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Chicago-Mac Rudder Snap

Grizz

Grizz
The image attached was taken Sunday 7-16 @ 0920 EDT, shortly after the diver (Scuba Steve) assisted in pulling the remnants. This image was included in another very popular anti-establishment sailing website, buried in an article detailing carnage resulting from a hellish frontal wind shift @ 2330 7-15.

There will probably be future updates and explanations, but it's important to clarify that this rudder snap was not a casualty of the storm that occurred later. We were sailing in near champagne conditions (if not 'champagne', then certainly Miller Highlife conditions, it the stated champagne of beers); port gybe, 7.5 knots, AWS of 11+, AWA of 120, under running asymmetric kite, eased main, moderate waves, considering when to gybe to starboard to maintain our strategy.

There were 2 boats off our starbard aft quarter: 1 boat less than 1/4 nm, another approximately 3 x's that. Both unnamed and unknown at the time (more on that later).

We had 5 crew up, none in pfd's (champagne makes one slack), one in bare feet. 2 crew were below deck, sleeping, off watch.

I was seated aft and to port of helm and watched as he countered a puff with a very slight roll of the wheel to starboard...there was a discernible 'pop', not heard, but felt, and the bow careened hard to port, the boat immediately heeled to an 'Oh Shit!' degree (well beyond 45°). Chaos ensued.

Helm declared, in retrospect with dead-nuts accuracy, "I have no rudder!", which was countered by another crew member with "turn the wheel the other way!", he thinking "I have no helm" was in effect.

The kite blew into the forestay and shrouds, the spin and main halyards were released kamikaze, too late for the kite, already torn diagonally.

I dove into the aft quarter berth with a flashlight to burrow into the most-aft area where the rudder tube and steering quadrant are housed, thinking a cable had snapped (it hadn't) or jumped a sheave (it hadn't). "Turn the wheel!" was followed by "Which way?" followed by "it doesn't @##$$%%&# matter!" followed by "Confirmed, we have no rudder". The wheel and quadrant remained intact, there was nothing beneath to influence the boat's direction. Ugh.

The shredded kite was being squirreled into the v-berth down the main hatch as I was exiting the aft quarter berth. The main was down and being gathered and tied to the boom. We were not taking on water, nearest land and city (Ludington MI) was 13.5 nm to our East. It was daylight, warm, moderate waves on our beam rolling us port/starboard. We could breath and assess. We calculate that it took less than 5 minutes, perhaps 4, from start to finish. A classic 'Blink of an eye' situation.

We were just assessing our next course of action when we received a VHF hail from the boat (Kamma Hele) furthest from our aft starboard quarter, "Is everyone OK? Do you require assistance?". We answered "negative, no need for assistance, all onboard are unharmed, continue your race, thank you and good luck". The other boat, who will go unnamed, did nothing, breaking RRS 1.1, even though this event occurred immediately in their field of vision. Not good, at all. Still pissed...

The Coast Guard was notified, professional response by all. Tow Boat US contacted, professional response by all. The CYC Race Committee was notified, professional response by all. We attempted to sail the boat on an ENE course while waiting for the tow, which took 3 hours to arrive (into winds and building seas). It took 2.5 hours to get to Ludington, we on the receiving end of the worst crack-the-whip or tube ride ever, the boat racing to port until the towline ran out, snapping the bow to starboard, accelerating and repeating the experience for 2.5 hours. Ugh.

And, of course, The Badger, the last coal fired ferry on the Great Lakes, was scheduled for departure as we entered the channel. She blew her departure horn 45-seconds after we passed her port side, ending that unneeded excitement (no, she did not reply to any of the 4 hail attempts by Tow Boat US, for some reason).

Somehow we located a diver, while in a bar listening to a great cover band, at 1 AM, he based out of a building immediately to the east of Lake Street Marina (great people, lucky we were delivered there). He dove the boat @ 0900 Sunday morning and the picture was taken at 0920.

Preliminary evaluation of "what happened?" is "not sure". Did we hit something? Perhaps, but unlikely. It's w/o question that a birth defect from 1989 didn't help at all, as the rudder split at a welded seam, buried and invisible, 3" below the top of the rudder. A welded seam!? Really? Mid-span in a tube that takes those types of lateral and cyclic loads? Wow.

Finco in Santa Ana has a check in hand for the 50% down needed to build the replacement rudder (1 tube, no welds!), the Chicago UK loft has Mr. Happy for evaluation and (hopefully) repair. The boat is docked in Ludington, which is 122 nm from Chicago on a rhumb line. Timing for the return trek, after installation of the rudder, is definitely 'TBD'.

Busy week, unexpectedly. Heck of a way to burn vacation time. More to follow.

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bkuchinic

Member II
Hello Grizz, Thank you for the update. I was watching the progress of Shoe String and crew this past weekend, living the Mac vicariously, and wondering what happened that diverted you to Ludington. Sorry about your misfortune; glad to hear you and your crew is safe. Let me know if you would like to sail NOMAD with me while you await your new rudder. Maybe this Sunday? If you like, send me a private message and we can discuss. Brad
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
Wow, that is quite a story. Finco probably made the original rudder as well but a weld like that doesn't sound like the kind of thing a ruddermaker would do. They probably had a thousand feet of that pipestock on the rack while they were making your rudder, why bother welding something together? Is it possible the rudder was damaged from a previous grounding and repaired, poorly, by a PO?

My rudder was looking awful after 40 years and many patches. It was replaced by Finco too, but when I started cutting into the old one it was surprisingly sound, albeit waterlogged.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Wow! Thanks for sharing this story with all of the detail. Very interesting.

Glad that it failed in such a way that you did not take on any water. And glad, too, that this should be a pretty straightforward repair, albeit an expensive one. Is your insurance picking up the tab for any of this?

Best of luck to you. I hope you are operational really soon.
 

Slick470

Member III
Quite the story, sorry about your aborted race, but glad nobody was hurt in the process. According to the paperwork that came with our Olson 911, Foss was the original rudder manufacturer. I would assume that they made the one for the O34 as well.

Are you going with an updated rudder design, or a new version of the old?
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Wow. Great story, and great job evaluating and managing the problem. Hard to do that well when the clock is running and adrenalin is up... and you did.

Just a tidbit if anyone else (?) finds themselves in that uncomfortable crack-the-whip towing mode: light-ish boats with missing rudder may misbehave badly when towed bow first... but may settle down and tow sedately when towed stern first. Is true of SC-70s, Andrews-56s and Olson-40s (don't ask how I know).

Worth trying, certainly if you're looking at a tow of several hours....
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
I think Finco and Foss (the one in CA) are close to being the same company. Yes, you're right, Foss probably made the original. When mine was replaced I ordered from Foss but it came in a crate that said Finco. Maybe Finco does machining and Foss specifically does foam?

Confusingly, Foss in CA and Foss in FL are both in the rudder business but do not speak to each other due to familial bad blood.

Rudders are mercifully easy to replace, and, I thought, not all that expensive for a quick turnaround OEM part. Rudder manufacturers, though, are complicated.

Edit: hmmm, cool, they've added a lot of online content since I last cared about this.
http://www.fincofab.com/rudder_making.php
 
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Grizz

Grizz
Sequential Updates and Replies

It's been almost 1 week since the 'Snap!' and the 'WTF?' response. Questions have been asked, what follows are a few answers:

Monday was a 'sort through the mess' day, contacting Finco to begin that process. Yes, Finco and Foss are a Joint Venture, this direct from the Foss website: The Foss Company has also formed a strategic partnership with FinCo Fabrication, a major fiberglass manufacturing firm in Santa Ana, California.

The OEM O-34 rudder will be replaced with a Cal 40 rudder. This is the shape that snapped. Joel @ Finco has stated "there's no way we'd make a rudder stock by welding 2 sections together". Good enough for me. The difference in the profile can be seen in the attachment.

Tuesday was 'boxing day', lower case used intentionally, time allocated to crate the remnant and ship it to Santa Ana CA. It's scheduled to arrive Monday 7-24. [Edit - the red line in the crate image denotes where the bolt hole is located]

Wednesday was 'Return to Ludington Day', ostensibly to offload all the gear not needed to race, but needed for the return. And pull from the boat the tattered kite and a few other items that wouldn't fit into a van stuffed with 6 crewmembers and their gear. 4-hours 1-way afforded time to construct notes, talk with family...and decompress. It was a long day.

The UK Sailmakers Chicago loft received the tattered remnants on Thursday. The loft had the feel of a triage unit, sail bags tagged and stacked upon entering, all in need of evaluation and repair. The estimate for this kite arrived via email Friday, a reasonable estimate and within $200 of what was anticipated. Close enough...

The 'What Happened?' explanation was submitted to the EY.org site on Thursday, mostly in an effort to capture what happened to prevent the creeping propagation of 'fish stories', i.e. - "we were in 75 knot wind, 15' waves and barely avoided being swallowed by Moby Dick, who broached just off our port bow, nearly swamping us". Those kind of 'fish stories'.

To Brad and NOMAD: certainly I'd love to go sailing, but it'll be next weekend. This weekend remains hectic.

I may have missed an item or 2, but this addresses the ones from memory.box and bolt hole.jpg
 

Attachments

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CTOlsen

Member III
New Rudder

Sorry to read of your rudder prob. You will love the new blade- higher aspect will show it easier to control in a good blow.
When mine arrived, I had to shorten the shaft by about 6". So be prepared to possibly do the same. Also, the top of the rudder does not contour the hull as well as the original. It will preclude effective use of the nylon washer between the blade and the hull. Rather than add glass/carbon to contour correctly, I accepted the gap and have not had any problems. The quadrant gear and cables prevent the rudder from riding up/down without relying on the nylon washer.
Enjoy
CTO
 

Grizz

Grizz
A few additional items to add...

Thanks Craig for the reply and cautionary items, much appreciated. In no particular order, here's an update with clarifications:


  • the rudder that snapped had the same aspect ratio of the new rudder, and yes, it's an improvement over the OEM
  • unfortunately, in 2015, I had the hair-brained idea to save $ by sending the OEM to Foss Foam in CA and have them re-use the OEM rudder framework, which they did...
  • ...w/o informing me that the OEM rudder tube had a weld at mid-span (THE worst possible location), buried and invisible 3" from the top of the rudder...
  • ...which Finco Fabrication (the manufacturers of the new rudder) found disconcerting (so did we!) and a process they would NOT have permitted, as they have found that reusing most rudder stock is not time or dollars smart.
  • I still can't figure out the relationship between Foss Foam CA and Finco Fabrication, but there IS a relationship

Because Finco received the OEM remnant on this interation, there was no need to chop 6" from the top, the length fit perfectly.

Yes, the washer serves no real purpose now, it served as an 'initial spacer' once the rudder was stubbed in to position. There's now @ a 1/4" gap between hull and top of rudder, ample clearance.

Drilling the holes in the tube for the quadrant bolt, using the quadrant as a drill-guide, was an ergonomic PITA that demanded patience more than anything. Lots of joy once the bolt passed through both sides, allowing the nut to be spun on and tightened, in fading light with a diver in the water and on the clock. "All Clear! Pack up your gear!" made everyone happy.

Boat will be hauled in @ 4 weeks, or less, which is when we'll drop the rudder (again) to beef the barrier coat with Interprotect 2000, redo the stuffing box (currently only 2 of 3 flax bands, ran out of time and called 'good enough', hope we're not proven wrong) and assure the Emergency Tiller works, which it currently doesn't [filling the top of the rudder tube with foam made that impossible. Ugh.]

So that's the scoop. We're back in the water, the wind has shifted N, cool Canadian air replacing hot/humid Plains wind. Fall is nearby.

Thanks again. Take care.
 
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