Reply To: Steering system HT 1974

Hallo,   If this is not too late and gets lost.  Just  joined up with the website  again. We have a 1978 Mark 3 and an earlier owner did an excellent job on our steering because he had a bad back vbuytr still wanted to get down and swim. He joined the two rudders in the middle with a heavy steel bar with joints on the end (I now use bottom bracket axles and cranks off MTBs since they only need to turn in one plane and they last for years) and the steering bar enters the hull through a gasket on the aft fairing that sticks out with rudders on; and then inside the steering cable is bolted to the rear hull face. The best bit is that with it all down below deck level you can make extra slatted decking between the two aft fairings to give so much extra space for dinghies outboards etc. Then from this decking a ladder that folds up (folding point is about 1 ft above water) allows easy bathing. The ladder does have to have a curve in it to get past the steering bar. I have often thought that the wooden bar and narrow deck at the back were the worst points of HT design. The two holes in top of rudder allows attachment of emerg steering.  Sorry no photos but boat is in France. Jim