Backup steering
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Has anyone successfully added a spare rudder and tiller for use as backup steering (in case of rudder loss)? I’ve read some of the blogs of those doing the SHTP where they are required, but at least one of the guys (Adrian Johnson, Idefix) thought the design was worthless. We do quite a bit of offshore racing, and may be doing one of the Bermuda races- so this is something I’ve been thinking about. I thought about making a two gudgeon/pintle system by making use of the Garelick motor mount to slide a bottom bracket in and creating a brace for the upper pintle that would bolt to the deck on either side of the aft lazarette. Is there any experience doing this sort of thing?
Ray
Spinnaker pole with a plywood addition? Lash/pad to pushpit. It doesn’t take much steering if you adjust the sails.
Hi, Bruce- I’ve heard that doesn’t work so well, especially in conditions where you’d like to break a rudder post like the stock glass ones we have on these boats. I’ve figured out a relatively simple way to add a cassette style rudder without too much modification of the transom. I will however, need to fabricate my own pintles and gudgeons, so I’m learning how to weld.. I’m excited to learn a new trade!
Ray…begs a question…has anyone ever broken a glass post rudder?
My emergency plan doesn’t recognize a long distance haul to port. That might be the difference.
Weld? Sounds heavy. Time to learn the carbon trade!
That IS a good question. I honestly don’t know. My plans to do this project this winter come from a discussion I had earlier this summer with a group of local sailors regarding offshore sailing, and my boat (given it’s lack of adequate motorized propulsion compared to most other boats) seems to be a no-brainer. I’m planning on doing several longer offshore races to and from Bermuda as well as down in the Abacos in the coming years, and having backup steering is just one of the several upgrades I’m doing. I’ve already beefed up the rigging and sail inventory, all with those races in mind. This rudder should be fairly easy to build- the welding is for making pintles and gudgeons to fit a 4″ wide cassette- you just can’t buy stuff like that off the shelf.
I am making a carbon fiber one that sits in a cassette and uses the outboard bracket. I am using unidirectional CF (many layers along the spine(and wrapping it with CF and and outside layer of FG for impact resistance. It is roughly 4′ long (from the bottom of the cassette) and about 13″ wide. I suspect it will be a bare to use but at the point, I will only be crusing to get somewhere (not racing)(!)
I’ll post a few pictures when I am done. Also, I drew up the shape and templates in CAD and can send it on to anyone that may be interested.
Actually it will end up looking a bit like a FARRIER F-32 rudder. I figured if it works for a cat, it should almost work for an Olson… Here’s the site:
http://www.f-boat.com/pages/news/HighAspectRudders.htmlHi, Lilya- same for me (cruising for the most part), and I’m a good way through the project. Just finishing fairing the rudder blade, so I can build a form fitting cassette, then to complete the attachments to the transom – I decided not to use the motor mount, but epoxied a 4″ x 2″ block of G10 below to through bolt a stainless gudgeon that I built.
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