Losing a stern mounted rudder

C

Chief RA

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Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
After reading so many posts on safety and prevention I am surprised at how few sailors do not have a safety retention line tied to their rudder/boat. I shipped my rudder by hitting a submerged rock on a Clipper Marine in Lake Oroville years ago and easily retrieved it because it had a safety line on it. (yes, it also had a clip to hold it in the pintels but came off anyway)
At sea this seems to be a very important precaution and easy to do.
Chief
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,072
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Chief RA said:
After reading so many posts on safety and prevention I am surprised at how few sailors do not have a safety retention line tied to their rudder/boat. I shipped my rudder by hitting a submerged rock on a Clipper Marine in Lake Oroville years ago and easily retrieved it because it had a safety line on it. (yes, it also had a clip to hold it in the pintels but came off anyway)
At sea this seems to be a very important precaution and easy to do.
Chief
Click to expand
Given that the average rudder on a 35' sailboat probably weighs something in the neighborhood of 200 pounds or more, just how would you suggest reattaching it to the boat at sea? Have you ever tried to do any work on a boat at sea from in the water, or even a dinghy? If you can't reattach it, why would you want it in close proximity to your hull, a potential danger?
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,536
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Chief owns a Catalina 250 and I found him to be very knowledgable. His question for a smaller boat I would tend to be ligitimate. In all fairness that is a good idea but needs to be left up to the smaller boat owners as some might find a line to be in the way or not thinking of safety.

However, for a kick up rudder, I would say that such a line is not needed on a small boat as the rudder is designed to kick up if for example hitting something.
 
C

Chief RA

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Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
Capta: have you ever priced a 200 lb rudder? In rough seas it probably could not be lined up with the pintles and remounted, but could likely be winched aboard and saved to remount ASAP. To answer your question: I have many years at sea, starting at 19 yrs old on the USS Kidd DD661 and later on sail and power boats all my life.
Crazy Dave: having a good time at Bodega Bay on my boat! Yes, it does have a rudder safety line attached. Chief
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
5,072
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Chief RA said:
Capta: have you ever priced a 200 lb rudder? In rough seas it probably could not be lined up with the pintles and remounted, but could likely be winched aboard and saved to remount ASAP. To answer your question: I have many years at sea, starting at 19 yrs old on the USS Kidd DD661 and later on sail and power boats all my life.
Crazy Dave: having a good time at Bodega Bay on my boat! Yes, it does have a rudder safety line attached. Chief
Click to expand
Not to be at all argumentative here, but in "rough seas" how likely is it you'll get a 200+# rudder aboard without doing considerable damage to your boat, or even injuring someone? Nope, it isn't about money to me, but safety.
Crazy Dave Condon;
I believe the OP did state in his post, "At sea this seems to be a very important precaution and easy to do.", which I would take to mean he is not talking about his 25' boat, particularly. How CRAZY of me to actually read what the OP posted. Sorry.
 
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