[Rhodes22-list] Steering under power

[Mark Skapinker]

My R22 came with a wheel instead of a tiller. (One day, I will probably retro fit it with a tiller - I should have much more control and be able to use the Skipper's Swivel Seats more effectively.)

I find that steering with the outboard motor is really stiff and very hard to control. Anyone got any ideas? Is that because of my wheel or the connection between the rudder and the outboard or just a reality of the boat? At very very slow speeds it is fine, but anything over 2 knots and it is really hard to turn - in fact, when I needed to turn hard to avoid a silly windsurfer close to harbor my prop started hitting the rudder.

Anyone got any ideas how to make this easier? Maybe I should be looking at remote control levers for better motor control? 

Mark