Rudder slipped off - Any ideas for retrieval

[joshuapeacock]

Hi. Am looking for some reassurance here. Or perhaps some home truths. I am moored up on Itchenor reach in Chichester Harbour in 2.8m of water LAT. After taking my old 20 ft Blackwater sloop out in some firm weather I returned to my mooring. I left her for a few weeks and on my return found that the rudder had slipped off the metal shaft that held it. Upon inspection the lower pin had obviously worked loose and upon working free of the hull had slipped off under the weight of the rudder. It is only a wonder that this did not happen under sail, instead slipping off at the mooring.

The question is, can I retrieve the rudder from the area directly beneath the transom, or will the strong currents at Chichester have taken the rudder off down channel? The rudder is a good size, over a metre in length and sturdy.

What I am planning to do is to take the echo sounder out (not yet installed in the boat), to scan the area. I am hoping that I might get some clues from this. If not, I have a plum line that I can drop at low tide to hopefully contact with something solid, and again at low water follow the line by hand to secure the rudder and lift back to the surface.
I have not yet used the echo sounder or had it working, but it does have a fish finder, so I am hoping that it can source the rudder.

Cheers
Josh

 

[Peterduck]

Your echo sounder sounds as though it is the graphic display kind, rather than a numeric display. That might just give you a clue, which a numeric display would be difficult to detect. The plumb line would lso be useful, as it would feel different when landing on something solid rather than the surrounding mud. As it has sunk, it is likely to have sunk straight away, rather than drifting off down current. I assume that you have strolled along the beaches down current from your mooring to check that it hasn't been washed up there?
Peter.

 

[sailorman]

grappling iron ( with trip line ) towed astern the dinghy
good luck

 

[davierobb]

wait for low tide then don the snorkle and mask. Good luck.

 

[hannahman]

I'd have thought it would've more likely floated away rather than sunk, but I suppose it depends on the proportion of weight in the metal fittings to the natural buoyancy of the timber (assuming it is timber of course).

Doug

 

[Peterduck]

It depends on what timber the rudder is made of, Doug. The rudder on my 'Swallow' is 2" thick Jarrah, nice and wet. When I did have to take it off and replace it, it took 3 men to pick it up. There is no way that this rudder will float!
Peter.

 

[stephenmartin]

Whats the sea bed like....muddy sandy or rocks.....how deep is the water....

I live aboard in Portsmouth....and I'm an Advanced Diver....might be able to help you out....if you have no luck with the other methods.....could float it with empty (25 ltr) barrels

 

[pauls_SPT]

Is there a local scuba club you could ask to help?

A chap from a scuba club near me was quite happy to settle an argument for me over whether my boat had a skeg or not (I knew it didn't - a chap with a crane insisted it did)...


Paul

 

[hannahman]

Yes, I thought that may be the case, Peter, it's just that I know timber can seem sometimes deceptively heavy 'til it goes in the oggin.
At least if it's on the seabed, as seems to be the case, there should be a chance of recovery, especially with the offers of diving to locate it.
Wouldn't want to think of the cost and or hassle of making a new one up!

Doug

 

[savageseadog]

a waterproof cctv camera

 

[cliffordpope]

It's not how heavy something feels that determines whether it will float or not - it's its density.
If the rudder were going to float, surely it would have been buoyant when in position - how could it have slipped downwards off its post?

 

[hannahman]

[ QUOTE ]
It's not how heavy something feels that determines whether it will float or not - it's its density.
If the rudder were going to float, surely it would have been buoyant when in position - how could it have slipped downwards off its post?

[/ QUOTE ]

Appreciated.
With regard to whether it slipped downwards off its post, it happened to someone I knew a few years back. He'd lost his rudder, and it was found on the nearby foreshore. In that instance we came to the conclusion something or someone had collided with it, which caused it to ride up and off its pintle. There was some damage on the rudder which also pointed to a collision. I don't know the exact set-up, of course, here, other than the fact it is likely to be on the seabed.
Fingers crossed its gonna be recovered easily.

Doug

 

[oldharry]

The rudder on my 26 foot Eventide - made of solid Iroko wth several hefty metal fittings on it - floats. I now have a locking ring on one of the pintles to stop it riding up when she settles in the mud.

Fortunately I had tiller lines rigged to stop it banging around on the mooring, so it stayed neatly moored alongside.

If your rudder was timber it will almost certainly have dropped then floated free. Speak to Richard Craven at the Harbour Office and ask him to get the Patrols to keep an eye open for it.

 

[capt_birdseye]

Depending on the clarity of the water where you are, and if it is relatively clear at times, buy a cheap surveylance camera from Maplins Extend the cable and wiring using ordinary mains 3 core cable. A piece of heavy duty plastic pipe, a plastic cable gland that fits the mains 3 core cable plus a blanking plate for one end of the HD Plastic tube, and a piece of 3/16" or 1/4" glass plate at the other end. Seal it up with silicone sealant, add a bit of weight to it and drop it over the side. Watch it all on a portable TV with AV sockets and you will see it if it is there. I use such a set-up on the West Coast of Scotland for looking at the bottom which was in a depth of 80' around Oban and Mull. The camera I use has IR sensors ( No need for lights etc., which mean more cable and power. )
The same set-up can then be used for looking at the hull to see what weed etc., you have. Good Luck ! BWM.

 

[oldharry]

Was in the chandlery at Peters CYB the other day, and noticed they will hire you an underwater camera set for £25 a day.