Aries wind vane ... should I buy a spare "servo rudder" ?

[Scare_Rab]

I have just purchased a 33' steel yacht. Alan Pape designed Ebbtide.

The last owner now tells me he has made a spare servo rudder. He showed me. Looks well made. He is asking $300 Australian for it.
He suggests that the mAries rudder can be damaged by wave action and that a spare is good seamanship. I'm not convinced a servo rudder is often damaged this way. My question? Who among us would leap at the chance to buy a "spare servo rudder" for an Aries?

[bobnlesley]

We've a Monitor fitted and carry a whole bag full of spare bearings, lines, blocks etc. we even have a spare tube to which connects the servo-blade to the rest of the unit - I presume it's a 'weak-link' to obviate servo-blade damage, do Aries have the same? If yes, I can't see why you'd need one. That said, we hit a semi-submerged palm tree-trunk with ours in French Guiana, doing about 8 knots (to be fair, three of that was current, so the palm tree was probably doing 3 knots too) but despite a big 'clonk' neither servo-blade or connecting tube suffered any damage. I think A$300 would be better spent on beer, though if he drops the price to A$100-150, then it might be worth loading 'just in case'.

[gjordan]

Money would be better spent on a couple of spare break-away sleeves. They are pretty pricey , but far more likely to be needed than a spare rudder. Just make sure your rudder safety line is on the bottom bolt of the break-away, and that it is tied to something nice and strong on the boat. Also make sure before you leave on a passage, to remove the rudder, and sleeve and slather both parts with lanokote, then reassemble. If you dont do that on a regular basis, you can get corrosion, and not be able to change a sleeve at sea, or even at the dock. Another 2 cents worth. ______Grant.

[Scare_Rab]

Thanks for your replies.
My decision : perhaps get another 'fuse' ; - time/effort not withstanding.

and... "NO" to the spare servo rudder.