Trojan Boat Forum

Capt Marco wrote:My F32 is prone to throttle steer, but I expect that, and I don't really use the wheel in the marina so it's no big deal and easy to get used to, I rarely adjust the tabs, don't see a need for it, and it doesnt' hurt anything to keep them in one spot until you need more tab. Furthermore, since my boat is used for almost exclusively trolling so we bolt on stainless extensions for more surface area. Auto pilot holds much better than those tiny rudders it came with.

would you have any pics of these extensions---- sounds interesting ------ Thanks Mike

So you use (presumably metal-filled) epoxy to re-cast the socket? Excellent! So many people have degraded into being just parts changers, not mechanics. It warms my heart to see someone actually REPAIR something!

The grease fittings on my tricab steering are oriented in a way that makes them difficult to get to. I was thinking about adding these when I get around to it. http://www.mcmaster.com/#1112k41/=pf0vtt

I don't even see holes for grease fittings on the pictures above. Since lack of lubrication may be the cause of the problem, while you have everything disassembled, it might be a good idea to make it easy to keep things lubricated. Thanks for posting.

mikeandanne wrote:

Capt Marco wrote:My F32 is prone to throttle steer, but I expect that, and I don't really use the wheel in the marina so it's no big deal and easy to get used to, I rarely adjust the tabs, don't see a need for it, and it doesnt' hurt anything to keep them in one spot until you need more tab. Furthermore, since my boat is used for almost exclusively trolling so we bolt on stainless extensions for more surface area. Auto pilot holds much better than those tiny rudders it came with.

would you have any pics of these extensions---- sounds interesting ------ Thanks Mike

It's put up for the winter, I'll see what I can find.

Edit, found one like it.

Rudder extensions like this are very hard on the rest of the steering gear inside the hull. A properly balanced rudder has a certain percentage of surface area forward of the post which actually assists in turning the rudder. Having so much rudder aft of the post puts a greater load on the tiller arm and every other component including the captain. In my opinion, you'd be better off purchasing a properly engineered rudder.

The picture below shows a balanced rudder.

http://www.chatfieldmarine.com/site/cha ... Rudder.jpg