Emergency steering

[Roger Long]

I just read this which come over the wires just as I have been thinking about emergency steering:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/23/british.couple.rescue/index.html

My rudder quadrant is pretty massive. In addition to an emergency tiller, the wind vane control lines attach to the quadrant so I can steer with the vane gear or by pulling on the lines. My concern is the stock breaking off of the steel plate inside the rudder at the weld and starting to just spin inside the rudder. Like most, mine fills with water and drains all winter.

I'm thinking of adapting an idea from the old sailing ships and attaching a stout ring through bolted with straps to the rear upper corner of the rudder. This is just above the waterline on my boat. I can either run a line to this while standing on the boarding ladder or keep a light messenger line rigged as shown below. Lines taken either side to blocks on the toe rail holes and then to the winches should give me some control at the cost of some topside chafing.

I also have a bunk bin board over my holding tank that is nearly as large as my rudder. I plan to obtain a suitable piece of pipe and pre-drill it for a tiller and to attach the pre-drilled bunk board to. This can be lashed to the wind vane tower. The ring on the rudder idea is simple though and applicable to many boats. If I can't find a suitable storage place for the stock long enough for plan A, I may just go with it alone.

 

[kloudie1]

Man, Roger.. I dunno.. Lots of mods.. Not criticizing, but have you considered taking the rudder off and rebuilding it over a winter? Looks like less work than the other steering gear, and you could check on corrosion and build it back to not leak. I helped a guy do that on a Deerfoot a few winters ago and the job was not bad at all. After that, we were sure that the steerer was fine and liable to stay that way..

 

[Roger Long]

Man, Roger.. I dunno.. Lots of mods.. Not criticizing, but have you considered taking the rudder off and rebuilding it over a winter?

Yes but there were more important things on the list this year and I plan to be going places I wouldn't want to be stuck without a way to steer. It's the number one task for next year but the quadrant will have to be sawed apart in the small space and a new one purchased because those s.s. bolts that have been in a long aluminum hole for 29 years are not going to come out with any amount of soaking in SilKroil or other stuff.

Both the emergency rudder and tackle ring are one afternoon jobs so worth doing and having even with a rebuilt rudder. The emergency rudder might get me home after a grounding in a remote place.

 

[kloudie1]

Understand better now.. good luck on getting the quadrant bolts out .. If those guys have seen any amount of salt water, it is gonna be fun(?) ..

 

[walmsleyc]

For the Lake Ontario 300, I had to prepare and demonstrate suitable alternate steering in case of complete rudder loss. Some people would simply have 2 buckets on board, and could use them as drag devices to control the boat (though rather crudely).

I also prepared one of my under bunk compartment covers by drilling appropriate holes and having a number of large hose clamps preinstalled so that it could be attached to a spinnaker pole in very short order. The surface area was probably about 1/4 of my actual rudder, but it would have provided enough control of allow motoring to safety.

The spinnaker pole would then lash to the pushpit, and act as a tiller. Two control lines would be rigged, one to each primary jib winch, and would be use to provide control for left and right adjustment. Another, longer, line would be rigged to a point further forward, so that it would hold this contraption under the water if necessary.

For a body of water the size of lake Ontario, such a rig should allow making it to shore/safety. It would not likely be up to the task of surviving for extended period on the ocean.

Chris