Recently, during a night passage between Hawaii and Guam, a boat’s steering failed. Moments later, the engine stopped. A quick check of the bilges proved there was no water coming in, so the crew shined spotlights off the stern. They saw the prop and rudder fouled in a polypropylene fishing net.
Fortunately, a variety of cutting tools were aboard, as well as diving equipment. Once the sun came up, the net was cleared, allowing the boat to resume its course safely.
There are three boating fundamentals: The seawater must be kept on the outside, the boat must have a method of propulsion, and the boat must have the ability to be steered.
Today, we’ll concentrate on the steerage equipment that lets us choose our path on the sea.
AND A STAR TO STEER HER BY
The simplest, permanently mounted way to steer a boat is with an outboard rudder and a tiller. The rudder is usually hung with substantial metal pintles and gudgeons that are secured to the transom. Push the tiller one way, and the boat goes the other.
In an effort to clear the cockpit, facilitate hydrodynamic efficiency and reduce an outboard rudder’s vulnerability to
