I wanted to get this posted so you can check your own rigs.
Our 1998 H260 completely broke off the port side stainless steel rudder bracket yesterday. Granted, we had a novice at the helm in shallow water and he fought the tiller once we got stuck in some mud - however I would not have expected a complete 7" long SS weld to snap because of it. It wasn't until I released the rudder downhaul and we got back under way that we noticed that the rudder wasn't responding.
When we checked the starboard bracket we saw corrosion at the top and a hairline crack developing too. We pulled it up on the trailer this afternoon and removed the rudder shaft and broken brackets. I'm going to have a local fab shop that I respect weld it back up and add more brackets. I'm also going to forward this information to Hunter Marine in case they have some ideas.
Our 260 was in salt water for the first five years of its life, and in Lake Erie ever since. Hope this helps others prevent the same exciting event!
Our 1998 H260 completely broke off the port side stainless steel rudder bracket yesterday. Granted, we had a novice at the helm in shallow water and he fought the tiller once we got stuck in some mud - however I would not have expected a complete 7" long SS weld to snap because of it. It wasn't until I released the rudder downhaul and we got back under way that we noticed that the rudder wasn't responding.
When we checked the starboard bracket we saw corrosion at the top and a hairline crack developing too. We pulled it up on the trailer this afternoon and removed the rudder shaft and broken brackets. I'm going to have a local fab shop that I respect weld it back up and add more brackets. I'm also going to forward this information to Hunter Marine in case they have some ideas.
Our 260 was in salt water for the first five years of its life, and in Lake Erie ever since. Hope this helps others prevent the same exciting event!
