Farr X2

[yoyo]

Thankfully the crew are safe.

For those still thinking "classic stress riser engineering 101" go back and read Zonks post #59 - steel strut with gradual taper for socket. Exterior non-structural composite faring for foil shape. Done on many modern designs for many years now.
This is not Farr's first rodeo. Hopefully an accurate postmortem will reveal why/how/what failed so that other owners can remedy and trust the platform.

 

[Snowden]

remedy and trust the platform

This is really the key point. It would be a shame for this to kill the boat before it gets going. Or become a meme like FT10 rudder bearings.
I suspect it will require massive transparency from the build & marketing team through the investigation & remedy process to rebuild confidence.

Hopefully the manufacturer of the PLB alleged to have broken during deployment does the same, if that rumour's true.

 

[Wright Way]

So is that a cast iron fin or a machined ?

Pulpit

Neither, its welded. Flange bolted. all the bad stuff. Didn't fall off

That Farr isn't doing much for the supposedly superior cassette methods reputation.

 

[Wess]

This is really the key point. It would be a shame for this to kill the boat before it gets going. Or become a meme like FT10 rudder bearings.
I suspect it will require massive transparency from the build & marketing team through the investigation & remedy process to rebuild confidence.

Hopefully the manufacturer of the PLB alleged to have broken during deployment does the same, if that rumour's true.

Hey Bob's rudders may suck but at least his keel don't fall off!

It really does boggle the mind that we have come to a place in the design and build of offshore yachts that we can't trust something as basic as the keel staying on.

 

[Furkolkjaaf]

Thankfully the crew are safe.

For those still thinking "classic stress riser engineering 101" go back and read Zonks post #59 - steel strut with gradual taper for socket. Exterior non-structural composite faring for foil shape. Done on many modern designs for many years now.
This is not Farr's first rodeo. Hopefully an accurate postmortem will reveal why/how/what failed so that other owners can remedy and trust the platform.

Maybe you are right, but as someone else said, that wedge is tiny fore and aft...compared to keel & bulb. Can you imagine oscillations and twist while upwind in big waves. Really pushing the envelope even if engineered right. But let's wait for the results of the investigation.

 

[Zonker]

Without knowing the size of the fin and bulb weight any guesses that the fin is overstressed are just guesses

 

[DickDastardly]

Per the prior image of the nav station, should we assume that those two holes aft of the square black plate are where the keel bolts used to be? Maybe there's a horizontal one we can't see but hard to spot any damage to that area.

A horizontal pin would probably need to be in a wet box - unless it were well above the waterline. No sign off that.

 

[LeoV]

A horizontal pin would probably need to be in a wet box - unless it were well above the waterline. No sign off that.

Nope. Not needed.

 

[Wright Way]

Without knowing the size of the fin and bulb weight any guesses that the fin is overstressed are just guesses

It fell off, something was overstressed.

 

[LB 15]

Maybe you are right, but as someone else said, that wedge is tiny fore and aft...compared to keel & bulb. Can you imagine oscillations and twist while upwind in big waves. Really pushing the envelope even if engineered right. But let's wait for the results of the investigation.

Hey well played. You got your unfounded and uneducated theroy in before saying we should wait for the investigation.

 

[giegs]

Hopefully the manufacturer of the PLB alleged to have broken during deployment does the same, if that rumour's true.

My trail and fire crews break their PLBs often enough. They're robust, not indestructible. I'd be curious about what make and model and have some thoughts there, but if you're getting rad you're going to break gizmos.

 

[Liquid]

Zoom in.

The 'head' of the keel is still in the upturned hull's cassette.

 

[duncan (the other one)]

Zoom in.

View attachment 527117

The 'head' of the keel is still in the upturned hull's cassette.

Looks like it sheared or snapped...

Where are the bolts then?

No bolt heads (or nuts on studs - not sure which it had) visible on the inside post-recovery shot, and the holes aren't enlarged (enough that the heads+washers would fall through).

So either the nuts fell off, bolts pulled out of keel, or bolts broke.

If the head of the keel had snapped off, the bolts would still be holding it in place.

 

[Stanno]

Zoom in.

View attachment 527117

The 'head' of the keel is still in the upturned hull's cassette.

Isn't that the sail drive rather than the keel stub? Pic from the paper - not sure whom took it

 

[Jethrow]

Where are the bolts then?

No bolt heads (or nuts on studs - not sure which it had) visible on the inside post-recovery shot, and the holes aren't enlarged (enough that the heads+washers would fall through).

So either the nuts fell off, bolts pulled out of keel, or bolts broke.

If the head of the keel had snapped off, the bolts would still be holding it in place.

I remembered this photo from the launch photos. Pinched it from post #24. Two big arse bolt-heads at the bottom of the picture.

 

[Zonker]

Liquid - that's the sail drive on the left of your photo. The rest isn't clear enough to see anything else.

Those look like bolts in the "before" photo, not nuts but still a bit fuzzy to be sure.

In the interior on the beach shot sure looks like no bolts in the photo.

You'd be very surprised if threads stripped out of cast iron if they are appropriately sized. Just so unlikely as it's about the same strength as stainless steel bolts if they are garden variety 316 or similar.

So... bolts not torqued enough, came loose and keel just fell out?

 

[HILLY]

... or as Liquid has pointed out, the stub was still in the cassette, and was removed during salvage, hence no damage around bolt holes. It is a pretty big piece of the puzzle as to what happened, you wouldn't be sending it to the wreckers..
I'm wondering when the rudders disappeared.

 

[LB 15]

Serves the Farr office right for designing such an fucking ugly boat. But great work by the crew to keep themselves alive until rescued.

 

[DickDastardly]

Zoom in.

View attachment 527117

The 'head' of the keel is still in the upturned hull's cassette.

Funny - looks as if someone had souvenired the prop by then...

 

[Furkolkjaaf]

Without knowing the size of the fin and bulb weight any guesses that the fin is overstressed are just guesses

No doubt that's my guess, and of course, I may be wrong.