Water Rising Or Boat Sinking

Yes. It's not a solution I like, but it is obviously the best scheme. I suppose that unshipping the rudder is actually hardly any more difficult than making it off with a rope.
Unlike Vic who travels 80 miles and has a day's (or more) sail, I nip out for as little as an hour. So it's more of a chore.
 
climbing rope will lose it's shock absorbancy after the first shock it gets. That's what it's designed for, and once it's been used in a fall will have no give, which is why climbers have to use new after a fall onto a rope.
 
High Phil. I am glad you saw the problem before it all sank.
Funny I had the same problem last season but in this case mid race. The steering got very sloppy with just one bolt left in bottom pintle. We managed to get another bolt in and tighten the remaining one enough to finish the race. Had to forgo one spin leg.
Anyway fix involved a big patch of carbon fibre on the outside to spread the loads and very big SS backing plates on the inside plus additional screws through the pintle I think in the end. The original backing plate had been aluminium which went to white powder over 25 years. Thus enabled the bolts to go loose and start to fatigue until they snapped off. I have quite a deep rudder which exacerbates the load problem.
I don't know to what degree the loads on the rudder while moored compare with the loads when sailing.
I think it is essential to have every thing tight with no movement when left on the mooring.

As for difficulty fitting yes I imagine it is a b....like mine. You might consider backing plate of SS with holes tapped to suit the bolts. You can tighten the screws /bolts very tight compressing the hull. Then if yoiu want you can add lock nuts onto the end of the thread.

good luck olewill
 
use nylocks nuts and washers, there is an existing backing plate already
if you can't reach both sides at once:
hold a bolt through the hole from the inside with a molegrip - they lock
then fit the rudder fitting and normal nut on the outside, this temporarily secures the fitting
remove mole grip, tie on a bit of string, clamp on head of bolt, put bolt through next hole from outside, fit nylock on inside, the first bit of thread is easy
clamp molegrip on inside on nylock nut and tighten bolt from outside
keep going . . . .
 
Re: Cool Hand Lakesailor

I wouldn't want to faint through lack of nourishment halfway through my arduous recovery operation. Anyway I can always chug across to the museum jetty and "rest" the keel on the bottom. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Cool Hand Lakesailor

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway I can always chug across to the museum jetty and "rest" the keel on the bottom. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I like that, the next time I run aground (there surely will be a next time) I can say "I am just resting the keel, so go away and stop taking photos of my poor stricken soul!" /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Your boat looks remarkably like a Hunter Europa that exactly the same thing happened to when she was on a swinging (drying) mooring in Beaumaris. Our difference was that as she dried out something caused her stern to bang down on the rudder and shear off the bolts fixing the pintle to the hull. The strange thing was that the spring clip that went through the pintle was still in place, undamaged.

I managed to get a second hand pintle for a Squib (same hull) and fixed it using nyloc nuts and plenty of silicon. Never any trouble after that.

It could have been worse. Around the same time a Westerly 33 sunk after having its keel knocked off as it dried out. Strange to see two masts (ketch) sticking up out of the water on your way to work.
 
From your picture the boat looks remarkably like a Hunter Europa that exactly the same thing happened to when she was on a swinging (drying) mooring at Beaumaris.

I looked from our lounge and saw that she was at a funny angle and when wading out to her found the bottom pintle bolts had actually broken off leaving the holes for water to access the hull and partially flood it. Fortunately the tide was going out. I sealed her with two bolts and a plastic bag wrapped round them and tightened up just to seal her and prevent more getting in. Strangely the clip that went through the other pintle had held otherwise the rudder may have floated off.

I managed to get a second hand pintle for a Squib (same hull) and fitted it using plenty of silicon and nyloc nuts, no problems after that.

It could have been worse, a Westerly 33 not far away had one of her bilge keels knocked off when just drying and sunk as a section of the hull parted along with the keel - insurance company insisted on a repair but it was sold shortly after repair completed.
 
Yes - not that rare an occurance on pintles held with set screws and subject to frequent sideways forces. A hexagon head would be a better solution and would allow you to tighten it much more than a screwdriver can. You were very lucky that the last surviving bolt didn't damge the transom or rudder when it was taking all the load.
Glad you saw it in time !
Ken
 
You've obviously not seen any of my previous posts. The blue boat is a Europa, but my boat is the grey Foxcub ahead of it. The Europa also has a pintle missing, but has been in that state for a year now. It has the holes bunged up.
The Foxcub has a standard Barton transom pintle (part Number 42400) so replacing it is not a problem. They come with countersunk holes in the nylon moulding and I wouldn't fancy fitting a hexagon head in them as it could create a weak point by applyinf pressure to the moulding in a way it was not designed for. The new setcrews have Philips lots so I can use a large Philips bit in a ratchet handle to ensure good tension.
I have now sourced some nyloc SS nuts and will be locking them on top of some plain ones to create a Nyloc secured locknut. (belt and braces)
I have a lanyard from my rudder to a stern cleat to avoid unintended losses.
 
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