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----- Original Message ---- From: "Truelove39@aol.com" <Truelove39@aol.com> To: thataway4@cox.net Cc: passagemaking-under-power@lists.samurai.com Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:32:09 AM Subject: [PUP] Emergency tiller >Seahorse is a cutaway full-keel sailing hull with a rudder which is about 7 >x 3 feet. I'm having trouble picturing this. The rudder is 7 feet by 3 feet? I thought I had a large rudder at 3.5 feet tall by 2.5 feet wide on a 40 foot boat. I have a full keel that draws around 3'-8" depending on load. >it should be >relatively easy unless going astern as it is a semi-balanced rudder. My rudder is also semi balanced. It is easy to use even when going astern since I rarely go more than a couple of knots when going in reverse. >Dennis Conner admonished his helmsmen never to use more >than 7 degrees of helm. That is evidently the point where the rudder begins >to slow the boat. Interesting information, didn't know that. But I rarely use more than 7 deg. helm unless making a hard turn. My boat tracks very true on autopilot even in following seas of 15 feet, because of the long, deep keel and rounded stern. Yaw is never more than a couple of degrees in those conditions. I too have an emergency tiller. It is made from 2" heavywalled aluminum. It is "L" shaped and the handle is approximately 3 feet long. The tiller fits through a removable deck plate on the stern deck which is directly over the rudder post. They lock together via a machined slot. I can stand upright on the stern deck if I need to use the tiller. I have never used it so I don't know how well it works. I should practice with it before I "need" to use it. I also installed an old sailboaters trick. I have a hole glassed in through the aft end of my rudder that I can pass a line through. I can knot the line on both sides of the hole and pass the line through port and starboard hawse pipes for an additional backup system. Patrick Willard 40PH ALOHA La Paz, MX ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs