--even if not long, certainly "fat", and usually curved.) Starting with straight stock, a taper is worked onto it, apparently by removing only two faces--bottom and one side; the result is imperceptibly asymmetrical.) Its cross-section is essentially square, not round as many tillers are. (Rectangle vs. oval; whatever.)

Measurements:

42" long x 1 5/8" thick* x 1 3/4" tall @ aft end;
*i.e., same width as the rudder-head's thickness.
Taper begins 9" along (from butt).
Tapers to 1" wide x 1 1/8" tall @ forward end.
The circle-section curve against the butt of the tiller has a stop at bottom so that the tiller can fall only so far; this is difficult to see in photos.

The metal hardware that attaches tiller to rudder is simplicity itself: 2 x 1 1/4" or perhaps 1 1/2" wide flat metal (stainless steel) straps, one each side, thick enough to not flex; one bolt through the rudder, three through the tiller, all in line. I don't know the length of those straps, but there wouldn't seem to be any reason for going nuts in either direction (long or short). To err toward long would be preferable, for good support of the tiller and plenty of space between the two holes that must be drilled in it. I suppose itwould be reasonable to match the untapered 9", plus past the rudder-head bolt. (At least one photo shows this.)

The tiller is free to swing up; some may like the rudder-head bolt loose enough that the tiller falls back down; others may like for the tiller to remain up once raised.

Made using JAlbum and Nvu for Macintosh.