The first step to returning to tiller steering, SAILjazz’s Sam Boyle II removes the deckplate, opening a Pandora’s box of unforeseen variables that most boat projects bring.

In our last installment we had reached the point where we had all the parts in hand for converting our wheel steering aboard our 1977 Pearson 10-Meter Grit back to a tiller steering. It turns out that acquiring the parts was the easy part…

We decided to test fit all the new parts before dismantling the existing wheel system. Our strategy was that we didn’t want to be left without a steering system should any problems develop during tiller steering installation. The first step was removing the deckplate covering the ruddershaft. Once the deckplate was out of the way, we placed the new bearing block in place and then tested the fit of the rudderpost extension/tiller head.

This is where the genius of Joel Santarone’s design came into play (see Part 1 http://www.sailjazz.com/editorial/14/24 of this project for contact info.) The new bearing block was manufactured from UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) plastic so it provided a bearing surface for the tiller extension. It was also large enough to cover the massive hole left by the old deckplate. The rudderpost extension was machined from a solid block of bronze and also incorporates the tiller head function in one piece. Note the two O-rings that seal any gap between the rudderpost and the bearing–ensuring a leak free installation. Nice touches not evident in the photographs were the machining on the bore of the tillerhead to capture the square at the top of the rudderpost and a caulking grove cut into the bottom of the bearing block.

Quality parts going into the retrofit reduce the surprise factor in the final product.

Testing the tiller showed that everything moved smoothly and there was no binding or misalignment in the new system. Satisfied that all the parts lined up properly, we applied sealant to the bottom of the bearing block and bolted everything up snugly. The easy part done, we turned to dismantling the old steering sytem.

Our next step was the most difficult: removing the cables and sheaves belowdecks, which proved to be quite the task. We were working in very cramped quarters and the system had been in place for many years (translation: stubborn fasteners). I wondered more than once how we would have repaired this system at sea. It was extremely difficult at the dock and I just couldn’t imagine trying to do it while the boat was moving. Edson steering has a reputation for being very reliable–provided it is properly maintained. Based on our experience, I would strongly urge anyone with this gear to spend time familiarizing themselves with it and religiously following the recommended maintenance schedule. Doing this a few times at the dock will pay huge dividends should you ever need to make repairs underway.

Once the aft components had been removed, we began dismantling the pedestal itself. This actually came apart pretty easily and we soon had all the old steering parts off the boat. Unfortunately, we still had the messiest part of our task ahead. With the pedestal out of the way it was time to fill in the holes left behind.

Shifting cables, wire, steering linkage, and years of dirt were just some of the sights along the way.

Harboring some doubts about the sealing around the pedestal bolts, we tested each hole for prior water leaks and wet or damaged core. Fortunately, only one of the holes revealed wet core and we quickly removed that using an allen wrench chucked into the end our of cordless drill. We cleaned up the mess and then taped a plastic-covered square of cardboard underneath the sole to block off the bottom of the holes. With the “mold” in place we mixed up some epoxy and high density filler and began pouring it into the voids. Big mistake. The cardboard wasn’t strong enough to hold the weight and we ended up with some very interesting epoxy formations in the bilge. While we were able to salvage most of our epoxy and continue, it was clear that we would have been much better off to have mixed up a small batch of epoxy and just plugged the bottoms of the holes with a thin layer. Once that set up, we could have then filled the remaining voids without any leakage. As it was, we were able to hold the form in place long enough for the epoxy to set up and we ended up with nicely filled voids and no loss of strength in the cockpit sole.

If you can imagine a major boat upgrade, epoxy is likely the key to making it come true.

A little sanding and the epoxy filler was down to the cockpit sole level. At this point we were very pleased with ourselves. The transformation in the cockpit was just amazing. It seemed huge in comparison. At dock we could tie the tiller off to the backstay and have full use of the entire cockpit. Underway, we had complete access to the traveler on all points of sail. And best of all, moving between the companionway and the cockpit no longer required an advanced degree in yoga.

This left us with three problems still to solve. Removing the pedestal had also taken out both the compass and our engine controls. Obviously, we were going to have to find new solutions to restore both functions. And, our cockpit sole was not up to standard with those big epoxy patches at the forward end. We were going to have to cover them to prevent UV damage to the epoxy, and we needed to restore the non-skid at the same time. Look for these solutions in upcoming articles.

An eager crew member, ready to give the work a test sail.