Tom's Tahoe

[TomB]

Greetings from sunny Holland,

I have been working on my Tahoe 23 since the end of January. It has been going very well, except when I am thinking, designing, contemplating . The build stalled for two weeks designing, and it is stalled again contemplating . Do I do what’s been done or do I stretch a BUNCH to do something a little different? (Not at all sure I can pull it off stretch a BUNCH.)

There are a lot of great Tahoes out there. For example, Brad Tucker’s Tahoe 23 has a swim platform and a handsome step in the transom. Among the professional builders, I am drawing inspiration from Pedrazzini, StanCraft, and most of all from VanDam’s Susan C. It has a gorgeous scalloped out transom with steps.

Putting in the scalloped transom and a single step above a similar swim platform is what has been the subject of much design and contemplation.

The scallop would project into the area above the rudder and steering gear. It looks like there would be about 10” clear between the keel and the underside of the swim platform/deck.

I am looking at the Buck Algonquin 10R1HSSS1 rudder with a 1”x 9” rudder post to fit the space below the swim platform.

I have a number of questions, hope you can help me.

Can I use the rudder port with the 2 1/8” tube below the flange? (The keel plus bottom is about 1 ½”)

Do I need the external plate? What does it do?

I don’t see the rudder post bracket called for in the plans on the Glen-L web site. Could I mount a rudder bearing to the underside of the deck to support the top end of the rudder post or do I need to keep looking for or make a bracket?

The pieces going onto the rudder post: rudder port – about 4”, tiller – about 1”, collar – 1”, bearing flange – 1 ½”, add up to 7 ½”. Does that sound about right? Is 1 ½” of “unassigned” rudder post length enough?

Do you see major issues with trying to pull this off? Bring on the comments,

Tom

[ToddM]

Sorry, I don't have any answers to your questions, nor do I even understand them, but what I want to tell you is that the boat in the photo is gorgeous!

[DaveM]

I am also working on a tahoe 23 and it will have a 9 inch rudder post, your numbers are the same as mine. Thankyou. The top rudder bearing is mounted in 3 X 1 inch aluminum channel fastened to the stringers and I have eliminated the safety collar, instead I have drilled and tapped the rudder post end 3/8 x 1 inch that secures a stainless steel retaining washer.
I assume the external plate distributes the hardware load.
It scalloped transom would look beauty when done, the challenge will be doing it upside-down.

[Brad Tucker]

I appreciate the mention! And Dave makes a great point about doing it upside down!!! I also wish I could answer your questions but I cannot. I just extended the side bumpers. Then I placed vertical members after cutting the horizontal members in the transom in order to recess the step. To be honest, you may not even need that step. It is about 14 inches from the swim deck to the boat deck. In my mind's eye, it was much more. I would have left it out had I figured out the actual height beforehand. But what I love is to see people who use their own ideas, so I hope it works out for you because that is pretty nice.

[TomB]

This is my rudder assembly using a “standard” rudder.

I opted for an outside mount rudder port with an inside plate to clamp on the keel. The logic is to make the water have to travel further to get into the boat.

The jam nut is shown loose from the rudder port to give me an idea of how much space is needed for packing replacement.

The rudder bearing flange and shaft collar will mount on a yet to be fabricated rudder post bracket.

The tiller arm caps off the assembly. It looks like the assembly used about 9 ½” of rudder shaft length. The extra shaft length can be cut off when the keyway is cut.

Sooo… it looks like the rudder assembly can fit in the space below the imagined swim platform. It would be much of a boat without a transom so I’m going to have to quit procrastinating and get after the transom I imagine or build it as designed.

Tom

[TomB]

The rudder isn’t shiny. It has a 120 grit texture and it seems like a polished surface would be faster. Since the boat will mostly be out of the water I imagine a little bling on the rudder and prop would look good.

Can I polish the rudder and prop without creating a life-lone maintenance issue? Any suggestions on how to polish it? Is this where somebody posts a picture of Barkeepers Friend?

Tom

[TomB]

Dave and Brad have read my mind. Standing on my head while building a transom is out! I have the sub-transom plywood attached to the permanent framing with screws while faring, notching, etc. I will take the plywood off, build the area below the swim platform upright on the bench, and then flip it upside down and permanently mount it to the frame. The area below the swim platform/guard can be finished upside down with the hull. The scalloped transom, if it survives the “dream stage”, and the transom to hull corners can be built as part of the deck after the flip.

I agree with Brad about the height between swim platform and deck, about 14”. I can probably forgo the step. I still like the scallop idea as a way to bring the swim platform forward.

Tom

[DonnD]

The scallop transom design in the photo you posted is absolutely stunning. I am in the middle of constructing the false transom on my Tahoe 23 (extended to 24 and a bit) and can visualize how this can be accomplished. I am no engineer, but it seems to me that to redesign the cross members in the false transom, a facsimile of the scalloped effect can be achieved. The KH design for the false transom uses the curvature of the deck camber to create the curvature of the transom cross members. Per design, the depth of the cross members is about 3.5 inches at the C/L. If one were to redesign the cross members curvature/arc to say 10 inches at the C/L and "scallop" the middle 1/3 of the redesigned cross members to a C/L depth of say 1.5 inches, you would create the same effect without having to do anything forward of the transom structure. I am too far along in my false transom construction to take this on for my project but thought I'd share my thoughts nonetheless because the visual effect is, as I and several others have said, absolutely gorgeous and it would be great of someone would give it a go.

Re working upside down and at a 30 degree inverted angle and the challenges that poses, with the benefit of hind sight, had I to do it over again, I would have installed the false transom framing and cross members 1 through 4 (and probably the side and bottom fillers) on the work bench prior to installing the transom structure on to the motor stringers. The additional weight is not that much and it certainly is better/easier than working on one's knees 10 inches off the ground upside down at an inverted 30 degrees with an electric planer and numerous sanding devices If done on the work bench, a facsimile of the scallop effect is, I believe achievable.

Best of luck,

Donn

[TomB]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I've been in stuck in "what was I thinking?" for a long while. Then it finally occurred to me, if I don't like I can use it for a great bonfire.

The transom has been mounted on the frame, all the longitudinals placed, and basic fairing from stem to stern. Then I pulled the transom off and added the transom blocking at the bottom. I used an 11" board located just below the guard for the backer on the step and to tie everything together horizontally. This will create a transom that is vertical and cambered below the guard. Overall, about 4" was added at the keel and the step is 10 1/2" deep, no need to carve into the space forward of the transom.

It is a lot easier to build the transom right side up or laying flat.

The areas next to the scallop are next.

Tom

[jenko]

Nice work

[Toivo]

This is interesting!

[TomB]

The frame pieces that flank the scallop are in.

The support for the scallop are next to fill in the center section.

Tom

[Brad Tucker]

That's coming along nicely! This is what I love about people in this forum. They find a way....

[JimmY]

That's going to be very cool and unique.

[Toivo]

So what you're doing is simply lengthening the hull from the transom flush with the rest of the hull? Not making a step?
Excited to see how this turns out.