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 Catalina 250 Specific Forum
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djbano
1st Mate

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67 Posts
Initially Posted - 03/06/2012 :  10:10:09  Show Profile  Visit djbano's Homepage
Mates:

Thought I would post this psa. I needed a new tiller after discovering last fall that the wood under the strap is confetti. The model for our boat, 112, may be purchased directly from the manufacturer for $80 + ship. Catalina Direct sells for 119. They are set up to take credit cards. 323-636-1718.

I would appreciate suggestions for washer/shims to remove the play between the strap and rudder.

DJ
CYANA
Denver
'98 250 WK TR #372
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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts
Response Posted - 03/06/2012 :  17:21:34  Show Profile  Visit delliottg's Homepage
DJ,
I bedded mine in epoxy which took away all the play. It's pretty easy to do, first bolt up the tiller & extrusion and mark exactly where they fit together with a grease pencil so you can easily line them up without benefit of the bolt holes & bolts as they won't be accessible while the epoxy cures. Scuff up the tiller handle so the epoxy will adhere well, then line the SS extrusion with wax paper so the epoxy won't adhere at all. The wax paper should be very tight to the interior of the extrusion to get the best fit. Tape off the bolt holes in the tiller (although you should coat them with epoxy too so they're water proof and you don't have to do this again, but that can be done either before or afterward).

Mix up a batch of epoxy with some sort of thickener, I used WEST Systems stuff, but I don't remember exactly which thickener. You want a consistency between mayonnaise and peanut butter so it's easy to work with. They've got great guides to tell you which is best for your application.

Coat the tiller on each side until you have a bit more thickness than the final coat will be. Press it into the extrusion making sure to line everything up with the grease pencil marks so you get a good fit. You'll get a fair amount of squeeze out, so be prepared for that. Clear away as much as you can to make sure you can easily remove the extrusion once it's begun to cure. Clamp them together and let the epoxy begin to cure. This may be more complex than it seems because the extrusion may have a gap along the spine of the tiller that you want to fill, so make sure you practice this step before you mix the epoxy. After it's begun to set up (you can press your thumbnail into it and barely leave a mark), you can remove the clamps and extrusion and trim the epoxy with a razor knife. If you let it cure too long, you'll be doing this step with a sander instead.

Once it's cured, put it back together and mark where you need to drill holes through the epoxy to open up the bolt holes again. Drill them out with an undersized bit, and then use a Dremel tool to clean up the holes. Make sure you coat the interiors of the bolt holes with epoxy so you don't get water intrusion again. Coat the epoxy with some sort of finish with UV protectant in it and you should be ready to sail.

Edit: Just read that you said "straps", which probably means you don't have an extrusion attached to your rudder head. In that case, you might just consider SS washers to take up the slack, or a piece of plate cut to fit. UHMW plastic would work well and you never have to worry about it corroding.
Edited by - delliottg on 03/06/2012 17:24:20
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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts
Response Posted - 03/06/2012 :  17:59:46  Show Profile
On my C25, I use nylon washers, available in varying sizes and thicknesses from Home Depot/Lowes, between the straps and the rudder.
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djbano
1st Mate

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67 Posts
Response Posted - 03/07/2012 :  12:14:09  Show Profile  Visit djbano's Homepage
Thanks for the suggestions. I have straps on my emergency tiller. I have the single extrusion/strap on the primary tiller. The play is not between tiller and strap but rather between strap and rudder. I think the epoxy is a fine idea to eliminate play between tiller and strap and will give that a try.


DJ
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.