RUDDER FAILURE on an Ocean Passage? Let’s find out! (Patrick Childress Sailing #61)

[@RVLifeNOW]

Do you have an old sailboat and are wondering if the rudder may fail or fall off someday? Have you ever seen the inside of your rudder. Are there other things you would do to make sure you don’t have a rudder failure mid-ocean? Let’s talk about sailboat rudders, and rudder failures here...and how to prevent rudder failures out on the big ocean... Have you ever had a rudder fail on you?

[@elliowb2]

I did something similar to your process on a slightly newer (1994) PSC34 about 2 years ago. Her rudder too was in remarkably good condition. Especially considering that the reason for my exploration was that a small crack had opened at the bottom where the two shells were joined together. They did a fairly poor job of laminating over that seam. Rather than completely open up the shaft, I choose to drill some 3" holes with a hole saw as well as numerous 1/4" holes all over the rudder. After inspecting the welds (which were in fantastic condition), I put a heat lamp under the rudder and dried each side for at least a month. There wasn't a lot of moisture, but I wanted to assure that it was completely dried out. Then filled all the holes with thickened epoxy and laid up 4 or five layers of glass and epoxy over the entire rudder. Faired it out and then new epoxy base coat and finally bottom paint. I think I have a fairly bullet proof rudder that should be good for at least another 25 years.

[@RVLifeNOW]

elliowb, Sounds like a good job especially to avoid problems later on. Thanks for taking the time to describe what you did to your rudder.

[@mojoneko8303]

Hi I watched your blister video and liked it so much I subscribed to your channel so I had to watch this one also thanks! I have an off topic question I was hoping you could address in a future video if possible. How is the Corona virus going to affect your plans? If this turns into a long drawn out affair are you going to be stuck in South Africa for the foreseeable future? I imagine trying to enter another country in a small boat will be a lot bigger headache for quite a while and I am not sure where you could go from where you are that wouldn't involve a long open ocean voyage. Thanks I was just curious how your going to deal with this.

[@atlanticocean640]

Patrick Childress Sailing the rudder design in sailboats seems like it is unreliable. I’ve towed 4 sailboats in from offshore gulf of Maine no sea tow here and every sailboat had lost rudder. All where very nice boats. Do think the same that it could be better

[@clidiere]

+1 For the camera buried in the dirt. Great effect!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Definitely, that was the very old GoPro2 in a plastic housing. That is my enduro camera. Thanks for watching.

[@RF33MUSIC]

What a legend this man was. I've learned an immense amount about repair from this. Thankyou X

[@RVLifeNOW]

Ah thanks yeah he was pretty awesome!!!

[@CJSHM]

The intro to this video is golden. Love it.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks

[@DangarMarine]

When I took the rudder off the boat I bought last year I saw the post had corroded to almost a pinpoint just above the flange. I'm lucky it didn't break on the way up the coast!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yep...sounds like you were lucky to not have a catastrophic rudder failure! -Rebecca

[@jonelliott9157]

Absolutely enjoyed this! Great tutorial on glass work too. Thanks for posting!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks, Jon, for watching, and your comment.

[@perhennung]

Great video! RIP Patrick!🙏

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks

[@antoniostamndley8272]

Sadly the teacher here in the film has not long passed . Good man. Good sailor. Good teacher .will be missed

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yea

[@I.Am.Gone...]

Good Job!!! Hello from Málaga (spain)

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hello Jose, in Malaga. I hope the CC translation was acceptable. Thanks for watching.

[@larryboles629]

DAMN!! You don't hold back on preventive maintenance. Bet your efforts are paid off with the knowledge that your rudder is better than new, no need to be concerned or wonder about it. EPIC PATRICK!!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Larry, if I did not dig into that rudder, on our next ocean passage I would have always been wondering when was it going to break. Rebecca would really be unhappy then...and I would be bummed. Now we can confidently head down to Tierra Del Fuego.

[@LovingAtlanta]

👍👍I’m never gonna do this but I find it fascinating and I truly admire that Patrick was so involved and did a lot of the work himself. RIP dear Sir RIP. Gone but not forgotten. 💝 He left a wealth of knowledge for so many people. 🤗💞🤗

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes he did. A truly amazing man in every way.

[@bmwlane8834]

Well said LovingAtlanta! So very sad. I a!so stumbled on to their vlog , and have enjoyed it. It really punched me in the gut to see Rebecca vid. RIP Patrick.

[@bmwlane8834]

I'm so sorry for your loss Rebecca. Y'all are fantastic people.

[@LovingAtlanta]

BMWLane - Aawww yes, very said. 😞

[@patrickhackett3878]

Nice work! I did nearly the same thing on my Valiant 40 decades ago, and it is still like new. I can't believe how fast you've accomplished such a massive job! You're living the dream....

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you Patrick. We hope to get back to living the dream one of these days. S. Africa has been a good place to do a lot of this work to make sure we don't have surprises further down the line, like in Tierra Del Fuego.

[@AquaMarine1000]

Good one Patrick.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you, Chris, for watching our rudder rebuild video.

[@nonyayet1379]

I trust you are keeping safe and virus free, without too many hardships.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes. So far things are no crazy here. We are in Hout Bay in South Africa where we will stay until they kick us out or this craziness clears up. Glad to have our rudder and everything else pretty much fixed on this boat ready to cross an ocean on practically a moments notice.

[@sollasollew3208]

Informative as always

[@RVLifeNOW]

Solla, thanks for watching and thanks again for the comment. Comments do help our KZbin analytics.

[@tomharrell1954]

Great job! You will be greatly missed!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yep…

[@mojoneko8303]

"Doing Boat maintenance in exotic remote harbors" is the best definition for the cruising lifestyle I've ever come across . I learned that from personal experience..

[@RVLifeNOW]

And that maintenance treadmill never ends.

[@edwardfinn4141]

Excellent video Patrick, I dont think I have seen any other video documenting this repair/ upgrade...

[@RVLifeNOW]

Edward Finn Thanks for watching and for your comment. Yes...we decided rather than buying another device to deal with a broken rudder at sea...we would just make sure this rudder was inspected, rebuilt or repaired so that we would continue on without any problems with this rudder. -Rebecca

[@dcdc1970]

i love these videos , really useful info compiled by someone really passionate about the subject . the years of experience that he has . really shows through on these videos. thank you for a really informative and useful video.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks so much. He was genius, for sure...

[@bryrensexton4618]

Very much appreciate your videos!.please keep making them..greetings from the pacific north west

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you bryren. Positive comments such as yours does give us motivation to keep at it.

[@Stubones999]

If you lose the rudder, use a storm drogue, and tie it off two winches. To turn to port, tighten the line on the port side. To turn to starboard, tighten the starboard line. Swinging the the drogue from one side to the other makes the boat turn the way you need to go. Not as fast as having a working rudder, but probably better than making a scrap wood rudder.

[@RVLifeNOW]

I hope I never lose my rudder...now that Patrick isn’t here ;)

[@pavlozevedov6366]

HAHAHA Great introduction! Good humor is always welcome! Thanks

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks Pavlo. We finally did get a good take without any flubs but thought the first try was the best.

[@davidc6510]

@@RVLifeNOW Haha the look on Rebecca's face was awesome during those takes...

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hello...Rebecca here...yes...if I am not talking about something I know really well, and can just babble on without a script, I can do OK. But if Patrick tells me to say something specific, I can remember it to save my life, and I just clam up. I am excited that this rudder failure video is doing well...and the past few videos about all our our diy repairs in the Zululand Yacht club boatyard are doing well..and I enjoy the behind the scenes work, but being on camera will never be something I want to do much of! That opening scene is pretty much what I offer Patrick in way of being filmed much of the time! I just go blank! -Rebecca

[@davidc6510]

@@RVLifeNOW Lol Rebecca it was cute. I cracked up from both of your performances on the intro. What I liked about it was it was an honest presentation even if it was not a perfect delivery. In fact that it turned out the way it did - it was perfect!

[@barrythompson6472]

I really enjoyed this video, well done informative and interesting. Love the way you pass so much information in a short period of time. Thanks skipper, cheers

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you, Barry, for watching our “rudder failure avoidance” video! and your very nice comment. We really do appreciate that.

[@AwangYudiAryadi]

Great. I like seeing your passion, how you repair sailboats. Very inspiring.

[@RVLifeNOW]

For all the work we have done on this boat while in Africa, I think it is now better than when it was new. I hope so anyway, as we have a long way to go to get to Tierra Del Fuego. Thanks for your comment.

[@AwangYudiAryadi]

@@RVLifeNOW From various places that you have visited and repaired your sailboat, where is the best and cheapest place to do that? The best place can be with the availability of quality goods at inexpensive prices.

[@RVLifeNOW]

@@AwangYudiAryadi Cartagena, Colombia is good. Low labor cost but a lot of boat supplies need to be ordered from Miami. They get to Colombia quickly. One can plan ahead and load up in St. Thomas with all tools and materials then it is an easy sail to Colombia. Tools in the U.S. cost half what they cost in foreign countries so good to stock up on those as well. Don't rely on the locals to always have the best power tool for the job.

[@AwangYudiAryadi]

@@RVLifeNOW Okay. Thank you for your information Sir.

[@davidc6510]

Great rudder rebuild video Patrick. So many great tips on how to tear into a rudder, check for damage, and then put it back together stronger than ever. Certainly the peace of mind was well worth the ordeal. It is clear that you knew how the Valiant 40 rudder was constructed and based on problems reported by other owners you knew what to look for and had a plan to fix it. What resources do you recommend for other boat owners to use to find out potential problems on their brand/model of boat and any plans that show how they may have been constructed. Hi Rebecca! Thanks for sharing!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks, David. Certainly I get a hint of Valiant problems from a specific Valiant Owners site on Yahoo. Brand specific internet boat sites are very helpful for sharing boat information and figuring out the resolution for problems.

[@DoubleUThings]

Haha, it looked like a decent burial for your rudder, especially after you stuck it to death with that chisel! :-) Interesting video. Thanx! Happy greetingz, Wim

[@RVLifeNOW]

Ha...never thought of it that way..maybe we should quick change the title on the thumbnail! Old rudder...burial at sea, or Burial in the boatyard ;) Nope...think this rudder will cross many more oceans with us! Thanks for watching, and for writing a comment that got us both chuckling! -Rebecca

[@DoubleUThings]

@@RVLifeNOW Could get you even more views! :-) Well, afterwards it looked very good, so I think you will cross many oceans with it!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Sailing Exodos yes...we are happy with how this old rudder turned out! -Rebecca

[@billadams1018]

Most excellent video

[@RVLifeNOW]

Bill Adams Thanks...who would think a rudder failure/rudder failure prevention video would do so well! -Rebecca on SV Brick House

[@jcf6597]

Great video, I think a lot of people would enjoy a video about what to carry and how to make an emergency rudder at sea.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks for the idea. One of these days we will do that as I know several people with broken rudders who just could not steer their boat. We should probably experiment to see how well we can do using several different sailing techniques if we were to lose our rudder. Thanks for watching!

[@liongod1000]

@@RVLifeNOW *_ Patrick, firstly greetings from Cape Town and secondly as Mads would say about that Rudder... "SPIFFY"!! and I think JC F idea about Emergency Rudders is great..... Please do one sometime! _*

[@RVLifeNOW]

Right now we are in Hout Bay finishing up yet more boat jobs. One day we will run out of boat yard videos and get back into real sailing videos. Emergency steering will be on the list of videos to do. Thanks, Robert, for the comment.

[@brice5542]

Thanks so much you guys, really appreciate your videos. I also have a Perry Boat 1986 Tayana 37 Pilot House, Cutter rig. As a kid this was my dream boat, but as you know, she needs lots of love. Thanks again Cheers,,, Pops

[@RVLifeNOW]

"lost of love", tell me about it! Just yesterday I was under the refrigerator boxes, where there is a 6 inch void between the bottom of the cold boxes and the sole. The whole cabinet was only resting on the sole and in no way secured. Ahhhh, that is why it was always squeaking out in bad weather. Now the box is well fiberglassed to the sole, using 1708 and epoxy resin. I like the design of this boat not not so much the construction. Hopefully we are getting to the end or our maintenance projects. Good luck with your loving work.

[@sailingcitrinesunset4065]

Nice video and stay safe. Cheers from Australia

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks for watching our rudder repair video ;) -Rebecca

[@reloadncharge9907]

Interesting video...had a laugh with the start! Thanks, hope you wo are safe and isolated for now. Andrew

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hi Andrew. We eventually got through an intro with no flubs but thought we would go with the first rough one. We don't have a written script so it can take a lot of takes to get it right. Here in Hout Bay, on the other side of Table Mountain, from Cape Town, life is pretty normal but I do notice more people in the grocery store very early in the morning and canned corn is now hard to find. I am sure, soon, restrictions will hit in S.Africa. Harbors are closing though. If a sailboat leaves, it can't come back in and is left to wander the oceans. Always nice to see your comments.

[@billholcomb2730]

Excellent show Patrick. I'll bet you are glad to have done this while Brick House was on the hard instead of having to take things apart while at sea.

[@RVLifeNOW]

I know of several people who have had a mid ocean rudder failure. Our rudder was a growing concern. I certainly feel more confident with it now. Thanks, Bill, for your comment.

[@gems34]

Nicely done, greetings from South Africa

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks Tusk...where in South Africa? We repaired our rudder in Richards Bay, and now we are in Hout Bay, in South Africa. Lockdown Thursday. We join the world finally. -Rebecca

[@gems34]

I'm not too far from Mossel bay so practically around the corner, my thoughts and best wishes go out to all the Blue Water community stranded in this situation. I watched with great interest the copper powder paint you did in Richards Bay :) How is it holding up, as good as you had expected or is it still too early to tell?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Tusk Bilasimo well of course it’s too early to tell the long term results, but after more than 3 months in the water, it is doing fantastic. Better than we expected (we are such pessimists when it comes to bottom paint). There was another boat that was painted and went in the water 2 weeks after we did. They sailed almost immediately to Hout Bay, and are here with us. We say for a month in Richards Bay getting everything else ready...and then sailed to Hout Bay, and we are parked next to them. The bottom of there boat...a month ago, was just covered in a reef. Long 5 inch beard around the waterline...and the prop was barely recognizable. The diver took hours to get it all clean...not just soft growth but TONS of barnacles. Ours on the other hand, 2 weeks longer in the water...wow...just some slime. One place we just couldn’t get the Coppercoat in to did have a couple of barnacles but we are surprised it wasn’t covered. Patrick has gone down twice to wipe off the slime, and is out of the water in 15 or 20 minutes. The softest of sponges, and the easiest of wipes. We are very very happy. It’s seems the Coppercoat has been a success! But again...it’s 3 and 5 years from now that is the real test, isn’t it? Come visit someday if you are in the area! -Rebecca

[@gems34]

@@RVLifeNOW That is encouraging especially the lengths you took to apply it correctly. Would love to come visit when things get back to normal and if you are still in Hout Bay :) In the mean time hope you and Patrick stay safe and enjoy the stay

[@lowellsheppard]

A very instructive video. Thanks! I will be sure to watch more episodes. As a newbie to sailing I am learning a lot from others!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Good to hear from you Lowell. Any sailboat seems to be a maintenance treadmill, whether fixing broken things or replacing things before their expiration date arrives.

[@TeamStevers]

What a guy.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes

[@franktartan6808]

I know that feeling of wondering if the rudder is ok. I totally rebuilt the rudder on my Tartan 34. Replaced the post and fingers. I used 2 part foam, west epoxy, 1708 without the mat. It seems there are as many ways to repair a rudder as there are rudders being repaired! Thanks for the video

[@RVLifeNOW]

Replacing the shaft and spline....now that is a way bigger job than I got into. I assume your spline was very rusty. I feel so fortunate we did not have to go that far with this rudder repair. Thanks for your comment.

[@Leosarebetter]

I kid you not, I was on a 48/50 foot timber displacement cruiser, single screw about 60 NM from land and seas getting nasty in about 50 fathoms of water the rudder just fell clean off. We first noticed something was wrong when she started to go off course and initally thought the auto pilot was the culprit. Cut a long story short, the Skipper got the dining table, ripped it from its mounts, turned it on its side and hammered 3 inch wood screws (yes, hammered) into a jury rig/tiller arrangement and hung the impromptu tiller/rudder from the stern with ropes/screws etc. (we had good lengths of spare timber on board laying in the bilge) next he unscrewed the compass from its mount in the wheelhouse and hammered it onto the aft deck. He got us back on course and said to me, thats the course we follow, stick to it and I did. We arrived back in Port safe & sound. Next day hauled out and found that the previous owner had "secured" the rudder to the stainless rudder shaft with plain metal/low carbon nuts/bolts and of course corrosion set in and whala! no more rudder. All credit to the skipper at the time, thinking outside the square got us home.

[@RVLifeNOW]

What a story. Thanks for sharing!

[@LovingAtlanta]

Phil Long - 👍Amazing & awesome story! That was a great Skipper you had! Thanks for sharing. 🤗💞🤗

[@soggybottom3463]

Essential viewing 5 stars!👍👍

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you for watching our rudder repair video, Soggy. Hope you will watch some others too ;)

[@GeorgeDavidLenis]

Love watching your videos! Especially now being forced off duty in April, I’ll have a chance to catch up on all your past vids. I hope you’re healthy and safe in Cape Town! Fortunately or, unfortunately....I suspect I’ll be able to get a good deal on a boat soon!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks for watching the videos, George. We are pleasantly holed up in Haut Bay. We don't mind this place at all. Still have some boat projects to finish up then would like to get a car to see the rest of the area. Yes, on the possible boat deals. You might want to check Langkawi, Malaysia. We saw world cruisers park their boats there, both older sailboats and new, put them up for sale, fly away, never to return.

[@sonnylange3051]

Another great video! I have to pull my rudder next fall. Lots of work ahead

[@RVLifeNOW]

I hope you have a pleasant surprise, as we did. Good luck, Sonny.

[@PaulusPHM]

tough job, well done. Greetings Respect

[@RVLifeNOW]

As old as this rudder is, I really had to find out if we were headed for a great, desperate, video adventure or just another boring passage. On passages, we have a saying "boring is good".

[@PaulusPHM]

@@RVLifeNOW True , specially the route you going , the sea state , nasty southern Atlantic currents.

[@hansjensen7823]

Great video Patrick. Any lubrication on the top thrust bearing? And, is that Zeppelin ‘That’s the Way’ being played at 9:15?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes, I did use some water resistant outboard grease, but I wonder if something with molybdenum might have been better. In any case, the outboard grease has always done well. Isn't that amazing music? I would have guessed Led Zeppelin but it is actually free, royalty free, music in the KZbin music list. Thanks for watching , Hans.

[@hansjensen7823]

Patrick Childress Sailing Eh, don’t overthink it. In my experiences bronze is very forgiving as long as it has a little something.

[@zeusapollo8688]

Having lost a couple of rudders I will always put an eyebolt and safety line so at least I have the broken rudder for parts n patterns

[@RVLifeNOW]

Like the people on Avatar, they watched their rudder drift away behind their boat and there was nothing they could do about it.

[@alhester7159]

Great video folks. Patrick, you are a craftsman. You mentioned satelite radio communications have pretty much replaced SSB. Do you have a video on that subject? Best regards, AL Vancouver.

[@RVLifeNOW]

We have a video which covers a lot of our electronics at the nav. station. Rebecca does mention the IridiumGo communications. It is amazing. Thanks for watching and your comment. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHnaiWV_oddlnJY

[@jankareaustinat310]

PCS you are missed,the teacher s gone gone bye the wind gone on the sea, Long live the new guide REBECCA,the mater

[@RVLifeNOW]

Ah…sweet…

[@Cragified]

Rudders are probably the most stressed component of a vessel. Especially if trying to hold a high deflection, at any meaningful speed during rough seas. Of all the work you did probably the most valuable time spent.

[@RVLifeNOW]

I know too many people who have lost rudders that are far newer than this one. I now feel much better about our rudder. In the middle of an ocean, it would have always been a nagging concern if I had not looked inside to see what condition it was in.

[@johnkahts7698]

a Job well done.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks for all of your comments on the videos. They are greatly appreciated.

[@dc14522]

What kind of steel is your rudder shaft and internal supports made from? I just built a rudder from scratch for my Reliance 44 and I used Duplex 2205 Stainless steel. It's pretty expensive, but it's designed for continuous immersion in salt water. I also made my welds radial (around the circumference of the shaft) which should be much stronger since the welds will be in shear over the entire weld instead of having a high tensile stress concentration at the outer part of the weld. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@RVLifeNOW]

The shaft is solid stainless but I don't know what grade. I would think the spline is some sort of lower grade stainless since it was in such good condition after 44 years. I have only heard of Duplex Stainless and know it is very rust resistant and expensive. But that would be far cheaper than dealing with a broken rudder. So it is well worth the money. Your welding also sounds great. Using the same thinking of doing it right to prevent a future failure, that is why we now have grade 5 titanium chain plates. Any future owner of this boat will be happy with them.

[@dc14522]

@@RVLifeNOW Titanium is probably the smart choice for chainplates. Here's my rudder build video (part 2 anyway) if you're interested. Thanks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZyWl3mgbcR6d9E

[@mikeferguson2828]

Great edit Patrick. I too have lost a blade off one of my rudders and built 2 x half molds off the other and built new blades. A cat does sail but not well on 1 rudder

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks, Mike, for your positive feedback. As we met more people who have lost rudders, I became more concerned with our 44 year old one!

[@scotthewitt6047]

Do you still live on the boat when you are doing all this work.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes...we lived on the boat for the entire time...fixing the rudder,blisters and other on this old sailboat, except Rebecca went to the US to help care for an ailing parent for 7 weeks.

[@JWB671]

Those old welds looked very cold. They were basically sitting on top of the metal, didn’t look like much penetration.

[@RVLifeNOW]

That seemed to be the case around the outside perimeter so for safety, we ground out the entire weld. The weld was much better adhered just inside of the perimeter. Good eye on you!

[@evangatehouse5650]

I agree. Really bad fusion. However the new welds had a bit of porosity from what I could see.

[@dan5641]

I totally agree with you that it is not that hard to remove a rudder from any boat, as long as you don't time into consideration. Sometimes it takes me 45 minutes (or longer) to tighten one (1) screw. It's not hard, but it takes time.....

[@RVLifeNOW]

And certainly good reason to do it yourself rather than pay a boat yard worker a lot of money to tighten screws. Thanks for your comment.

[@melellington4892]

OMG…so much work! Makes me really appreciate my two transom hung rudders on my catamaran.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hopefully, now, no future owner will have to deal with this rudder. But I do know a delivery skipper who was delivering a brand new catamaran to the Caribbean from New Your. On the way to Bermuda, they got caught up in bad weather which damaged both rudders and caused them to spin on the shafts. Back to the drawing board for that boat manufacturer. The boat was abandoned and much later washed up in Ireland, upside down.

[@perhennung]

Excellent advice with the markings! Thanks!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Advise from learning the hard way. Thanks for watching.

[@keeldragger]

Quite the project. Based on what you found, I feel pretty good about not opening my rudder up for some time. Is that the original propane locker? Keeldragger (TB-V40 #278) has a smaller locker.

[@RVLifeNOW]

The original propane locker and frame rotted out. That is a new one made of MDO (medium density overlay) plywood, good 2 sides. The white frame around the top is made of PVC lumber. When I made that propane box, the balsa coring of the deck was all rotted so I had to dig deep into the fiberglass cavity and dig out the balsa. To fill the new voids, I used cut pieces of PVC and glued them in place with epoxy. The more wood and balsa I get off of this boat, the better. I hope in your propane locker you can fit 2 tanks. Always good to hear from other Valiant owners!

[@keeldragger]

@@RVLifeNOW It may have been initially rigged with a horizontal tank. Two, shorter 11lb steel propane tanks fit in the locker.

[@dahveed284]

Good preventative maintenance. Be safe and wash your hands.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks, dahveed, will do. So far, no coughs or sneezes here.

[@svhulda6157]

Just as generalt recommendation. Never use steel brush (chemical Fe) on stainless steel surfaces. Nor use products containing silicon carbide. This will ruin the surface of the stainless steel and may set off more sereous corrosion. As long as no humidity, no problem. Corr. Engineer by profession. Your videos are very good and informative. BR sv Hulda (home made from steel ☺)

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks for the tip and the nice comment.

[@jasonmcintosh2632]

Great video! I've heard that the whatever chemical reaction occurs with epoxy doesn't 100% cure for several days. So even though the epoxy may look hard, new epoxy will chemically bond to it perfectly even if you wait a day or two. But you don't want to wait weeks... Could you have "towed" those people who you tried to help with a rudder?

[@RVLifeNOW]

No...could not have towed...More than 1000 miles to the next island. They had the current and wind in their favor and did make it OK..that was never really a worry for them...but it would have been nicer to have steerage.

[@irgski]

another talented sailor gone...RIP

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you

[@volksyes9477]

Working with boats is definitely more forgiving than working on composite Planes, like weight is a huge factor on planes. On a boat not so much as long as the CG is right

[@RVLifeNOW]

Only on race boats is weight much of a concern. A long range cruising boat, slap it on, make it strong, make it last.

[@martyspargur5281]

Hello, hope you are both well! I have lost a rudder, not that big of a deal, on a Mull 22. The reason I'm mentioning it is the rudder was transom-hung on stock welded pintles with stock gudgeons on the transom. The rudder was barely a year old but it had a rough life. Crevice corrosion or maybe just fatigue made the pintles break off. So, anyone who's about to head out may want to change out their welded pintles with something sturdier, like the continous rod/clevis gudgeon type with no welded pintles (gudgeons on the rudder too). Also, the drain on your propane locker: I can't tell if the white hose is 1/2" or 5/8" or what, but I have experienced that type of white nylon "thru-hull"/hose barb break off after they are 6 or 7 years old. They break at the top of the thread, right at the flange, leaving just a sort-of white washer (the flange) attached to nothing. I had this happen to me a day out of Turtle Bay once, although admittedly that one was exposed to sunlight. It was above the waterline, and I just blocked the hole with a trim tab zinc (two discs of zinc with a bolt through the middle), substituting a longer center screw. Yes, your locker drain is above the waterline, but at speed I would expect quite a head of water in that hose from the stern wave. It looks like your rudder post is solid in some views and hollow tube in others. Because of the diameter and the depth of the groove under the Quadrant clamp, I'm guessing solid. However, I have seen tubular rudder stocks break off right around the waterline above the rudder and below the counter. One guy I know shoved fiberglass strands (like rope, not chopped strand) down his hollow post followed by an epoxy pour, to fill that part of the tube, from the foam core in the rudder up past the waterline. Without removing the rudder from the boat or the boat from the water, or even removing the water completely from the inside of the rudder. Just so if it Did crack at the waterline, hopefully it wouldn't break off. If someone's rudder stock were made from bronze pipe or solid round, I wouldn't expect Any such problems (beyond a bit of wear at the bearing). If anyone is replacing their steering cables, I would like to mention that it is very easy to overtighten them. This will be very hard on the sheaves. The cables should be just tight enough to not drop out of the quadrant groove when the helm is hard over. That means when one is adjusting the tension you want to hold the wheel Hard against the rudder stop, and see if the slack side drops off or not. Check both ways, and stretch the heck out of the tight side with the steering wheel. If you don't have positive, mondo strong rudder stops like Patrick and Rebecca, by all means get some. It can be the type shown, or even static length ropes. These are Essential for keeping the rudder in the boat. My own personal belief is that there is no way to keep water out of rudders like this. Maybe I'm wrong. Also, I just want to mention if I may, That if anyone doing this to their own boat feels it's time to replace the black hose on the box (rudder post/bearing/seal), to not use just any black hose. That hose is not the same as black "rubber" sanitary hose, not the same as black wire-reinforced "Carlisle-type" hose, and not the same thing as black marine exhaust hose (we call Peedro, because they use a lot of it in San Pedro, I guess). Please use the type of black, Non Wire Reinforced hose that you would get from Edson, Buck Algonquin, Spartan Bronze, Vetus, Elk Brass(?) etc. The difference is not obvious, but the correct choice is going to have twice as many plies or more, as the other choices. Anyway, you did a heck of a good job on your own rudder, Thank you for sharing. Patrick, what are those two tanks under the aft end of the cockpit for?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Marty, thanks for taking the time to write all this great information. The two tanks in the aft compartment, the box that was removed, of course were propane. Things inside the starboard locker to get to the propane drain hose...one is filled with wood pellets, used as cat litter. The other, a Honda generator.....if I am referring to what you saw.

[@martyspargur5281]

@@RVLifeNOW Hi, I guess I meant to say: the two aluminum tanks right under the quadrant and rudder stop. They each seem to have a black hose (drawing?) which meet at a tee below the tank tops and between the tanks. Thanks

[@RVLifeNOW]

@@martyspargur5281 Those are the two diesel fuel tanks. Originally it was one tank but a previous owner, Rebecca, before I met her, upgraded to two new aluminum tanks, 40 gallons each. I much prefer 2 tanks for weight distribution and trimming the boat.

[@martyspargur5281]

@@RVLifeNOW ok of course. I was thinking it was two tiny tanks with a tee'd draw when it is obviously the aft end of two larger tanks with their fuel returns. ---- The new reality is after several days of group texting, instead of normal conversations, l'm having a hard time telling up from down. We are still being spared the worst of the virus around here (So Cal), thank goodness. Hope you and Rebecca are well. Thank you Patrick.

[@joer8854]

It's unfortunate that so many boat builders gave so little thought to how well the rudder was built. I know quite a few people who have lost rudders on the water and one person I know he rebuilt his rudder the moment he bought his boat since it was a known weak point on those boats.

[@RVLifeNOW]

It seems someone sitting at a design desk can't comprehend the stresses, like tapping the bottom with the rudder, a boat goes through. Thanks for your comment.

[@nobody46820]

On the rudder cable(s) (I couldn't see well enough to be comfortable) please make sure the cable anchors are in the correct position. The "U" should be over the side of the cable closest to the end of the cable. "Never saddle a dead horse." If those little devils slipped out at sea, you could have rudder failure. Grease? I'm a fan of Aqua Shield.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Nobody, forever, I have always heard "Never saddle a dead horse." One day, I read that the engineering does not hold true and it does not matter which way the cable gets saddled. But any way, I would normally follow tradition.....except the cables on this boat are in the same orientation as when I got involved with this boat 15 years ago. I have to wonder just how old these steering cables are. The port side is saddled dead but I can see that is so the threads and nut are away from the quadrant so they don't chafe the quadrant. The starboard side cables are saddled live. Once in a great while, I can leave well enough alone. Live or dead, I will let a sleeping dog lie. Thanks for taking such a close look!

[@nobody46820]

@@RVLifeNOW Nice! I'm going to see if I can find some information on the "dead horse" orientation. I spent time in the offshore Oilfield and you got fired if you didn't put the cable clamps on that way. Glad everything is holding just fine!🙂👍🏻

[@UUBrahman]

Since you two have a background in renovating houses, please consider doing a video comparing the investment economics of flipping a house versus refitting a sailing yacht. I reckon a house project needs at least a 20% annualized return to be worthwhile (invest $1 increase value by $1.20), whereas a sailing yacht I reckon loses half of the total investment, labor and materials, in terms of realizable market value (invest $1 increase value half of $1) - which is why so many old sailing yachts are not worth fixing up, whereas old houses are more frequently worth fixing up. Thanks for another first rate video with exemplary editing and narration.

[@martyspargur5281]

If I may (obviously the question is directed at Patrick and Rebecca), but I have remodeled many boats (for my customers). I have heard from some people who have made money remodeling small, simple boats. But remodeling a larger (25'+) auxiliary, the best I have ever seen when the boat gets sold would be: For every dollar spent, you will get 20 cents back. That's the best I've seen; normally you Never see a dime of the money you spend, typically selling a 35' boat for what you spent originally, before the $50k remodel. I am not trying to be a smartass, this is reality. Thank You

[@RVLifeNOW]

Marty Spargur has very good information. There are large cruising boats that need so much work that even for one dollar, they are too expensive. As they say when flipping houses, you make your money when you buy the house. That is, the house has to be so discounted that you can turn around and sell it for a profit the next day. You don't hope to build equity, but you will most certainly add to the equity. We have seen cruising boats finish up a circumnavigation then the owners polish up and fix the boat, getting it ready to sell. Some of those boats went for incredibly cheap prices. Those were great deals to look for. In our case, we live on the boat and travel the world and fix it at our leisure in places where the upgrades are very cheap to do. This sort of living is far less expensive than living in a house, in the U.S., with all the overhead costs of mortgages, cars, insurance, taxes, etc., etc.. So we started with an inexpensive boat that was seaworthy and could carry us to far off places then did the required structural and cosmetic repairs as we traveled. Brick House is now in far better condition, structurally and cosmetically, than when we started out 12 years ago. The thing is, an owner can't just throw money at workers but has to get in and do most of the work himself and carry all the tools needed to complete that work.

[@sanfranciscobay]

How much would a new rudder cost delivered to your location? Was it a consideration to buy a new rudder?

[@RVLifeNOW]

I hear there is a company in Florida that makes rudders for many of the boat manufacturers. I never had reason to look into it. If I needed a new rudder, we would have made it right here in Richards Bay. It is not that hard to do.

[@tac13001]

What would you estimate the cost for a boat yard (near Mass.) to do this same project? Thank you for your insight and amazing videos as usual.

[@RVLifeNOW]

It would be so much, that for my bank account, I wouldn't think of doing it anywhere in the U.S.. Even in Trinidad, in the Caribbean, labor rates are about $40 an hour, which becomes too expensive. Cartagena, Colombia is a good option. There is a reason so much manufacturing is not done in the U.S..

[@tarwood1]

However, while Cartagena is lovely, (our family visited there last summer) I have been in steam showers that were cooler than Cartagena ;)

[@WaterTrails]

I'll have to do this, thanks for showing the way. BTW, where's Mopelia Atoll ? not listed in google maps.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Google the name. There is some good information on the small atoll. Sometimes it is called Maupihaa. When we were there, there were only 4 people living on the atoll but now I hear there is no one. Typhoons have been very destructive to anyone living there. And such is the advantages of living on a sailboat to be able to go where there are no cruise ship docks or airports.

[@WaterTrails]

@@RVLifeNOW I've heard of that place, how in the world did you get your boat on the hard there? They had a crane with a sling?

[@RVLifeNOW]

No we didn’t take our boat out there...we just gathered wood for the sailboat in distress without the rudder 300 miles west of that atoll. -Rebecca

[@johnking5691]

Interesting.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks.

[@stonetoolcompany3649]

There is a product called "coremat" which would reduce the number of layers significantly, as well as weight and amount of epoxy needed... here is the product description: Core Mat is a low density non-woven laminate bulker containing micro balloons. Use to save weight, stiffen and thicken laminates. Dimensionally stable, excellent wet out, and conformability. Improves impact strength and reduces print through other reinforcements. Core Mat is available in numerous styles, thicknesses and widths.

[@RVLifeNOW]

STC, thanks. Core Mat looks like it would have been very useful in this application.

[@martinrodgers6114]

Wow. That is a slender rudder post. Seems as though the tube is slight for the forces it has to take. Am I wrong?

[@RVLifeNOW]

The rudder shaft is 1 3/4" (45mm) of solid stainless steel. Beefy enough especially since it is supported on the bottom end with a bronze shoe bolted to the skeg.

[@martinrodgers6114]

Thanks Patrick. Did not realise it was solid...Mine was tubular but about 2 1/4 inches, so I looked at that and thought it slender. Nice job you did , by the way!! Love your videos.

[@saltysnoopy]

Great lay-up. Always amazes me the crap people do and post

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thank you Lowell. We do try to put up videos that have useful information, rather than entertainment.

[@charliepank528]

It's just a straight-weld holding the plate onto the shaft? The shaft parted from the plate between Tonga and Fiji: flic.kr/p/5Jx8FC We rebuilt the rudder in Fiji and added these gussets: flic.kr/p/5JsQxe to avoid anything like that ever happening again.

[@RVLifeNOW]

What an incredible rusty mess! That is exactly what I expected to see in our rudder. I did not test our spline with a magnet but I suspect it was a low grade stainless steel to have been so minimally affected by moisture for so many years. Your gussets are a very good idea. Thanks for this information.

[@CaptMarkSVAlcina]

Ok here I am in Australia about to be lockdown. Why don’t you just fill the rudder with all fibreglass ?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Capt Chef Mark SV Alcina Well no matter how boring this video is about prevention of a rudder failure....you have time to watch it over and over again! Thanks for watching it...and so soon! Do you have an old sailboat with hence a suspect rudder? -Rebecca

[@CaptMarkSVAlcina]

Patrick Childress Sailing , I sold my yacht about 6 weeks ago. I am looking at buying a small tall ship, ( about 60/70 feet )why you may ask, because I used to be on one as first officer for some nine years and it was the best time in my life. I use to have some little things wrong with my rudder but nothing like your. So why didn’t you fill the rudder with all fibreglass in side it ? Also I never said it was boring, I am liking watching you do this. Would you buy another Yacht of the same maker .

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hi...I’m not really qualified to answer that for Patrick who is outside working on the latest boat project...but I believe it’s that pure fiberglass would make it too heavy,, and hence pull down on the internal bearings from above etc. But I asked Patrick to edit this comment later if it’s wrong. Always good to be messing about old boats hah? Out with one, and in with another...good for you ;) -Rebecca

[@marceld6061]

@@RVLifeNOW I think you are right Rebecca, there is a fine balance of strength and buoyancy required.

[@csingstad]

Your new weld looks like a cold weld. In other words your new weld does not appear to penetrate adequately into the rudder shaft which is quite a bit thicker than the steel plate and requires more heat.

[@RVLifeNOW]

I hope you are wrong since I will be taking this boat across the Atlantic without Patrick. -Rebecca

[@malachy1847]

@@RVLifeNOW Your skeg will dilute a lot of that force coming onto the rudder, so i'm sure your sorted... your fibreglass upgrade to the rudder was a serious Belt and Braces affair Great Work ...many rudders on boats were lost because they were just badly designed 'Spade' Rudders and when constructed years ago , little regard was given to fastening the internal fibreglass elements onto all too those all too small metal fabricated plates which had been attached to the Rudder shaft, worked in a boatyard in my youth and saw how same were put together, many rudder moulds being slapped around the shafts and were then just filled with closed cell foam inside ...[remember an Old School Boatbuilder in the yard railing against same, it was all about lightness and keeping the weight down, as these were Half Ton Cruising/Racers sloops just for Coastal cruising and seasonal Club Racing... thinking the Fastnet Race many bigger boats lost their Spade rudders and thereby control before the were swamped.

[@gunnarhaldorsen4185]

I thought about the same thing. I've been watching welding videos for a while, and do a little bit of welding, and to me it also looked like the new weld had not melted into the shaft. Hopefully there are more steel plates further up to turn the rudder board/plate. And with good balance in the sails, it doesn't take much to steer the boat... Really cool video, though. Thanks, Patrick and Rebecca! (I skippered an old 60-footer from New Zealand to Cyprus some 25 years ago; great adventure but loads of maintenance work)

[@61spindrift]

@@RVLifeNOW Rebecca I also thought the welds could have been better. I do a small amount of welding myself but, not a true professional. However, you and I (and now Michael) have nothing to worry about because it was inspected by your late husband (RIP). I would trust ANY repair that Patrick was involved with. Patrick was a "one of a kind" and had great talents. BTW, wife and I 30 yrs ago sailed a good portion around the world in our 33ft sloop. We spent a little over 3yrs and had a wonderful time. 30 yrs later I still spend a lot of time watching these types of video's as they bring back fond memories.

[@joannadee3]

Why the styrene balls as epoxy thickener? Couldn’t you use just silica?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Foam is in the rudder because it is strong but also buoyant. If the rudder could be neutral, or near to it, buoyant, that would be best. The mix I made with the styrene balls was surprisingly strong, yet buoyant. To thicken up epoxy resin with silica, to fill that void, would take a tremendous amount of resin and silica. That amount would create a lot of heat and start everything smoking and crackling....not a good thing to happen. That thick mix of styrene went in without any heat build up worries. I wish you could have asked this question before I made the video and I would have explained it in the vid. You ask a very good question. Anyway, all that 1708 really added greatly to an already strong situation. I think the rudder is better now than when new.

[@984francis]

Volume.

[@spymaine89]

interesting , would be interested in seeing photo of past rudder structure failure . with the bronze post intact , cant imagine that failure being a problem. . a post and alum, rudder on board for emergency rudder would work fine , and should be on board. failures most likely in rudder linkage, sailors should be familiar and ready for such. ......... another good reason for outboard motor and smaller cruising sailboat . , each to his own.

[@RVLifeNOW]

On spade rudders, the stainless steel shaft broke, like with the boat Avatar. Another yachts composite rudder broke, for no good reason. Monitor self steering vanes make an emergency rudder that can take the place of the regular steering pendulum. Thanks for your comment.

[@spymaine89]

@@RVLifeNOW this would be my guess any material failure. flexing. ............. calculate the time history of flexural moment of the rudder stock structural component. By knowing this flexural moment, the time history of flexural stress also can be found. This flexural stress time history can then applied to Palmgren - Miner formula to predict the life of the rudder stock, based on SN-Curve of the ST41. From this study it is found that the life of the rudder stock is 1.8 years. www.researchgate.net/publication/316018069_A_Prediction_Method_of_Fatigue_Life_at_The_Rudder_Stock. all interesting , your preemptive, a good move.

[@paulnickles9584]

yes

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yea

[@aluminiumsloep]

Doesnt hurt to carry a spare transom rudder from an old catamaran....

[@RVLifeNOW]

Rudder failure plan b. I like it

[@brucevov1]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks

[@clayfarnet970]

👍👍👍

[@stephenkillick5812]

Whrre currently are you?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hi Stephen...well....our nice new rudder, and everything else Patrick did to the boat, got us no problem to Hout Bay, just south of Cape Town where we will stay for a while. They aren’t giving clearances, and few ports are open on the other side anyways...so we are simply enjoying where we are ;) Hout Bay Yaxht Club is very welcoming and a nice place to do more boat work while we stay somewhat self quarantined to the boat. How are you doing over there in Sunny Richards Bay? -Rebecca

[@stephenkillick5812]

That is a stunningly beautiful part of the country - enjoy! Being retired, I have a kind of imposed self isolation in Mtunzini. I walk my dog twice a day across the street, but have worked out how I can get into and out of the flats without actually touching anything except my door handle and being on the first floor )we number our floors ground floor (your First Floor) then ascend to the first floor - your second floor). I am doing well, since I have minimal contact outside my home, being retired on ill health pension after I was run down in 1992. The local store has arranged that residents can order food etc on line so I need never even go out, except to go to Church. My Branch is in Port Durnford, a small settlement on the Richards Bay side of Mtunzini. The church leaders have had to cancel Church attendance for the near future in order to combat spread of the virus. One thing that I say about Cape Town is that the water around the city is a stunning blue because it is freshly melted from the Antarctic. I have driven to Cape Point not far from the city and on the east side is the warm Indian Ocean (that I can see from my home) and on the West is the Atlantic ocean with currents up fresh from the Antarctic. I see that China seems to have a handle on virus infections and hopefully that is a good sign for the future. Keep well, Steve Killick

[@stephenkillick5812]

It is my impression that under hull growth will slow in Cold Water. I do not swim in Cape Town seas because they are too cold, so I have an idea that underside growth is slower in Cold Water.

[@stephenkillick5812]

How is the government total lockdown as of Thursday midnight for 21 days going to affect you. I think that I will be OK - maybe a bit thinner (no walking and make the food last 21 days), but be that as it may! It seems that all ports will be closed for 21 days and there will be no flights in, out or around S.A.. My ex was planning on leaving for Canada on Wednesday. As far as I am concerned, if she is on the same continent as me, she is too close!

[@markbrecht9551]

Who notices the guys face in the bottom left of the repair in the 17 minute area after the peel coat.

[@RVLifeNOW]

Not sure what you see...that’s the guy on the boat at the end with the makeshift rudder? -@Rebecca

[@todmills]

17 minutes is out on the water with the other boat?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Mark, in relativity, the boat owner looked very happy in that picture compared to the down trodden voice which came up on the SSB radio schedule as they worked their way, day after day, week after week, towards American Samoa! They were very safe on their boat but moving at 2 knots can be a real downer!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes...they were happy to see us...little did they know they had such a long ordeal to go when their makeshift rudder or rudders failed repeatedly and they finally just had to drift another 1000 miles or so! Many people would have abandoned their boats...but not them! -Rebecca

[@dirttdude]

people are always so uptight about their rudders

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yeah… why not?

[@dirttdude]

@@RVLifeNOW I don't know what's up with that forsure, i mean i know its nice for everything to work properly but you can always call AAA or something

[@alanabrams8017]

You've been watching Mads in the evenings when you can't work, haven't you?

[@RVLifeNOW]

And what makes you say that...about a rudder repair video like this? 😝 Actually we both watch Mads on Sail Life...he provides some great information! -Rebecca

[@alanabrams8017]

Andy (Boatworks today) is also good to watch. Travel safely!

[@RVLifeNOW]

Alan, I watch a lot of Mads on Sail Life, and Andy on BoatWorks Today. I now feel so bad for Mads on Sail Life going through all that work of making a rudder mold and The whole shebang when his old rudder turned out to be not so bad, and as I see it, fixable.

[@99999janice]

RIP

[@RVLifeNOW]

Yes

[@darrylmcleman6456]

Great Stuff. Not a fun job !

[@RVLifeNOW]

No, it was not fun but necessary. I am happy it is over with and we can get on to sailing again......as soon as we complete a few more projects. Thanks for you comment.

[@erichaskell]

A wise sailor keeps a weather eye.

[@RVLifeNOW]

You bet. Always good to hear from you, Eric.

[@erichaskell]

Patrick Childress Sailing Would love to be in your place but life has led me in another direction. By the way my parents owned an old, rotten Lightning which we sailed and kept at the Coconut Grove Yacht Club in the mid sixties. Your old stomping grounds. Then the hippies took over followed by gentrification.

[@erichaskell]

Patrick Childress Sailing Would love to be in your shoes but I went in a different direction. By the way my parents owned an old, rotten wooden Lightning which we kept and sailed from Coconut Grove. Your old stomping grounds.

[@RVLifeNOW]

@@erichaskell 12 years ago, after sailing down the coast from Rhode Island to Miami, we stayed on a mooring at CGYC. I left on my first circumnavigation from behind the round house which is on the other side of the canal from the exercise park just north of CGYC. I was very surprised to see the Coconut Grove auditorium abandoned. There were always boat shows there and the Doors played there, well they showed up for the concert then escaped to the Bahamas. The Marine Stadium, on Rickenbacker Causeway also looked deserted. A lot of changes and now rush hour traffic all day. At least I have good memories of the place. Always good to hear from you Eric.

[@erichaskell]

Patrick Childress Sailing Used to love going to the power boat races across from the aquarium. . I think it’s a marina now. My parents and I lived on Key Biscayne in a track home as were most of the homes in the central part of the residential area. Not too long after we moved to Venice Florida all these track homes got bought, demolished and bigger, fancier homes were built on the tiny lots. Miss the Lightning, the races, old friends but not much else. My wife and I considered doing what you’re doing but at 71 thought it might be a little late. I follow your Utube videos, think you’ve got a good thing, hope you can keep it going for many more years

[@jankareaustinat310]

vanskelig a skrive engelsk da sjø håper det går bra med hu æ

[@RVLifeNOW]

Thanks

[@sucapizda]

Never ever buy anything with a spade rudder. Skag all the way.

[@sucapizda]

Patrick Childress Sailing I was referring to that red boat at the end of your vid.

[@RVLifeNOW]

@@sucapizda I know. I deleted Rebecca's comment as she got side tracked. I sailed a 27 foot boat around the world that had a spade rudder, but before leaving Miami, I installed a new rudder. All the boats I know of that have lost their rudder, were spade rudders. I don't think the slight increase in speed is worth the risk of having a spade rudder for long distance cruising. Skeg hung if far stronger.

[@sucapizda]

Patrick Childress Sailing Not to mention when you hit something with a spade, it also destroys your hull as the top of the rudder pierces hull as it is bent back. Uuuggg, what a awful thought.

[@adalsteinnloftsson1783]

Who made this crap iclandic translation?

[@RVLifeNOW]

Sorry… Google translated it

[@AndreasEUR]

👍👍👍

[@RVLifeNOW]

Hey Andreas! Thanks for becoming a Patreon! We don’t even tell anyone we have that...Patrick still feels a little funny about it, so we have it but don’t do ANYTHING to promote it..just a link for those who like Patreon. But you found it ; We appreciate your support! -Rebecca

[@AndreasEUR]

@@RVLifeNOW patreon over any other.. insane there was a monthly thing on the tip jar page, but it just seemed like "oh no, another site to out cc details into" Why does he feel funny about patreon? A lot of KZbinrs use it, but some advertise it way too much ..

[@RVLifeNOW]

Andreas That makes sense....keep one credit card in one place. I am not sure. He feels like asking for a “tip” is much different than Patreon for some reason. Like Patreon is asking for monthly support..whereas a tip is just what you would leave for a musician after a song you really liked. Less obligation etc. He associates it with the “kids” that I suppose really do live off the Patreon bits...he feels as older cruisers that there is something just a little too something about it. He doesn’t mind the single solitary link to it, in case it’s a better way for someone to pay that uses Patreon a lot anyways...but he doesn’t want to ask people to do it. It ooo me over a year to even get him to let me mention the “tip jar”. -Rebecca