Tips on installing tiller connection bolts??

The other day I replaced the bolt/spring/washer/ setup at both ends of the tiller connector because the old ones were bent and loose. Today after a 2nd day of sailing, both bolts came loose. I lost one and managed to limp home with the other in place with no nut holding it on.
How do you install these things?
Do you crank them down as tight as you can?
Should you use some type of locknut liquid on the nut?
Any tips would be appreciated

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Alfred
'87 H16 Sail 89907
If you aren't sailing on the edge, you're taking up too much room.

You've got nylock nuts, correct? If not, you should. You can also use loctite on the nut for even more security (red loctite would be really strong). Put the loctite on, tighten the system, and then tie the rudders in place over night so they don't move while the loctite is setting up.

I would not crank down on the nut as hard as you can. The idea is that the spring allows for some flexibility in the system. If you fully compress the spring, it'll probably bind.

sm

I was advised by a Loctite mfgr rep that they do not make a product suitable for marine use. Go with SS nylon locking nuts.

I used the nylock nuts that came in the replacement pack. Maybe I just didn't tighten them enough for them to lock?

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Alfred
'87 H16 Sail 89907
If you aren't sailing on the edge, you're taking up too much room.

You want to tighten them at least to the point that a few threads are exposed out the back side of the nut.




That's pretty surprising. I use Loctite all the time on my boat. It is also standard practice for manufacturers to use "red" loctite on the bolts that hold together windsurfing U-joints (a critical component that depends on the Loctite to hold it together as it would very quickly come unscrewed otherwise). So my experience is that it works quite well.

sm

Yeah, I used to use blue 242 on my Jetski and it seemed to work okay. Also I noticed that Harken uses some kind of red thread locker on their blocks. Loctite makes so many products that I sent an inquiry to see which one they recommend for a marine environment since none stated as much in their product literature. They responded that they do not make a product for marine use. Probably because it won't meet some ANSI spec or another. Could create some kind of liability problem when something fails at sea. I would still use nyloc nuts for the tiller crossbar.

The 20 style connectors are about $100 a set and worth every penny!