Rudder stock failure on JSO45

[markevans]

I stumbled across this video SY Hilma Rudder Failure and I'm alarmed that this happened on a relatively modern (2006) boat.

The video is good because it shows their various jury rigs and how they handled the crisis. It also highlights a potential issue for many of us with similar rudders.

At 53 mins they show you the underside of the boat where the rudder stock sheared just below the hull.

Having previously removed our rudder and split it to check, I found it to be in excellent condition with no water ingress or corrosion. I'm just wondering if there are any further checks I could make to the stock before refitting?

[jcnyb]

I've talked to the guys involved in this, they came to us for new rudder plans just before Christmas which the factory provided shortly after - they've since ordered a new rudder from the builder which will be delivered to them asap (no mean feat given that they are in the Marshall islands so its not straightforward to get even small gear out there, let alone a full rudder! one of the benefits of being with a bigger builder that's still in business of course ).

The rudder they have is also used on;

Sun Odyssey 45
Sun Odyssey 43
Sun Odyssey 40.3
Sun Odyssey 43DS
Sun Odyssey 42DS
Sun Odyssey 44i

I think also used on a number of Beneteaus as well from the same era.

As there is not much record of regular systemic failures of rudders amongst these boats it suggests the design is probably sound and safe to my thoughts. There will always be unexplained incidents of apparently spontaneous failure from time to time but its always very had to find out what has happened in the past to any given rudder to really draw any meaningful conclusions.

I think the SO 45 alone had a production run of around about 300 boats, so if you extrapolate similar sales figures out to the other models as well it probably means theres something like 1800 of those rudders in service on Jeanneau yachts alone, plus the Beneteau's using them, which means if there was a major fault with the design, or if it was under spec'd for the boat it would've happened on a more regular basis.

So for me, if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the need to make any retrospective improvements or amendments to the design, just your usual (already thorough from the sounds of it) inspections and double up on them if you know the rudder has impacted something.

On a side note they are really nice guys, its an interesting channel and I'd suggest worth a watch.

[markevans]

Excellent information. Thanks very much.

[jcnyb]

No worries - sorry I realised after posting I didn't exactly give a real answer to your question!!

[markevans]

Response from the owners.

Thanks for your mail. First of all, you should not worry about your rudder. Our rudder was damaged by leakage DC current from the compass, which created corrosion in the rudder shaft. we found out after a lot of troubleshooting on board. We were unlucky in that way. We have now removed all power cables that are at risk of being damaged and that can get in contact with the steering and in the long run the rudder itself.