[Public-List] Tiller head assembly

[James Almond]

My tiller head assembly has seen better days. It still fits the rudder
shaft kinda but the "ears" through which the fastening bolt passes are bent
which does not allow a good, tight fit, It also has some machined threaded
holes that over lap in the sides. These holes are for bolts that are to
keep the tiller upright or down. The holes that are currently not occupied
by bolts have wood pounded into them! On top of that, the head itself is
very deeply gouged by these bolts.

My rudder shaft has the key slot forward facing. Is this true for all A30s
or just my luck? The very nice RigRite tiller heads are key slot aft facing
unfortunately. Edson thinks that their tiller head assemblies are made of
24 carat gold.

I am not confident that I can refurb the unit like I would be if it were a
battery terminal. I thought about carefully bending it out and placing a
thin prop sleeve in the head to take up some of the slop. Considering how
critical this connection is (and how expensive a replacement is), I do not
want to screw it up.

So....Does anyone have a 1" tiller head assembly in good shape they would
consider selling? In lieu of that, can you recommend a craftsman or shop
that can bring this bronze beauty back to life?

Jim #329
http://svcookie.blogspot.com/