I have a 1979 Sunfish. When you lift the rudder up on the tiller the tiller would spring up and hold it into place. Now it does not even do that. I have little to no mechanical experience. I have been studying the tiller to see how this should work. There is a spring on the shaft that you push down to secure the tiller onto the stern. That I understand. There are two other springs on each side of the rudder. For the life of me I cannot understand how this would mechanically provide spring resistance when pushing the rudder up or down at either end.
Tiller spring...
- Thread starter trist007
- Start date
sailcraftri
Well-Known Member
The two tension springs on each side of the rudder cheek provide the holding power to keep the rudder up or down. Older springs could get stretched out and if your rudder bolt is not tight enough you may have a situation where the rudder will not stay in an up position. You may have to replace the two tension springs. I would try tightening the rudder bolt. Tighten it enough so that if you move the rudder up and down by hand it will pivot with a little bit of resistance.
Do not try pulling the rudder to the up position with the tiller when it is on the boat. This could cause the rudder to crack at the tiller bolt or tension spring post holes right down the grain of the wood.
If you need tension springs I have new ones. cjo1023 at yahoo dot com.
Do not try pulling the rudder to the up position with the tiller when it is on the boat. This could cause the rudder to crack at the tiller bolt or tension spring post holes right down the grain of the wood.
If you need tension springs I have new ones. cjo1023 at yahoo dot com.
The springs attach the rudder cheek to the rudder pin. They help hold the rudder either up or down. They have to stretch when they are moving from one position to the other. If they are not holding the rudder up then they are probably stretched and weak, and need to be replaced.