Mystery steering fitting

[Jonathan KinghornParticipant @jonathankinghorn16230]

Help identifying mystery marks on deck

[Jonathan KinghornParticipant @jonathankinghorn16230]

I recently acquired a 53" pond yacht hull that appears to date from the mid 1890s and to have been rigged originally as a yawl. It was acquired locally in the 1980s by a member of the Mill Pond Model Yacht Club in Port Washington on Long Island, a few miles from Manhattan, from whose son I obtained it. It is associated with an earlier resident of Port Washington named James W. Smith, and is thought to have been built by him. It retains its original (and very simple) steering device. On the deck forward of the tiller is a more recent fitting to which an elastic band can be tensioned. Below the this fitting there are several concentric circular marks on the deck made by an earlier fitting that was fixed to the with a single central screw. Does anyone have an idea what this earlier fitting might have been?

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Jonathan,

There has been a similar query on an earlier recent thread on here called "Self Steering Mystery" maybe worth a look?

Looks like the pin in the tiller fits into the aluminium quadrant to set the rudder position?

These old boats are mostly rigged different it appears

Regards Ray

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