[Rhodes22-list] chewing rope

[Joe Babb]

Hi Rummy,
Prop wasn't hitting the rudder.  The only damage I saw was about a 4" 
section of the line that raises the rudder.  But now that you mention 
it, I did have some trouble that day keeping the rudder down.  I think 
initially I had only caught one of the lowering lines in the clamp and 
it didn't hold well.  So probably what happened was that when the rudder 
wasn't fully down, the raising line was loose enough to get friendly 
with the prop.  Rudder gets damn hard to steer when it's not fully 
down.  Makes me wonder about how much muscle it took to steer those old 
Sharpies with long rudders.  Guess that's why their rudders were 
partially balanced.
I've got two hands also, but sure do like the extra maneuverability that 
I get with the outboard steering with the tiller.  In a crowded marina 
with umpteen million dollar boats to hit and lots of traffic, I like 
being able to turn in a small space.  *grin*
Thanks,
Joe