A catheter includes an elongated catheter body, a distal assembly, and alumenedtubing of a greater flexibility between the catheter body and the distalassembly. Thecatheter further includes a mandrel with an elongated body of a lesserflexibility that issituated in the lumen of the tubing. Advantageously, the mandrel has apredeterminedcurvature that is imparted to the tubing wherein the mandrel is unfixed to thetubing sothat it can "float" within the lumen. The catheter as such is configured toallow rotation ofthe tip electrode about its respective longitudinal axis in response torotation of thecatheter body about its respective longitudinal axis even though therespectivelongitudinal axes of the tip electrode and the catheter body are angularlyoffset from eachother due to the curvature of tubing imparted by the mandrel.
