Snapped Rudder

[mabowers]

Ouch. ouch. ouch. So sorry to hear that.

Email me details.

[DeepFrz]

Sorry for your troubles but it may be a blessing in disguise in how and where it happened. (oh I hate it when someone says that to me) Better it happened now than in the middle of an ocean passage. I say this because it looks to me like the rudder shaft had already been compromised. Closeups of the rudder shaft when you get it out of the boat would be appreciated.

Good luck.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Fiftybucks

rudder is not fixable... getting parts and labor estimate..and how long to fix
all the components inside are damaged, bearings ...... autopilot ect..
boat yard has seen before

as to location... the bar was at the mouth of big pass south of sarasota. we meant to take longboat, but the raymarine did NOT HAVE THE DATA displayed as i had wrong unit assigned as master.... try it you will see. My fault for not learning the specific navigation settings on this boat.... turn both off... turn on downstairs... boot... then helm boot assign master oh the no data warning

Do you know what I find so refreshing about reading this...?

Here is someone who has acknowledged what they did wrong. There is no better way to learn than admitting ones' mistakes. Something I tried, with mixed success, to get through the skulls of my various team members over the years.

I reckon you'll go on to be a bl--dy good sailor. Don't let this setback ruin your confidence.

[a64pilot]

The passes at Sarasota are tricky, I’ve never attempted either, I’ve always gone in or out at Tampa or Venice. But then I don’t live there.

[Fiftybucks]

We are back in the water. Much wiser.
Rudder was bent in the past and sleeved
Thx all.

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by Fiftybucks

We are back in the water. Much wiser.
Rudder was bent in the past and sleeved
Thx all.

Glad to hear you're back in the water ! We made it to Georgia, I'll drop you an email soon.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by mabowers

Glad to hear you're back in the water ! We made it to Georgia, I'll drop you an email soon.

I'm not sure about your rudder or the rudder on your size Catalina but I believe Catalina started sleeving the rudders where the shaft goes into the rudder for extra strength sometime after 2003? I'm not sure of the year or exactly what models.

[double u]

“...but the raymarine did NOT HAVE THE DATA displayed as i had wrong unit assigned as ... turn both off... turn on downstairs... boot... then helm boot assign master oh the no data warning...“
...the mind boggles! There used to be preconfigured, user-unf׆÷able hardware called “papercharts“...

[87Catalina34]

Originally Posted by Fiftybucks

Thx all. Getting towed to yard noon today.
Spent last night worried. And in downtown staging transient slip.
What is the name for damage that occurs after tow US strarted pulling us in reverse. Something like collateral damage.
It isis a 4.5 draft.

Wish Id seen this post sooner. I ran aground this past April in my C34. Bent rudder so bad it locked to a starboard turn. Couldn’t even be towed without damaging something along the way. My emergency solution was to cut away the rudder that was hitting the hull to gain enough clearance, and we were able to sail home! BUT needed a new rudder from Catalina. I got the HDPE rudder. A lot bigger but a lot lighter. More surface area and it handles well.
Mine was $3900 with a 9-10 week lead time.

[svHyLyte]

FWIW "Big Pass" is a Pass in Name Only. What channel there is moves around alot with every storm and shoals quickly with heavy rainfall runoff. Sarasota YC used to survey the channel and post safe passage routes from time to time but whether that continues I am unsure as there were several grounding incidents for folks following the supposed "safe" route.

Hopefully you are at a good yard and your repairs will not be too costly. Wishing you good luck on that score.

FWIW...

PS: In a sailboat , one should avoid being towed in reverse at all costs. Better the heel the boat and rotate her than be dragged out stern first. You see why.

[Belezar]

Good outcome. Many many years ago I was sailing with a friend on Lake Norman on a 28’ sloop and we hit something, we guessed a stump. Bent the rudder. We got it out. A yard straightened the post, shaved a piece off the top, repainted and all was good. My friends dad (the boat owner) never knew. Wasn’t expensive.