Corsair/Farrier Anarchy

[REW]

Here's a good guide from Bruce Schwab's web sight:

https://oceanplanetenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/86/2013/09/SOLAR-ELECTRICAL-INSTALLATION.pdf

I Installed Solbian panels on an ORMA 60 several years ago in parallel with a separate charge controller for each panel.

 

[deminimis]

Thank you. I'm really hoping to find a true comparison (measured) of the two options. I can't find one, but certainly some college or mad scientist has done this experiment.

Perhaps this is all academic. I ordered a replacement controller for a new controller that's being weird (two panels with two controllers). They accidentally sent one with more than double the cap of what I ordered (they sell for more than twice as much too). I have the option to keep it or send it back. Kinda makes sense to keep it, so it got me thinking...

I'll stick with two controllers in the boat and use this super duper controller in our camper I suppose, where daisy chaining the three extra panels I have is perfectly fine. Thanks.

 

[REW]

Did the exact same as you on a 27 year old Airstream that I renovated. Bight panels and a single controller through Renogy. Seem to be working very well.

 

[deminimis]

"Put my boat in the water, F____er". She's got the sailing jones bad.

Sadly, a few things came up, so we have to wait until next week to launch.

 

[deminimis]

There's that dude on YouTube with some good Corsair/Farrier ideas. One idea I really like is the use of wooden dowels for rudder pins. I have stuck it several times (sand bars) and our alumn pin (rung so it snaps) has never sheared. Bent to hell, but not releasing the rudder. So I made up a batch of 3/8 dowels and beveled one end. Yea, I over did it a bit, but whatevs. We shall see. If it doesn't work I'm out all of $3.

 

[SailingTips.Ca]

Some sporty conditions on Unleaded (F-82R) in Swiftsure just before we broke our rudder…

 

[Russell Brown]

Please tell us about it...

 

[SailingTips.Ca]

Please tell us about it...

I’ll do a longer video once I gather my wits (and clean out my drawers) but in the meantime…

Started Swiftsure 2023 under spinnaker in a light South-Easter with winds expected to shift and build from the West to gale force in the evening, which they did, with 10 minute averages from Race Rocks shown below, gusts ~10 knots higher.

We rounded the upwind mark at Clallum Bay under jib and double-reefed main at around 15:20. It was a bit lumpy getting out there but the boat was handling it fine.

The breeze and sea state was building so we decided to keep the jib and double-reefed main while we got a feel for the conditions and were still making good progress, thinking we might even be home for dinner. The short clip above was at this time and here’s a wider angle screen shot.

But then @andykane who was steering said there was something wrong with the rudder, that it was bending. A few seconds later the blade snapped off and we saw it floating away behind us.

We immediately took down all sails, and noted that we were still being blown somewhat in the right direction to get home, which was encouraging.

We had previously broken our rudder cassette near Race Rocks in another race and @andykane had hand-steered us home with a canoe paddle we keep on board so he suggested we do the same here, only we were much further from home.

But after that previous incident I had fortuitously pre-drilled a couple of holes into the canoe paddle and reinforced the blade with glass and epoxy so it could mount into the cassette using the standard kick-up bolt and shear pin.

This time the head of our rudder had delaminated inside the cassette, which caused the carbon skins on either side to shear up and down in opposite directions, and the flexing caused the breakage, so what was left of the head was jammed in the cassette. Here’s what’s left of it.

Thankfully @andykane was able to pry it out of the cassette with a spark plug tool and install the canoe paddle. So we raised the jib and prayed that the canoe paddle would hold up until we could at least get closer to home.

With the much smaller blade surface the boat was still getting pushed around by the waves, so our course to steer was +/- 20 metres to either side, so we quickly ruled out any tricky harbour entrances like Sooke or Becher Bay and decided the safest option was to head for Victoria Harbour which was familiar, and just happened to also be the race finish.

So when the safety requirements say “A proven method of steering the boat with the rudder disabled” I think we have a solid “yes”!!!

 

[Wess]

I’ll do a longer video once I gather my wits (and clean out my drawers) but in the meantime…

Started Swiftsure 2023 under spinnaker in a light South-Easter with winds expected to shift and build from the West to gale force in the evening, which they did, with 10 minute averages from Race Rocks shown below, gusts ~10 knots higher.

View attachment 594345

We rounded the upwind mark at Clallum Bay under jib and double-reefed main at around 15:20. It was a bit lumpy getting out there but the boat was handling it fine.

The breeze and sea state was building so we decided to keep the jib and double-reefed main while we got a feel for the conditions and were still making good progress, thinking we might even be home for dinner. The short clip above was at this time and here’s a wider angle screen shot.

View attachment 594349

But then @andykane who was steering said there was something wrong with the rudder, that it was bending. A few seconds later the blade snapped off and we saw it floating away behind us.

We immediately took down all sails, and noted that we were still being blown somewhat in the right direction to get home, which was encouraging.

We had previously broken our rudder cassette near Race Rocks in another race and @andykane had hand-steered us home with a canoe paddle we keep on board so he suggested we do the same here, only we were much further from home.

But after that previous incident I had fortuitously pre-drilled a couple of holes into the canoe paddle and reinforced the blade with glass and epoxy so it could mount into the cassette using the standard kick-up bolt and shear pin.

This time the head of our rudder had delaminated inside the cassette, which caused the carbon skins on either side to shear up and down in opposite directions, and the flexing caused the breakage, so what was left of the head was jammed in the cassette. Here’s what’s left of it.

View attachment 594353

Thankfully @andykane was able to pry it out of the cassette with a spark plug tool and install the canoe paddle. So we raised the jib and prayed that the canoe paddle would hold up until we could at least get closer to home.

View attachment 594354

With the much smaller blade surface the boat was still getting pushed around by the waves, so our course to steer was +/- 20 metres to either side, so we quickly ruled out any tricky harbour entrances like Sooke or Becher Bay and decided the safest option was to head for Victoria Harbour which was familiar, and just happened to also be the race finish.

View attachment 594355

So when the safety requirements say “A proven method of steering the boat with the rudder disabled” I think we have a solid “yes”!!!

Tip my cap to you and your crew Sir. Nicely done!

 

[boardhead]

Looks like 0/90 carbon bi-ax layup on a component that needs way more 0 than 90! Then the core and or the core/laminate bond comes into question which a shear web would better address.
If you would like to share the blade design I could take a look at it and help advise plan B.

 

[Russell Brown]

That's a very long way to steer with a canoe paddle. What was Race Rocks like when you got there?

 

[SailingTips.Ca]

Looks like 0/90 carbon bi-ax layup on a component that needs way more 0 than 90! Then the core and or the core/laminate bond comes into question which a shear web would better address.
If you would like to share the blade design I could take a look at it and help advise plan B.

Thanks so much - we’ve been contemplating next steps so appreciate any advice!

The broken rudder was built on a balsa core machined by CCI/Phil’s Foils and finished by the original owner/builder. It had some damage when we bought the boat that may have compromised the core and contributed to the shear failure. Given that I really lIke your idea of some kind of shear web.

I’m kicking myself for not having taken a mold of it before we broke it and lost the blade at sea because it performed very well, but here’s the best photo I could find.

And here’s a close-up of the cassette when we sheared the lower gudgeon before re-designing it.

This gudgeon design is much stronger.

I like how the kick-up design extends forward beneath the pivot for more balance, however it would also seem straightforward to convert the cassette to support a daggerboard-style rudder.

We have some composite skills, epoxy, carbon fibre, and a vacuum pump, but no readily available shape, with the possible exception of an F-85SR with a daggerboard-style rudder about 50km away to plagiarize.

So given that we don’t have a mold of the last rudder any suggestions on next steps would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SailingTips.Ca]

That's a very long way to steer with a canoe paddle. What was Race Rocks like when you got there?

Yes it couldn’t have been much further in this race - at least 30 NM!!!

According to the lighthouse report Race Rocks was blowing a constant 33 knots (10 minute average) when we got there.

There was an ebb and wind against tide for most of the day, but thankfully the it was turning to a flood when we got there so the seas weren’t as bad as they could have been.

Given our marginal steering ability we took a wide berth around the outside to provide more sea room.

 

[Russell Brown]

Yes it couldn’t have been much further in this race - at least 30 NM!!!

According to the lighthouse report Race Rocks was blowing a constant 33 knots (10 minute average) when we got there.

There was an ebb and wind against tide for most of the day, but thankfully the it was turning to a flood when we got there so the seas weren’t as bad as they could have been.

Given our marginal steering ability we took a wide berth around the outside to provide more sea room.

Sounds like some good seamanship to me.
I can recommend Turn Point design (if he has time) here in Port Townsend for machining cores for a new rudder.

 

[eastern motors]

What's the easiest way to remove an F27 engine from the boat? Looks like it will fit through the well. Maybe a floor jack?

 

[Wess]

What's the easiest way to remove an F27 engine from the boat? Looks like it will fit through the well. Maybe a floor jack?

Huh? Lost me here. Its an outboard no? I always just reached down and picked it up manually through the well cover and carried it off (or on) the boat? Unless you have something odd why not just pick it up?

 

[Mizzmo]

Yep you can lift it out from behind the traveler. You can use the mainsheet as a block and tackle to help with the awkward part of the lift

 

[eastern motors]

It's on a trailer. Fixed without having to take it off.

 

[J_Grove]

FWIW for future reference, you can also lower it out of the engine well when it's on the trailer. That's the only way I've ever done it. It's a bit awkward to do alone, but manageable. But I have a 50 lb two stroke that has much smaller cowling that the newer heavier four strokes.

 

[SailingTips.Ca]

The broken rudder was built on a balsa core machined by CCI/Phil’s Foils and finished by the original owner/builder. It had some damage when we bought the boat that may have compromised the core and contributed to the shear failure. Given that I really lIke your idea of some kind of shear web.

I’m kicking myself for not having taken a mold of it before we broke it and lost the blade at sea because it performed very well, but here’s the best photo I could find.

View attachment 594456

Great news - Phil from CCI / Phil's Foils has located the design of the core they milled which was finished by the original owner/builder and it's an M&M F-31R design modified with a shorter head to fit into our cassette.

For some reason the recommended shear matrix doesn't appear to be in the broken rudder, but it certainly will be in the new one!!!

I would also happily take another core material (e.g. western red cedar) over balsa and exchange a bit of weight for added strength.

Thanks all for your input, especially @boardhead and @deminimis!