Ran Aground

[James]

This week I ran my hunter 28.5 aground into a sand bar. She hit pretty hard but the ground was relatively soft (sand no rock). I noticed that the rudder is has shifted hard against the hull and steering has become a bit harder as the rudder rubs against the hull. 1) Has anyone done this and can you give me a guesstimation of what to expect when I haul my boat to take a look (ie. could the keel be damaged and to what extent the rudder)?2) I have to sail her across the bay(about an hour sail) to get her hauled to check the damage. Is this potentially not a very smart idea? Should I get it towed?3) I have boat us insurance and have put the incident in as a claim. I have full yacht coverage but haven't heard back from them as to whether this damage is covered...anyone know?Thanks so much for any help and replies...and happy, safe sailing to you!!!!James-

 

[Bryan C.]

My experience

Sorry about your incident. Last time I ran aground on sand our '88 35 got pounded on the sand by the waves for about 45 minutes. It must have flexed the rudder because there was some slight damage to it at the top, but it did not appear to get bent. Amazing the keel was fine and showed no damage at all except to be missing paint (and barnacles). Hopefully yours is ok too. I wouldn't think there would be that much risk sailing it back, but have an anchor and the tow-boat number handy. Good luck.

 

[Paul Akers]

I would suggest...

...that you call Boat/US again and see if a tow to the haulout is covered by your insurance.

 

[Eric Lorgus]

That happened to me, too.

James: See "Rudder Trouble" under the Ask An Owner/Mid-Size Boats Forum. I posted a reply there that discussed my attempts to fix a bent rudder, which is what it sounds like you have. You should get the boat hauled & the rudder removed to see exactly what the damage is. In my case, the rudder had bent back, very slightly, so that the top was rubbing the hull. After giving up trying to find a replacement, I ended up having the top of the rudder grinded enough to resolve the clearance problem. I had a machine shop do this, and they felt everything else looked OK, including any visible welds.As for the keel, there was no noticeable damage to it. Damage in my case happened not during the grounding but when I got towed off the sandbar. If this ever happens to me again, I'll wait for the tide to rise next time.