Dragged Anchor

[gypsyvagabond]

Hey guys,

Please look at my pics and tell me what the damage is. I dragged anchor the other night ending up gently kissing some rocks. I would really like to avoid any work for the next 2 weeks as we have people copying to visit etc.

Is there some epoxy or gum I can put on the damaged areas for now or should I really drop the rudder and fiberglass it up immediately?

How would you suggest we go about this, products involved tips tricks etc.

The anti foul is gone and fiberglass is chipped in a patch about as big as a chicken breast fillet for anyone who can't see the pics. I'm worried about water ingress obviously but would love to put it off for 2 weeks.

Thank you all once again for helping out a young fellah making all the mistakes there are.

ps. have purchased a manson supreme well oversized and another 30m of chain.

[CSY Man]

Looks like your rudder is toast and not to be thrusted anymore.
Is all the green stuff grass and slime?
If so, you are way over due for some cleaning and inspection.
Get a haul out asap. I would, or if you feel lucky, go sailing..

[SVTatia]

It really depends how hard you are planning to sail and where you are going in these two weeks...
It looks like a bad gash, but the water may already be present up to the "good" laminate anyway so to me two weeks would make little difference.
However, check the shaft and bearing for damage as the pressure may have been brutal.
Best of luck.

[gypsyvagabond]

I certainly hope rudde isn't "toast."
The green stuff occurred in about 1 week in a mangrove swamp type place but I can scape that off in a couple of hours. More worried about water ingress, hull integrity, rudder falling off just those type of things really.


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[gypsyvagabond]

I won't be going more than 100 miles and there's a million people around (am in st maartin) so if it's not going o get any worse I'll leave it be for now.
Can anyone tell me how to drop the rudder on a beneteau Cyclades and how they would go about repairing that gash?


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[CSY Man]

. green stuff occurred in about 1 week in a mangrove swamp type place but I can scape that off in a couple of hours. More worried about water ingress, hull integrity, rudder falling off just those type of things really.

Wow, you got that growth in 1 week?

[NSboatman]

meh - don't sweat it gypsy. Ya hit bottom and got a bit o damage for sure, but you're certainly not the first! ever seen pics of those bombers in wwII that had huge holes punched in their wings and lost bits of their tails, but still managed to make it home safe? boats are even more like that.

Do the basic troubleshooting - does the rudder still swing freely (or at least as freely as it did)? is there any more or excessive play in the steering system? does the boat track ok under sail and power still? any visible issues in the support for the rudder stock inside (cracks, creaking, noise, leaking etc)?

if the answer to these questions is no, then you're probably just fine to carry on as usual. yep - you're going to have water inside your rudder laminate, but that only means you are joining the rest of the fiberglass rudder world, who have water inside their rudders but don't really know it. it's standard form to have a sodden rudder... just perhaps not quite as dramatic an entry hole for the water. On the plus side - it'll also drain out faster when you haul!

Plan on a rudder rebuild on your next haul out, and don't plan on serious bluewater cruising until you do that. everything else is entirely manageable without calling off the sailing season.

bg

[gypsyvagabond]

Now that is the type of reply that I was looking for. Thank you my good man you are a legend.


The rudder still swings freely, theres is no excessive play in the steering, it tracks fine and no visible issues as far as I can see.

Such a weight off my shoulders, old mans flying halfway round the world to meet us and I'd rather be in the water and mobile when the old boy gets here.

I'll look at a rudder rebuild when I pull her out in Trinidad.


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[deblen]

Originally Posted by NSboatman

meh - don't sweat it gypsy. Ya hit bottom and got a bit o damage for sure, but you're certainly not the first! ever seen pics of those bombers in wwII that had huge holes punched in their wings and lost bits of their tails, but still managed to make it home safe? boats are even more like that.

Do the basic troubleshooting - does the rudder still swing freely (or at least as freely as it did)? is there any more or excessive play in the steering system? does the boat track ok under sail and power still? any visible issues in the support for the rudder stock inside (cracks, creaking, noise, leaking etc)?

if the answer to these questions is no, then you're probably just fine to carry on as usual. yep - you're going to have water inside your rudder laminate, but that only means you are joining the rest of the fiberglass rudder world, who have water inside their rudders but don't really know it. it's standard form to have a sodden rudder... just perhaps not quite as dramatic an entry hole for the water. On the plus side - it'll also drain out faster when you haul!

Plan on a rudder rebuild on your next haul out, and don't plan on serious bluewater cruising until you do that. everything else is entirely manageable without calling off the sailing season.

bg

I agree 100%-after checking the above points.
I wouldn't goop up the holes either-the water is already in there-all you would accomplish is trapping the water & making more mess to clean when you do repair it.
Us short season sailors sometimes have to live with little nuisances like this.We have 6-7 mos frozen on the hard to fix them.Go sailing.

[CSY Man]

There could be hidden damage inside the rudder and it could fail anytime.
Don't worry however, some guys on the Internet said you are good to go and nothing can go wrong now.

[DeepFrz]

Check the rudder tube support structure inside the boat very carefully and thoroughly. Is the rudder shaft bent at all? If so then I would not trust it.

A couple of boats have sunk recently after grounding the rudders. In one case at least the loss was due to internal structure failure.

[HopCar]

If you want to put some goop on it, Z-Spar Splash Zone Epoxy will stick underwater.

[NSboatman]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

There could be hidden damage inside the rudder and it could fail anytime.
Don't worry however, some guys on the Internet said you are good to go and nothing can go wrong now.

yep, there could indeed... but then there could be hidden damage hiding inside every rudder, or engine, or keel, or mast, or forestay/backstay/whatever fitting you want to pick. how do you know your rudder wasn't damaged by an unseen or unknown event? none of us really do, that's part of the deal, part of why boat stuff should be well designed and inspected and tested frequently. More so if you actually go bluewater.

staying aware of and close to possible rescue options, and considering what you would do if the blade *did* happen to separate from the rudder shaft at an in-opportune moment is also good advice - but that goes for any day on any boat; damage or no.

no one is guaranteeing anything- obviously - but after a thorough inspection and testing of the system, chances are this'll work out just fine.

but yeah, we are only a couple of guys on the internet... YMMV of course.

[CrustyChief]

Gently kissed...is that like.....nevermind won't go there.

If the rudder is working, and the boat is floating...use it.

But get it in to repair as soon as possible. If your father is like mine, too many wines or Scotch's discussing life could cause problems, not to mention the hole in the rudder.

[JPA Cate]

Hello gypsy vagabond,

Sure, take your chances, don't fix it till Thailand. NOT!

I can't believe you mean that. When it disintegrates, and you're left with only the webs to steer with, you may feel different, and if there's others aboard, it's their lives, too. I think it is a very bad idea to postpone the repair.

How deep are those penetrations into the center of the rudder?

If you get the Splash Zone, it'll seal in what you have, but it's not a magic damage preventer.

Probably if you wait *only* two weeks, things won't get too much worse, but there is a risk there, and you seem content to subject your Dad to it.

The best thing to do is to fix properly, as soon as you can.