fix bent rudder shaft (whale damage)

[Slowtack]

Maybe also check the welding between the shaft and horizintal bars/straps inside the rudder

[Olddan1943]

Hmmmm, no one suggested contacting the insurance company and let them handle the situation.

[bigman1]

Originally Posted by travellerw

I'm guessing that its there to provide a slippery surface between the boat and the rudder. So the top of the rudder doesn't rub on the bottom of the rudder tube. Personally I would reinstall it.

The top of the rudder casing looks rusted is the rudder metal or grp?
Go online find an" Islander" owners association someone should be able to advise. If you are good at diy,you could repair it,if not a diy person,then you will have to pay for a repair.

[skkeith]

thank you all. Today is my first full business day looking for a machine shop that can do it. So far no luck. Any recommendations around Santa Cruz, California. I am contemplating trying it myself but I cannot think of a way to brace it. possibly with a truck.....

When I drill in to find water where on the rudder and how far should I drill?

how should I grind at the shaft, all the way to the metal? How do I know where to stop grinding? And then re-building, how do I handle sealing the shaft?

Here is what the whales look like, a real boat killers. This day they were everywhere and I was on guard, but when I hit one it came out of nowhere and was the only one spotted the entire day.

[captwylie]

I wish I were close by. I enjoy working on things like that. I have straightened a lot of pipe with a chain and a hydraulic jack but I don't see anywhere to attach a chain on the rudder end. You can set a hydraulic jack on a beam, place the rudder shaft on the jack at the point of the bend and chain the ends of the rudder shaft to the beam. When you jack the bend out go a couple of extra strokes then let the jack off. If it is not straight use 2 more strokes past straight than you did the first time.

[Dave852]

I straightened mine by laying on a steel table and welding blocks of steel around the rudder then pulled with a heavy duty come along. You must bend past where you want it as others have mentioned due to the spring back. However if you do that your results will vary, the metal is now fatigued and much weaker. Possibly out of round and tight in the bushing as well. Some have sailed for years after this, mine sheared off 13 days out of Galapagos, not so fun.

[skkeith]

Well I just got the call from the shop. They failed to straighten the shaft. The tube distorted. I have not seen the damage yet but I assume complete loss.

Where do I turn for a salvaged rudder? I tried looking some and I am not feeling happy right now. Give the guy who recommended insurance two thumbs up, too bad I am not as smart as he is.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by skkeith

Well I just got the call from the shop. They failed to straighten the shaft. The tube distorted. I have not seen the damage yet but I assume complete loss.

Where do I turn for a salvaged rudder? I tried looking some and I am not feeling happy right now. Give the guy who recommended insurance two thumbs up, too bad I am not as smart as he is.

Split the rudder, install a new SS shaft with tabs welded to it. You may be able to split it on the trailing edge or the front. Solid shaft is fine.

[Island Time O25]

My first season of ownership of a then 25 year old 27 footer I hit a rock and that bent the rudder shaft. Not enough to freeze the rudder but still with only a millimeter or two left as a gap myboat building buddy suggested just cutting about 3/4 inch off the rudder top of and reglassing and leaving the shaft alone.

Granted this was a lightly used coastal sailor but the repair lasted for the next 4-5 seasons with none other issues resulting and no water ingress, etc.

His reasoning was precisely as stated earlier - bending the shaft back into perfectly straight line would indroduce more issues then just shaving the top off the rudder, provided no other issues were introduced by the hit.

[jrau18]

Originally Posted by skkeith

Well I just got the call from the shop. They failed to straighten the shaft. The tube distorted. I have not seen the damage yet but I assume complete loss.

Where do I turn for a salvaged rudder? I tried looking some and I am not feeling happy right now. Give the guy who recommended insurance two thumbs up, too bad I am not as smart as he is.

I would recommend just calling the boat yards and boat consignment shops (like blue pelican) in the SF area one by one. I suspect you wont be able to find an exact replacement, but you will likely find a suitable replacement from one of the dozen or so similar boats from the vintage. There has to be a cal, pearson, tartan, etc rudder sitting in a shop in the bay area that will fit. I know somebody who replaced a Cal36 rudder this way.

Also there are some tutorials online for making rudders for similar sized boats, as a last resort. They really arent a difficult structure to make well if your skills are up to it. Here is a good intro to the topic: https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/sailboat-rudder.html

Finding a used replacement is probably your cheapest bet, though, and also the quickest.

I would second what others said about the metal fatiguing and weakening if the bend you have to fix was too severe. Having failed once it sounds like, I would be wary of that tube.

Depending on the solution, you may be looking at modifications to your rudder post.

I know this all sounds like a lot, but keep in mind boat+whale usually ends up much worse. It is a lucky break that this unlucky situation occured while you were lying ahull or moving slowly.

[CarinaPDX]

When I was in the Sea of Cortez in the mid-90s I had a creature hit my rudder, fortunately with no damage. I was told that it was a whale shark scratching its back to remove crustaceans. At that time there were other vessels that had been hit and had damage to rudders and running gear. I have to admit it was a bit terrifying to watch this massive creature approach from behind then dive just before hitting Carina. As the rudder scraped down his back the tiller was slammed over and pinned my crew against the cockpit coaming - painful but thankfully no injury. I am in awe of the whale shark's ability to get just the right depth to get his scratch. Not wanting a repeat...


Greg