Where should I fit the socket and tiller pin for a Simrad TP32 on a Hallberg-Rassy 342?
I want to fit a Simrad TP32 to my tiller-steered Hallberg-Rassy 342. Where should the mounting socket and tiller pin go, and will I need a bracket to get the height right?
Answer
On a tiller-steered Hallberg-Rassy 342, mount the TP32 to starboard, with its tiller pin 460 mm forward of the rudder's steering axis and its mounting socket 595 mm across from the pin with the rudder centred. Use a temporary mock-up before drilling to position the supports so the pilot sits level, square to the centred tiller and halfway through its stroke.
Locate the steering axis
Measure from the rudder's steering axis, not the end of the tiller, its lifting hinge or the aft edge of the cockpit. Locate the axis from the rudder head, then measure 460 mm forwards in plan with the tiller centred. This gives the fore-and-aft position of the tiller pin.
These instructions assume your 342 has conventional tiller steering. A wheel-steered boat needs a different installation assessment; fitting a TP32 to an emergency tiller does not automatically make it suitable for permanent use.
Check underneath the proposed starboard socket position. Cockpit trim, teak thickness and previous alterations can affect the mounting height and available support. No single drilling position measured from a seat edge suits every boat.
Keep the pilot disconnected from its electrical supply while marking, drilling and trial-fitting the hardware.
Mock up the mounting geometry
Confirm the standard dimensions and any accessory offsets against the TP32 installation drawing supplied with your unit. The usual arrangement is:
- 460 mm: steering axis to tiller-pin centre, measured forwards in plan.
- 595 mm: tiller-pin centre to mounting-socket centre, measured across the cockpit with the tiller amidships.
- 90 degrees: the pilot lies perpendicular to the centred tiller when viewed from above.
- Mid-stroke: the ram has equal travel available in both directions.
Support the pilot on a securely clamped timber mock-up at the proposed socket position. Use the controls to set the ram halfway through its travel, then disconnect power before handling the fittings. Check the actual pin and socket positions against the drawing; do not measure to the plastic casing.
Do not move the tiller pin closer to the rudder axis just to reach a convenient patch of cockpit moulding. This reduces mechanical advantage and increases the thrust required from the pilot. Moving the pin further forwards changes the available rudder angle.
Set the mounting height
The neatest arrangement is a socket in a structurally sound horizontal surface to starboard, with the pin on top of the tiller, provided this leaves the pilot level. If the seat is too low, use a suitable pedestal or mounting bracket. If the tiller is too high, an underslung tiller bracket may put the pin at the correct height.