[C320-list] Rudder

[Pat Ireland]

David

Chris gave us good advice when we thought our rudder shaft was bent.  He
told us that it was a rugged assembly.

Check that it is not just jammed.  If no resolution, maybe a very slow tow.

Good luck with your recovery.

Pat, 801

On Sun, Jun 7, 2015 at 11:27 AM, Dprudden <dprudden at comcast.net> wrote:

> Chris, sorry to hear you had trouble too. I don't know if my rudder shaft
> is bent or not-it was turned 90degrees. It didn't bend toward the aft end
> of the rudder.
> I'm thinking that when the steering cable popped off the radial wire wheel
> the rudder free spun all the way over 180 degrees. Can it jamb if rotated
> too fast and unchecked? It would be tough to side-tow the boat to haul her
> with the rudder locked 90 degrees to how it should be.
>
> Thanks,
> David
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jun 7, 2015, at 12:27 PM, Chris Burti <clburti at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > We just suffered a hard grounding in the Alligator River on our way up
> to the Chesapeake. Bent the rudder, prop and shaft bent. The aft top edge
> of the rudder was pushed up against the hull making steering difficult, but
> possible.
> >
> > We hauled in Belhaven, NC. Prop shop straightened the prop, machine shop
> straightened the rudder and we are waiting for the new shaft to come in.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Chris Burti
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: "Dprudden" <dprudden at comcast.net>
> > Sent: ‎6/‎7/‎2015 12:07 PM
> > To: "c320-list at lists.catalina320.com" <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
> > Subject: [C320-list] Rudder
> >
> > This is going to be expensive...
> >
> > Launched the boat yesterday. No problems at all. It was too windy in the
> harbor I launched at to fully rig, so we motored the 7 miles up Buzzards
> Bay to the river where my mooring is. The tide was still falling a little
> so the pennant and pick up were setting down river with the current, so I
> passed the mooring on my port side, went past it about 20 yards, turned
> hard to port to approach the pick up heading upstream.....bang! The rudder
> hit something in the water. I was doing about 2.5 kts with the current. I
> tried to turn the wheel to straighten the rudder but I got resistance and a
> small grinding noise and a loose wheel. No helm at all. A passerby helped
> us to the mooring. Yes the cables are off but that's not the biggest issue.
> I tried the emergency tiller to at least straighten the rudder out but the
> rudder won't budge. I bent the tiller trying. I turned hard to port to
> approach the mooring, which means the leading edge of the rudder was on the
> starboard side. The rudder is stuck 180 degrees from where I hit
> something....the leading edge is facing port. My first thought before
> seeing how the rudder was facing was a bent shaft, but not with it facing
> backwards to how I had it. There isn't any damage to the rudder - one very
> small scratch in the paint (I dove under the boat.....cold water!).
> > In striking something, could the impact have turned the rudder. 180
> degrees without swimming the wheel? Any ideas how to get the rudder loose?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > David Prudden
> > #787
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
>