One of the things that attract me to your chanel is your knowledge and the way you explain what's going on. Always an amazing class, be sailing or fixing things. This one shows the value of being prepared! Thanks for the lesson! Have to learn more on fiberglass repair. My best, see you next sunday!
Loved the video. 3 things I noticed. Curtis found a razor blade store and put one to use shaving. Roxy was nowhere to be found to give her approval of the work and Kate always has a smile no matter what is happening. You all seem to attract the most amazing people to befriend. Speaks volumes about your character. Keep having fun and stay safe. Bill
Those Magma Yachts look amazing! Designs look nice and fast. Production looked like it was really good in that facility too! Curt's skill and attention to detail is evident in the repair process. Everything is well thought out, planned, and then executed. It's something I've been impressed with for decades at this point, but I'm too ADD to do things like that. 👍
Why such a short video? Why do I like your channel so much? Brazil is pure content! It surprised me how dangerous it can be to sail without knowledge, it makes me admire you more.
Hi Claudio, we just had so much footage we ran out of time this week to edit it all! So this episode is the inspection and prep work, and next week we will start gluing everything back together. We will surely share more of our adventures from Brazil! Cheers!
Curtis and Kate, Y'all were blessed to have found the leak before the passage around Cape Horn. Had the damage only penetrated the outer glass then it might have been a lot more unmanageable if in rough seas. Kudos for inspecting the area thoroughly when you did. Thank y'all for sharing. Cheers! Blue Skies, Fair Winds, and Following Seas. Faithfully, James
Great point James! We may be off schedule of our original plan, but maybe it is meant to be? Cheers and big smiles! Stay safe and we will see you next week :-)
Great video. It’s great that Curtis can use his talents fixing fiberglass. It was awesome to see you found a port that had what you needed for repairs.
For sure! Both owners and staff of Convés and Catarina Nautica stores and also Magma Yachts went well above and beyond! Their customer service was world class, so much so that dropping them into the video was the least we could do to thank them. If you are ever down this way and need something, they are great trustworthy sources. The 38' mono Gabriel was building could be optioned with a lifting keel, and had front/rear watertight bulkheads, likely for less than the cost of similar sized Beneteau or Jenneau. Great stuff.
Excellent, Sweet Kate, you only kept me waiting for what 3 months. Guess my shop vac vacuum bagging technique would not pass your standards. Well racing beach cats are not as critical as Ocean racers. Great work Curtis.
Hey Bob! We hope you are having a wonderful #sailingsunday! This is just our real timeline, you found out just the way we did :-) A shop vac is better than nothing, to do it right though the vac needs to stay on for the full length of the cure. Not sure but that may fry the shop vac? The good news is you can pick up a pump like this amzn.to/3MAHtas fairly inexpensively. Not exactly aerospace quality, but we aren't making space shuttles :-) BTW we LOVE beach cats!!!! So much fun!
@@SailingSweetRuca Using fast cure west system the shop vac only has to run about 30 minutes in hot Texas to get a near full cure. We donated that beach cat to the sea scouts in Houston as at 68, now sail vicariously through channels like yours.
So glad you found the leak before it was too late and that you were able to find a port/marina with what you may need to fix it. By now you might be already sailing, if not, hope the repair goes smoothly. Cheers
Thanks Raul! We appreciate the good words. Stay tuned for next week as we finish the repairs and do a few long awaited upgrades while we are making a mess of dust and goo :-)
yay Rucas!! no matter what ...always smiles!! don't bother with too much editing, just send it out, it's all uniquely interesting stuff !! eg Curtis/Magma, Porto Bello, Itajai etc. and all the over your shoulders images!
Would have liked to seen the repair in one episode. Anyway, nice job cool area with great supplies. This actually makes me want a steel boat for safety reasons.
Hi Randy! We would have loved to have made the repair faster also, but we had to wait for new core material to arrive and work over the course of many days. We just couldn't fit it all into one edit this week.
@@SailingSweetRuca I understand, I am a few days away on my refit from completion just waiting on some thing to dry. But, I screwed up and bought another boat yesterday that needs work also 😝and it’s in San Diego not sure how all my projects will ever be over.
Back in the early 1980s I worked for Performance Sailcraft. One of the owners -Ian Bruce was a close associate of Bruce Farr. The 2 Bruce’s collaborated to design the Laser 28. With support from DuPont we built the Laser 28 using a resign injection system. I think that it was the first ever resin injected production sailboat. I sailed on the prototype and later on the finished product. The 2 Bruce’s also collaborated on a Farr 38 which was blazing fast. Glad you’re almost back on the water. Love your videos!!
Hi Sandy, that is so cool!!! What a great boat and excellent time to be part of the industry with so much new technology on the horizon! It is awesome to know people with such knowledge and experience are watching :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca - Thanks. I really enjoy watching your videos. It is refreshing to watch two competitive sailors go cruising with the “let’s sail fast” without taking any enormous risks. The Farr was sailed to Antigua but was rolled during a bad storm. The crew were ok and boat eventually came back to Montreal and we raced her after repairs were done. I left PSI to join Lewmar/Navtec and ran the business in Canada, including a Navtec rigging and hydraulic business until Barient bought the company and closed most of the foreign offices. I then moved over to running the Canadian branch of NMMA. It has been an exciting career that started at 2 years of age washing the deck of my father’s dragon class sloop. I wish I could sail more but we only have small lakes where we are. Last “largeish” boat was a Limestone 24 powerboat. Designed by Mark Ellis and build by George Hinterhoeller who built the Niagara sailboats and a whole series of Nonsuch boats. I also sailed Solings with Dick Steffens. Dick owned Mirage Yachts and built the Kirby 24 and the Kirby 30. Bruce Kirby (Laser designer) designed those 2 boats so that Dick had product to sell again the J24 and the J30. We raced a Kirby 30 in the Newport to Ensenada Race. Had a blast but no silverware. Those were the days. I also lost 2 friends to the sea. One went overboard in the Sydney to Hobart Race. The other Gerry Roufs was racing his cat in the old Around Alone singlehanded race. He was never seen again. Some months later parts washed up on short in Patagonia. As we all know it can be treacherous out on the ocean. It is good to see how thorough Curtis is with the repair job. Stay safe and fair winds!! Sandy
Rarely comment but sure do enjoy watching & listening to the way u explain your experiences. So glad u r in a port where there is excellent quality & availability ❤🇨🇦
Hi Yvonne! Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! We are so glad you are enjoying and sailing along with us every week :-) We always love seeing canadian flags as they make us remember our sail to Manitoulin island in a friends J/105 which made us fall in love with cruising.
Looks like you’re able to find support in this remote Brazilian town. Brazil with such a gigantic coast line doesn’t have a significant sailing tradition. Well done so far!!👏👏
@@SailingSweetRuca , very true! Not far from there Joshua Slocum sailed these waters in late 1800’s sank and rebuild his vessel with his own hands. When i see you fixing Sweet Ruca with your own hands in order to continue your journey reminds me of Joshua Slocum, just 150 years later!!!👏👏👏
Great video, showing your competency. I really wish you had been put in for Best Emerging Channel, because Cape Horn is not something the others are willing to undertake.
Thanks Rauf. We appreciate your vote :-) We aren't in this for awards, the cool comments and people we meet are the best prize :-) The reach for the cape is coming soon, as it is getting to be spring here in the south. We are excited!
Hey guys great video as always, it wasn't clear to me but you are planning a few layers of glass on the outside of the hull as well I hope using at least the 12:1 scarf and overlapping layers with 50mm overlap each time to ensure structural integrity. Glad you have the access to materials and support good luck
Thanks gmoose777! 100% spot on advice! We didn't get the micrometer and calculator out, but we gave it all the angle we reasonably could using the eyeball method, probably a tad more as the external skin thickness is about .19". We went back at it with 5 layers of 1708, overlapped of course, then sanded it back and stuck a thin layer on the outside for good measure and overlap. Check out the layup next episode and let us know what you think.
It's fortunate that there was enough flexibility in the structure to let the whale/shipping container/submarine impact not break something critical. I'm really glad you took the repair seriously. See how hard it is to detect problems in composites with visual inspections? You never know what's going on under the gel coat.
Not sure we will ever know 100%. Our minds are hedging toward a whale as we didn't have any sharp edge type damage that would be consistent with a steel container.
Hi from New Zealand - after removing the glass I'd have thought you could just let the balsa dry out. Maybe the salt contamination prevents a strong repair 🤔
Cheers to NZ! Possibly we could have let it dry, lots would just fill the hole wish some epoxy, but in our experience best to just replace it and fix it to the original build standard.
I think I my have said this before, Odd Life Crafting is from Brazil. They have spent many years restoring sailboat. If you need suggestions, the may have one.
What about your rudder? When I first saw the missing paint from the top trailing edge corner, I knew that it had impacted your hull. I hope that the rudder post deformation remained in the elastic region and did not progress into the plastic region; otherwise it is bent. Was there any breaching of the top trailing edge corner of the rudder?
Nice work carefully removing the soaked balsa core. We should talk about the kit boats I'm building. Would like your insight into the problems with dinghies for cruising sailors. I intend to design a much better, affordable and easy to repair dinghy.
Thanks. Sounds good, would love to see your kit boats! Someone needs to make a better dinghy that doesn't cost a fortune! We have had thoughts on that as well and glad to discuss. Shoot us a message via our website sweetruca.com/contact-3/ or social media!
OK good analysis so far but still, deeper questions need to be answered. The top tip of the rudder created the damage to the hull. Apparently a sudden movement of the rudder post to the aft was evident to create this puncture.. That movement involves a lot of shock loading of the rudder shaft and being absorbed by the rudder shaft upper bearing or bushings. Were these bearings checked for cracks..? What about the rudder shaft possible hairline cracks, not visible to the human eye.? You need to have this checked with a non destructive crack detection system like Magnaflux and or die penetrant etc.. Keep in mind that "Sailing Hilma", skippered by a Swedish couple, lost their rudder in the middle of their Pacific Ocean passage. They had no knowledge of a UFO collision. However they found out that the previous owner ran into some issues with a collision or grounding affecting the rudder.. The rudder loss happened way later in time and is a typical "fatigue" issue that is accelerated by hairline cracks.. I assume the shaft is SS and this material has not much elastic resiliency.. Not trying to scare you but, please go way deeper in the cause and effect analysis..In my days we used to call this a FMEA or Failure Mode and Effect Analysis.. Good Luck
Hi Frans, Thanks for your concern. Check out the next episode for more, it is going up on Patreon for early viewing today ;-) It is impossible to go into the full details in video, but we did remove the rudder to check bearings and surrounding structure, and checked the entire rudder itself. All is good. The rudder shaft is 100% composite with stainless steel only as a bearing surface. It is possible to NDT the rudder and shaft, but that equipment was not available where we were. Curtis has a good bit of experience in these areas, and he consulted multiple boat builders and naval architects through every step just to be sure all is OK.
Could have been catastrophic rudder failure surfing 12+ Knts. It looks like J yachts wisely has a watertight bulkhead seperating the rudder post and lazarette from the main compartment? Still. Glad you're OK. Its enough to make one consider a full keel rust bucket.
Unfortunately ultrasonic tools don't exist in South America for boats as far was we can find (we searched!). It would be tempting to carry one on board. We did tap out everything and visually inspect and grind into and replace anything suspect. We also consulted with two naval architects with experience building boats of this size and construction type.
Another case against unsupported spade rudders in a blue water boat . Also cored hulls below the water line has always been a bad idea . I understand speed is great but at what cost ? You will hit stuff out there , that’s a fact . I would be suspect of the point in the hull where the post goes through . That point has be deflected I would look very close for delimitation. Bolt on fin keels are also suspect in a collision , look closely there as well . Great videos, !!
So many trade offs everywhere with boats. With a large budget, it is much easier to limit the downside risks and increase performance, but likely for most, like us, at some point you just have to go and hope for the best. We think the J/46 is a good balance of all of these things. Maintained correctly there is nothing to fear about a cored hull or deck, and as you can see, repair is fairly easy if it is damaged. Could it be better? Surely. Would we change things if we built our own boat? Surely. Would our wish list exceed our budget? Probably by a million or more dollars :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca Thanks for the response . Yes I agree all boats are tradoffs . I love performance boats and have sailed an I14 for many years . But Im not willing to trade my safety or my families, for a little more speed offshore. Integral keels and protected rudders are my preferred way to go . Cored hulls are an issue always when a boat is getting on in years or has been compromised from outside or in , everyone forgets to look inside the hull for leaks into the core. We own a Bristol but if I had deep pockets and was looking at a new boat it would probably be a Kraken . Thats If I could get one with a cutter rig. 😁I just found your channel and am very much enjoying it . Looking forward to the next entry
It looks like the whale pounded your rudder up into the boat a bit. I'm glad it seems the shaft isn't bent. Hopefully no split bearings either. I know you two are a bit behind on comments, it's not really a problem on my end. Cruisers are notorious for not being in contact with people for weeks or months...no biggie. We are setting up the green screen to start the Cat sailing TH-cam channel. Hopefully we can get some of the interesting expressions he does playing. Then do an intro sequence. It may require hanging the green screen behind the boat in our house's yard. I can't seem to fix the engine fast enough to launch the boat at an expected December launch date. That is terrible, but hey maybe the filming season won't be a total loss with the green screen.
This video reveals the resulting damage to the hull and it does appear to be minor, however in my mind it draws the question if there is stress damage inside the rudder and particularly the rudder post. How much deflection can it withstand? Are there any specs available? Have you considered that perhaps a “ stress riser” could exist and consequently grow until it fails somewhere in the future. I don’t wish to complicate your comfort zone but with an understanding to the importance of a rudder at sea, it is your safety I am concerned with. To qualify my comment here, I have seen crankshafts, axles, and aircraft spring gear all fail due to stress risers from previous damages and overlooked. I grant you they were all metal components, not fibreglass, but could it be possible?
Quadrant access is seldom wonderful, but the J46 doesn’t look like the worst from that perspective? I’m sure Curtis was pretty fed up from working in cramped and contorted positions! I’ll be interested to see how the vacuum bagging turns out - fortunate to have someone reasonably near by who could help out on that front. It hadn’t occurred to me that there would be such connectivity challenges for shore water, do you have similar problems with power connections? Growing up in boatyards along the River Hamble, International paint tins were ubiquitous - it seemed that’s what everyone used!
Hi Kevin! Woof, lots of comments to catch up on, sorry it took us so long. We normally comment back from our phones, and the YT app kind of burys comments until we work through them all. The 46s lazerette is not to bad compared to lots of other spaces once all the stored gear is removed. Seems like we spend enough time back there we should just build in an extra bunk :-) Electrical connections are another issue. Another instance of seemingly different everywhere. Lots of adapters! Unfortunately we had an adapter and cord go on a walkabout in the boatyard......we knew better! We don't use shorepower in 220v lands, except an extension cord to run the laptops as our solar covers the rest of the loads. That is so cool that you remember the international paint cans in the boat yard. Hopefully is brings back good memories! :-)
Hi Jeff, there are some forward looking sonars out there. Right now they are good for scoping out anchorages, but none are effective for collision avoidance in open water.
Curtis, Do you think an RV "Water Thief" or "Water Bandit" would be of any help with water fittings at the hose bibs that you use in various marinas? It could care less if metric or sae let alone any off the wall thread count.
Ahh, you mean something like this? amzn.to/3yIM44w This is a great idea to have on board! We never knew about this before, thank you for the great suggestion Jeffrey!!!!
We think it was a whale, or something else very large and somewhat soft. Surely not a container or something rigid with sharp edges as that would have likely left more marks in the paint.
Happy you found the problem😊 But the real problem lies in the way that rudder is mounted there is no protection like on real blue water boats and it theirfore fragile when you have an impact or you run aground.if that impact was harder you could have either lost your rudder or even sunk.
@@SailingSweetRuca i think alot of boats can cross océans and did but thats because most trips are without Big problems.If something Bad happens its better to have a big safety margin in construction. Look AT rafiki they died because they Lost their keel because of it beeing bolted on. Offcourse you Can Say it was negligence but if it was not relying on those bolts it would not have happend. Its like saying driving a car without airbags IS not dangerous and thats true. But driving a car with airbags IS alot alot safer
@@maseratirijderalso take a look at Asteria in the GGR and Raindancer on a pac crossing ;-) the bottom line is thinking that a full keel or a skeg rudder makes something ocean capable or safer is flawed. Each boat has its advantages and disadvantages.
@@SailingSweetRuca for me the biggest advantage of a boat should be staying afloat😉 not taking on water After losing or hitting your rudder. Did full keel boats with protected rudders sink, yess they did but now Ask yourself would you go flying in a 747 if your life only dépends on 1 cable ?? Instead of all those backup systems
The price you pay for having a fast light air boat. Nothing is free in this world including speed at sea. Looks like you are doing a fine job with the repair, glad to see that all is turning out well.
You are right on Jamie! We will make sure to repair it right, we do wish we could put a watertight bulkhead fore and aft, as well as a hard dodger, but those things don't come cheap or easy. Thanks and see you next week! Cheers!
Hi Dude :-) Maybe? The Morgan's are nice solid built classic boats, but check out the attrition rate in the Golden Globe Race. All are full keel style older designs. 43% are out already for lots of reasons after less ocean miles than we have sailed so far. We still prefer the option of more speed when needed and are happy with the way our cored hull and composite spade rudder/shaft handled the incident. Always trade-offs in every boat design.
Maybe you guys should consider changing boat to one with a long integral keel, with a rudder which is mounted at the back of the keel. Either that, or a design where the keel is integral, if not full length, but where the rudder has a forward mount (also integral to the hull) to protect the rudder. Such designs are far more robust.
Those designs may be more robust in terms of collisions, but their performance under sail is poor in comparison. Tradeoffs abound in yachting. We would be pretty safe in an orange commercial pod lifeboat, but what fun would that be to drive?
@@SailingSweetRuca Why are you so determined to sail fast? Do you have deadlines to meet? Isn't the point of sailing to escape the 'rat race' and enjoy an alternative lifestyle?
The point of sailing is to sail. We are not escaping anything, we just enjoy sailing. That said a boat that sails well is important to us. If the destination and drinks under a palm tree are the goal, it is much cheaper & easier to fly there.
Like how you are vacumm bagging the repair. I remember closing up the aft internal bulkheads on a J, an important safety feature to isolate the aft lockers and steering gear. I think other builders such as Hanxe 37 have done this too.
Hey B M! That would be good to do for sure. Would love a front/rear bulkhead. It is doable, but time/cost got in the way. It seems easy and cheap and fast, untill we start factoring wiring, hose fittings, and availability of items. Someday, maybe along with a hard dodger when the channel grows enough :-)
Didn't understand. Put in new core then suck it all together. What does sucking all together mean? What tools? Good video tho'. I see ep 88 explains more.!!😂
Vacuum bag. The boat was SCRIMP, which is a sort of vacuum infusion. We like to fix things to the original specs, or better. A wet layup would likely have sufficed here, but are heavier and weaker.
I don't know if your going to Read this but I have asked around and what I have figured out is you most likely Ran into a Group of Sleeping whales 🐋 they sleep just few Meters down in the Ocean heads are pointed up tail down they Bob up and down in the ocean so they Can take a Breath of fresh air from time to time. They can stay underneath the water for long time. By the Lack of Visable damage you were not able to see except scratches I read someone say was found the only visible outside damage. But the damage you discovered thats hitting a solid object big one. 99 % of the people I spoke to said sleeping whales. One in a million collision myself I would have popped a Arial Flair TO Rule out anything other then whales. I would invest in a underwater light 250000 Candle a led outside lite can be fitted in a waterproof container weight it and get long Roap with 12v power attached toss it over board next time. You probably will see a Realy pissed whale who thinks his headake was caused by a UFO 🛸 well all jokes aside you are a ufo to whales. Ok all jokes aside what a experience wish you both safe travels Please check when whales are in transit from Antarctica up to Canada Or up along African Coast you may have Nailed Basking Shark whale shark all Huge Fishy whales. I absulootly lean on sleeping Humpys. Take care
Thanks for sharing! We also believe it was a whale, possibly sleeping. We appreciate the time you took to share this information. We do the best we can to be safe. The world can throw curve balls no matter where you are. Stay safe out there! Glad you're still here to tell the tales!
@@SailingSweetRuca Yep, those whales are a worry. Silly things, sleeping just below the surface and not leaving their AIS on. All things considered, I'd say you were incredibly lucky. This impact could so easily have turned into a 'mid' Atlantic sinking, from water rushing in via the prop shaft seal or, of slightly less concern, the rudder bearing. Not to mention the hull being broadly cracked from impact between a whale's flailing tail and the keel. A friend lost his HR 48 when a whale retaliated after being woken from a good sleep. Smacked his hull with its tail. All over, red rover. Same for Raindancer recently. We chose an aluminium hull with exactly this concern in mind; somewhat less chance of being sunk by a whale. Sheesh! Well done on how you handled the situation, and in particular with the repairs. What a great emergency port to stop in. Fantastic chandlery. Regards, Rick.
Where are you guys..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
It looks like the whale pounded your rudder up into the boat a bit. I'm glad it seems the shaft isn't bent. Hopefully no split bearings either. I know you two are a bit behind on comments, it's not really a problem on my end. Cruisers are notorious for not being in contact with people for weeks or months...no biggie. We are setting up the green screen to start the Cat sailing TH-cam channel. Hopefully we can get some of the interesting expressions he does playing. Then do an intro sequence. It may require hanging the green screen behind the boat in our house's yard. I can't seem to fix the engine fast enough to launch the boat at an expected December launch date. That is terrible, but hey maybe the filming season won't be a total loss with the green screen.
Bummer about the engine, but we love the idea of the Cat sailing channel! A green screen for the whole boat? Haha, holy smokes, that is some hollywood level stuff. We can't wait to watch the Bed Pirates first video! The whale definately gave us a pounding, but it is looking like nothing too serious, all fixable.
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One of the things that attract me to your chanel is your knowledge and the way you explain what's going on. Always an amazing class, be sailing or fixing things. This one shows the value of being prepared! Thanks for the lesson! Have to learn more on fiberglass repair. My best, see you next sunday!
Wow, thank you José! :-)
Loved the video. 3 things I noticed. Curtis found a razor blade store and put one to use shaving. Roxy was nowhere to be found to give her approval of the work and Kate always has a smile no matter what is happening. You all seem to attract the most amazing people to befriend. Speaks volumes about your character. Keep having fun and stay safe. Bill
Hahahahaha!!! You absolutely cracked us up today! Thanks for that Bill :-) Have a wonderful week!
Those Magma Yachts look amazing! Designs look nice and fast. Production looked like it was really good in that facility too!
Curt's skill and attention to detail is evident in the repair process. Everything is well thought out, planned, and then executed. It's something I've been impressed with for decades at this point, but I'm too ADD to do things like that. 👍
Thanks Kyle! You can do it!!!!! :-)
Why such a short video? Why do I like your channel so much? Brazil is pure content! It surprised me how dangerous it can be to sail without knowledge, it makes me admire you more.
Hi Claudio, we just had so much footage we ran out of time this week to edit it all! So this episode is the inspection and prep work, and next week we will start gluing everything back together. We will surely share more of our adventures from Brazil! Cheers!
Curtis and Kate,
Y'all were blessed to have found the leak before the passage around Cape Horn. Had the damage only penetrated the outer glass then it might have been a lot more unmanageable if in rough seas. Kudos for inspecting the area thoroughly when you did. Thank y'all for sharing.
Cheers!
Blue Skies, Fair Winds, and Following Seas.
Faithfully,
James
Great point James! We may be off schedule of our original plan, but maybe it is meant to be? Cheers and big smiles! Stay safe and we will see you next week :-)
Great video. It’s great that Curtis can use his talents fixing fiberglass. It was awesome to see you found a port that had what you needed for repairs.
We consider ourselves very lucky!
It's either sailing, fixing or beer.CZ Booya. Carry on sailores.
You got it!! Cheers!
Good to see you’re in good hands and supplies !
Great people in Itajai!!!!
Thumbs up for the Brazilian store to have such an inventory of marine products. It made your life much easier, cheers
For sure! Both owners and staff of Convés and Catarina Nautica stores and also Magma Yachts went well above and beyond! Their customer service was world class, so much so that dropping them into the video was the least we could do to thank them. If you are ever down this way and need something, they are great trustworthy sources. The 38' mono Gabriel was building could be optioned with a lifting keel, and had front/rear watertight bulkheads, likely for less than the cost of similar sized Beneteau or Jenneau. Great stuff.
What a difficult job. Really tough, I appreciate you showing how it really it is!
Thanks!
Great to see things looking good!!
Thanks D! :-)
I love how technical this video was. I feel like this is information that anyone could find utility in knowing!
Thanks KGladie!
Excellent, Sweet Kate, you only kept me waiting for what 3 months. Guess my shop vac vacuum bagging technique would not pass your standards. Well racing beach cats are not as critical as Ocean racers. Great work Curtis.
Hey Bob! We hope you are having a wonderful #sailingsunday! This is just our real timeline, you found out just the way we did :-) A shop vac is better than nothing, to do it right though the vac needs to stay on for the full length of the cure. Not sure but that may fry the shop vac? The good news is you can pick up a pump like this amzn.to/3MAHtas fairly inexpensively. Not exactly aerospace quality, but we aren't making space shuttles :-) BTW we LOVE beach cats!!!! So much fun!
@@SailingSweetRuca Using fast cure west system the shop vac only has to run about 30 minutes in hot Texas to get a near full cure. We donated that beach cat to the sea scouts in Houston as at 68, now sail vicariously through channels like yours.
Great editing and choice of music. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the good words C. A. :-)
So glad you found the leak before it was too late and that you were able to find a port/marina with what you may need to fix it. By now you might be already sailing, if not, hope the repair goes smoothly. Cheers
Thanks Raul! We appreciate the good words. Stay tuned for next week as we finish the repairs and do a few long awaited upgrades while we are making a mess of dust and goo :-)
yay Rucas!! no matter what ...always smiles!! don't bother with too much editing, just send it out, it's all uniquely interesting stuff !! eg Curtis/Magma, Porto Bello, Itajai etc. and all the over your shoulders images!
Hi D D! Thanks for the awesome words. We love hearing such great feedback!
Would have liked to seen the repair in one episode. Anyway, nice job cool area with great supplies. This actually makes me want a steel boat for safety reasons.
Hi Randy! We would have loved to have made the repair faster also, but we had to wait for new core material to arrive and work over the course of many days. We just couldn't fit it all into one edit this week.
@@SailingSweetRuca I understand, I am a few days away on my refit from completion just waiting on some thing to dry. But, I screwed up and bought another boat yesterday that needs work also 😝and it’s in San Diego not sure how all my projects will ever be over.
#boatlife 🤣 congrats on the new boat 😁 Glad to hear your refit is finishing up and that you 'enjoyed' it enough to take on another one 😂
Back in the early 1980s I worked for Performance Sailcraft. One of the owners -Ian Bruce was a close associate of Bruce Farr. The 2 Bruce’s collaborated to design the Laser 28. With support from DuPont we built the Laser 28 using a resign injection system. I think that it was the first ever resin injected production sailboat. I sailed on the prototype and later on the finished product. The 2 Bruce’s also collaborated on a Farr 38 which was blazing fast. Glad you’re almost back on the water. Love your videos!!
Hi Sandy, that is so cool!!! What a great boat and excellent time to be part of the industry with so much new technology on the horizon! It is awesome to know people with such knowledge and experience are watching :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca - Thanks. I really enjoy watching your videos. It is refreshing to watch two competitive sailors go cruising with the “let’s sail fast” without taking any enormous risks. The Farr was sailed to Antigua but was rolled during a bad storm. The crew were ok and boat eventually came back to Montreal and we raced her after repairs were done. I left PSI to join Lewmar/Navtec and ran the business in Canada, including a Navtec rigging and hydraulic business until Barient bought the company and closed most of the foreign offices. I then moved over to running the Canadian branch of NMMA. It has been an exciting career that started at 2 years of age washing the deck of my father’s dragon class sloop. I wish I could sail more but we only have small lakes where we are. Last “largeish” boat was a Limestone 24 powerboat. Designed by Mark Ellis and build by George Hinterhoeller who built the Niagara sailboats and a whole series of Nonsuch boats. I also sailed Solings with Dick Steffens. Dick owned Mirage Yachts and built the Kirby 24 and the Kirby 30. Bruce Kirby (Laser designer) designed those 2 boats so that Dick had product to sell again the J24 and the J30. We raced a Kirby 30 in the Newport to Ensenada Race. Had a blast but no silverware. Those were the days. I also lost 2 friends to the sea. One went overboard in the Sydney to Hobart Race. The other Gerry Roufs was racing his cat in the old Around Alone singlehanded race. He was never seen again. Some months later parts washed up on short in Patagonia. As we all know it can be treacherous out on the ocean. It is good to see how thorough Curtis is with the repair job.
Stay safe and fair winds!!
Sandy
Just put some Flex Seal on it! Lol! Kidding.
Really cool watching you guys from Hall of Fame Canton Ohio.
O! H! Hahaha, flex seal, love it!!! Cheers! :-)
first class repair!!!
Impressive! Enjoy your knowledge
Thank you christina, cheers :-)
Good job Curtis. You certainly can't afford to take short cuts on a job like this. Looking forward to seeing Sweet Ruca back in the water.
Thanks Neville! You are right on!
Good content and nice job on troubleshooting and repairing! Cheers Captain Denny!
Thanks!!! Cheers Captain Denny! :-)
Thanks Captain Denny! Glad you enjoyed 😀
Rarely comment but sure do enjoy watching & listening to the way u explain your experiences. So glad u r in a port where there is excellent quality & availability ❤🇨🇦
Hi Yvonne! Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! We are so glad you are enjoying and sailing along with us every week :-) We always love seeing canadian flags as they make us remember our sail to Manitoulin island in a friends J/105 which made us fall in love with cruising.
Looks like you’re able to find support in this remote Brazilian town. Brazil with such a gigantic coast line doesn’t have a significant sailing tradition.
Well done so far!!👏👏
Hi Tio, there was great support for sailing in Itajai. A wonderful place for sailors and a great history of mariners.
@@SailingSweetRuca , very true! Not far from there Joshua Slocum sailed these waters in late 1800’s sank and rebuild his vessel with his own hands.
When i see you fixing Sweet Ruca with your own hands in order to continue your journey reminds me of Joshua Slocum, just 150 years later!!!👏👏👏
Dang Spade rudders... When in doubt build hell for stout...
That is a great motto to have!
Nice detailed video explanation thank you
Great video, showing your competency. I really wish you had been put in for Best Emerging Channel, because Cape Horn is not something the others are willing to undertake.
Thanks Rauf. We appreciate your vote :-) We aren't in this for awards, the cool comments and people we meet are the best prize :-) The reach for the cape is coming soon, as it is getting to be spring here in the south. We are excited!
You guys are amazing.
Thanks Steve, you're too nice :-)
Hey guys great video as always, it wasn't clear to me but you are planning a few layers of glass on the outside of the hull as well I hope using at least the 12:1 scarf and overlapping layers with 50mm overlap each time to ensure structural integrity. Glad you have the access to materials and support good luck
Thanks gmoose777! 100% spot on advice! We didn't get the micrometer and calculator out, but we gave it all the angle we reasonably could using the eyeball method, probably a tad more as the external skin thickness is about .19". We went back at it with 5 layers of 1708, overlapped of course, then sanded it back and stuck a thin layer on the outside for good measure and overlap. Check out the layup next episode and let us know what you think.
@@SailingSweetRuca sounds like you've got it covered
It's fortunate that there was enough flexibility in the structure to let the whale/shipping container/submarine impact not break something critical. I'm really glad you took the repair seriously. See how hard it is to detect problems in composites with visual inspections? You never know what's going on under the gel coat.
Right on Sullybiker!
Any ideas what you may have hit? Sleeping whale? Semi submerged shipping container?
Not sure we will ever know 100%. Our minds are hedging toward a whale as we didn't have any sharp edge type damage that would be consistent with a steel container.
Hi from New Zealand - after removing the glass I'd have thought you could just let the balsa dry out. Maybe the salt contamination prevents a strong repair 🤔
Cheers to NZ! Possibly we could have let it dry, lots would just fill the hole wish some epoxy, but in our experience best to just replace it and fix it to the original build standard.
I think I my have said this before, Odd Life Crafting is from Brazil. They have spent many years restoring sailboat. If you need suggestions, the may have one.
Thanks so much for this John! I think they were a bit north of us while we were in Itajai :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca After I commented, I realized two things. First, the where North and, second, the video was about two weeks old.
What about your rudder? When I first saw the missing paint from the top trailing edge corner, I knew that it had impacted your hull. I hope that the rudder post deformation remained in the elastic region and did not progress into the plastic region; otherwise it is bent. Was there any breaching of the top trailing edge corner of the rudder?
Hey Robin! Cheers! More on the rudder next episode. :-)
So is the purpose of a wood core to expand when wet to naturally seal the damaged area?
Not quite. The core acts to make the composite sandwich stiffer while also being lightweight. When it gets wet, it looses its structural benefits.
Nice work carefully removing the soaked balsa core. We should talk about the kit boats I'm building. Would like your insight into the problems with dinghies for cruising sailors. I intend to design a much better, affordable and easy to repair dinghy.
Thanks. Sounds good, would love to see your kit boats! Someone needs to make a better dinghy that doesn't cost a fortune! We have had thoughts on that as well and glad to discuss. Shoot us a message via our website sweetruca.com/contact-3/ or social media!
I'm always impressed by lateral thinking. Taking the water filter apart to pirate a fitting... genius.
Thanks! 100% Kates idea on the water filter ;-)
OK good analysis so far but still, deeper questions need to be answered.
The top tip of the rudder created the damage to the hull. Apparently a sudden movement of the rudder post to the aft was evident to create this puncture..
That movement involves a lot of shock loading of the rudder shaft and being absorbed by the rudder shaft upper bearing or bushings.
Were these bearings checked for cracks..? What about the rudder shaft possible hairline cracks, not visible to the human eye.?
You need to have this checked with a non destructive crack detection system like Magnaflux and or die penetrant etc..
Keep in mind that "Sailing Hilma", skippered by a Swedish couple, lost their rudder in the middle of their Pacific Ocean passage. They had no knowledge of a UFO collision.
However they found out that the previous owner ran into some issues with a collision or grounding affecting the rudder..
The rudder loss happened way later in time and is a typical "fatigue" issue that is accelerated by hairline cracks.. I assume the shaft is SS and this material has not much elastic resiliency..
Not trying to scare you but, please go way deeper in the cause and effect analysis..In my days we used to call this a FMEA or Failure Mode and Effect Analysis..
Good Luck
Hi Frans,
Thanks for your concern. Check out the next episode for more, it is going up on Patreon for early viewing today ;-)
It is impossible to go into the full details in video, but we did remove the rudder to check bearings and surrounding structure, and checked the entire rudder itself. All is good.
The rudder shaft is 100% composite with stainless steel only as a bearing surface. It is possible to NDT the rudder and shaft, but that equipment was not available where we were.
Curtis has a good bit of experience in these areas, and he consulted multiple boat builders and naval architects through every step just to be sure all is OK.
Could have been catastrophic rudder failure surfing 12+ Knts. It looks like J yachts wisely has a watertight bulkhead seperating the rudder post and lazarette from the main compartment? Still. Glad you're OK. Its enough to make one consider a full keel rust bucket.
Wow man!
:-) Ya man! :-)
You were lucky. Repairs can be stronger than original. You've just got to find it all. You can use an ultrasonic probe.
Unfortunately ultrasonic tools don't exist in South America for boats as far was we can find (we searched!). It would be tempting to carry one on board. We did tap out everything and visually inspect and grind into and replace anything suspect. We also consulted with two naval architects with experience building boats of this size and construction type.
Another case against unsupported spade rudders in a blue water boat . Also cored hulls below the water line has always been a bad idea . I understand speed is great but at what cost ? You will hit stuff out there , that’s a fact . I would be suspect of the point in the hull where the post goes through . That point has be deflected I would look very close for delimitation. Bolt on fin keels are also suspect in a collision , look closely there as well .
Great videos, !!
So many trade offs everywhere with boats. With a large budget, it is much easier to limit the downside risks and increase performance, but likely for most, like us, at some point you just have to go and hope for the best. We think the J/46 is a good balance of all of these things. Maintained correctly there is nothing to fear about a cored hull or deck, and as you can see, repair is fairly easy if it is damaged. Could it be better? Surely. Would we change things if we built our own boat? Surely. Would our wish list exceed our budget? Probably by a million or more dollars :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca Thanks for the response . Yes I agree all boats are tradoffs . I love performance boats and have sailed an I14 for many years . But Im not willing to trade my safety or my families, for a little more speed offshore. Integral keels and protected rudders are my preferred way to go . Cored hulls are an issue always when a boat is getting on in years or has been compromised from outside or in , everyone forgets to look inside the hull for leaks into the core. We own a Bristol but if I had deep pockets and was looking at a new boat it would probably be a Kraken . Thats If I could get one with a cutter rig. 😁I just found your channel and am very much enjoying it . Looking forward to the next entry
It looks like the whale pounded your rudder up into the boat a bit. I'm glad it seems the shaft isn't bent. Hopefully no split bearings either. I know you two are a bit behind on comments, it's not really a problem on my end. Cruisers are notorious for not being in contact with people for weeks or months...no biggie. We are setting up the green screen to start the Cat sailing TH-cam channel. Hopefully we can get some of the interesting expressions he does playing. Then do an intro sequence. It may require hanging the green screen behind the boat in our house's yard. I can't seem to fix the engine fast enough to launch the boat at an expected December launch date. That is terrible, but hey maybe the filming season won't be a total loss with the green screen.
This video reveals the resulting damage to the hull and it does appear to be minor, however in my mind it draws the question if there is stress damage inside the rudder and particularly the rudder post. How much deflection can it withstand? Are there any specs available? Have you considered that perhaps a “ stress riser” could exist and consequently grow until it fails somewhere in the future.
I don’t wish to complicate your comfort zone but with an understanding to the importance of a rudder at sea, it is your safety I am concerned with.
To qualify my comment here, I have seen crankshafts, axles, and aircraft spring gear all fail due to stress risers from previous damages and overlooked. I grant you they were all metal components, not fibreglass, but could it be possible?
Two words...... " FLEX-TAPE ".
Good idea!
@@SailingSweetRuca Could work as a temporary fix in an emergency. Also if it ever does happen i smell new Sponsor for the channel.
Quadrant access is seldom wonderful, but the J46 doesn’t look like the worst from that perspective? I’m sure Curtis was pretty fed up from working in cramped and contorted positions!
I’ll be interested to see how the vacuum bagging turns out - fortunate to have someone reasonably near by who could help out on that front. It hadn’t occurred to me that there would be such connectivity challenges for shore water, do you have similar problems with power connections?
Growing up in boatyards along the River Hamble, International paint tins were ubiquitous - it seemed that’s what everyone used!
Hi Kevin! Woof, lots of comments to catch up on, sorry it took us so long. We normally comment back from our phones, and the YT app kind of burys comments until we work through them all.
The 46s lazerette is not to bad compared to lots of other spaces once all the stored gear is removed. Seems like we spend enough time back there we should just build in an extra bunk :-)
Electrical connections are another issue. Another instance of seemingly different everywhere. Lots of adapters! Unfortunately we had an adapter and cord go on a walkabout in the boatyard......we knew better! We don't use shorepower in 220v lands, except an extension cord to run the laptops as our solar covers the rest of the loads.
That is so cool that you remember the international paint cans in the boat yard. Hopefully is brings back good memories! :-)
This is a common intrusion. Don’t they make a front mounted sonar that works as a warning system for depth ?
Hi Jeff, there are some forward looking sonars out there. Right now they are good for scoping out anchorages, but none are effective for collision avoidance in open water.
Curtis,
Do you think an RV "Water Thief" or "Water Bandit" would be of any help with water fittings at the hose bibs that you use in various marinas? It could care less if metric or sae let alone any off the wall thread count.
Ahh, you mean something like this? amzn.to/3yIM44w This is a great idea to have on board! We never knew about this before, thank you for the great suggestion Jeffrey!!!!
@@SailingSweetRuca
Yes you got it. Cheap and they work. Only thing that I kept from my RV life.
Be safe...I enjoy your videos.
Hey guys! Of you happen to stop in Florianopolis, send me a message. I am around😜
Hi Matias!!! We wish you all the best :-) Sorry we couldn't have time to stop in to see you. Hopefully we can come back to Brazil again!!!
What do you think hit the boat ? So glad it’s not worse
We think it was a whale, or something else very large and somewhat soft. Surely not a container or something rigid with sharp edges as that would have likely left more marks in the paint.
Happy you found the problem😊 But the real problem lies in the way that rudder is mounted there is no protection like on real blue water boats and it theirfore fragile when you have an impact or you run aground.if that impact was harder you could have either lost your rudder or even sunk.
Ahh the “Blue Water Boat” debate, we always love hearing these comments :-)
@@SailingSweetRuca i think alot of
boats can cross océans and did but thats because most trips are without Big problems.If something Bad happens its better to have a big safety margin in construction.
Look AT rafiki they died because they Lost their keel because of it beeing bolted on. Offcourse you Can Say it was negligence but if it was not relying on those bolts it would not have happend. Its like saying driving a car without airbags IS not dangerous and thats true. But driving a car with airbags IS alot alot safer
@@maseratirijderalso take a look at Asteria in the GGR and Raindancer on a pac crossing ;-) the bottom line is thinking that a full keel or a skeg rudder makes something ocean capable or safer is flawed. Each boat has its advantages and disadvantages.
@@SailingSweetRuca for me the biggest advantage of a boat should be staying afloat😉 not taking on water After losing or hitting your rudder. Did full keel boats with protected rudders sink, yess they did but now Ask yourself would you go flying in a 747 if your life only dépends on 1 cable ?? Instead of all those backup systems
Dude, every construction contractor carries their own hose adaptor - time for you guys to do the same.....
This is life, not unusual.
Well, we aren't construction contractors ;-) This is the first time we have seen a female tap at a dock. We have the adapter now ;-)
Gonna put a skeg on her ... Joking but you can see why serious cruisers do like a skeg hung rudder . Coming along well .
Haha! That would be a lot of fiberglassing :-) Not a bad idea though, nothing wrong with a skeg hung rudder.
The price you pay for having a fast light air boat. Nothing is free in this world including speed at sea. Looks like you are doing a fine job with the repair, glad to see that all is turning out well.
You are right on Jamie! We will make sure to repair it right, we do wish we could put a watertight bulkhead fore and aft, as well as a hard dodger, but those things don't come cheap or easy. Thanks and see you next week! Cheers!
Not a lot of material cost but very labor intensive.
Hauling the boat is quite expensive unfortunately. And sourcing materials turned out to be quite difficult. But I like your optimism.
How did the keel not get hit?
We aren't sure, we think it glanced off the side.
What would this repair cost if you weren't doing the work yourself?
Probably in the range of 10k with haulout costs. Many places would quote it cheaply but not repair it to the same standard.
You guys need a full kill boat like a 41 Morgan all this would have been avoided 😎
Hi Dude :-) Maybe? The Morgan's are nice solid built classic boats, but check out the attrition rate in the Golden Globe Race. All are full keel style older designs. 43% are out already for lots of reasons after less ocean miles than we have sailed so far. We still prefer the option of more speed when needed and are happy with the way our cored hull and composite spade rudder/shaft handled the incident. Always trade-offs in every boat design.
Maybe you guys should consider changing boat to one with a long integral keel, with a rudder which is mounted at the back of the keel. Either that, or a design where the keel is integral, if not full length, but where the rudder has a forward mount (also integral to the hull) to protect the rudder. Such designs are far more robust.
Those designs may be more robust in terms of collisions, but their performance under sail is poor in comparison. Tradeoffs abound in yachting. We would be pretty safe in an orange commercial pod lifeboat, but what fun would that be to drive?
@@SailingSweetRuca Why are you so determined to sail fast? Do you have deadlines to meet? Isn't the point of sailing to escape the 'rat race' and enjoy an alternative lifestyle?
The point of sailing is to sail. We are not escaping anything, we just enjoy sailing. That said a boat that sails well is important to us.
If the destination and drinks under a palm tree are the goal, it is much cheaper & easier to fly there.
That's what happens when performance and weight saving are on top of the design principles (not structural integrity) = for racing and coastal sailing
Par for the course, but she will come out of it as good as new. Let's hope we can make it the rest of the way without bumping into more things!
Like how you are vacumm bagging the repair. I remember closing up the aft internal bulkheads on a J, an important safety feature to isolate the aft lockers and steering gear. I think other builders such as Hanxe 37 have done this too.
Hey B M! That would be good to do for sure. Would love a front/rear bulkhead. It is doable, but time/cost got in the way. It seems easy and cheap and fast, untill we start factoring wiring, hose fittings, and availability of items. Someday, maybe along with a hard dodger when the channel grows enough :-)
Did you ever figure out what the heck hit you?
😃👍👍👍❤
Hi Thomas!!! 😃❤
♥️♥️🥰🥰
Thanks Frits!!! :-)
Didn't understand. Put in new core then suck it all together. What does sucking all together mean? What tools? Good video tho'. I see ep 88 explains more.!!😂
Vacuum bag. The boat was SCRIMP, which is a sort of vacuum infusion. We like to fix things to the original specs, or better. A wet layup would likely have sufficed here, but are heavier and weaker.
Not a big fan of inboard rudder.
To each their own. There is always a better boat. Our goal is to sail and enjoy what we have :-)
I don't know if your going to Read this but I have asked around and what I have figured out is you most likely Ran into a Group of Sleeping whales 🐋 they sleep just few Meters down in the Ocean heads are pointed up tail down they Bob up and down in the ocean so they Can take a Breath of fresh air from time to time. They can stay underneath the water for long time. By the Lack of Visable damage you were not able to see except scratches I read someone say was found the only visible outside damage. But the damage you discovered thats hitting a solid object big one. 99 % of the people I spoke to said sleeping whales.
One in a million collision myself I would have popped a Arial Flair TO Rule out anything other then whales.
I would invest in a underwater light 250000 Candle a led outside lite can be fitted in a waterproof container weight it and get long Roap with 12v power attached toss it over board next time.
You probably will see a Realy pissed whale who thinks his headake was caused by a UFO 🛸 well all jokes aside you are a ufo to whales.
Ok all jokes aside what a experience wish you both safe travels Please check when whales are in transit from Antarctica up to Canada Or up along African Coast you may have Nailed Basking Shark whale shark all Huge Fishy whales.
I absulootly lean on sleeping Humpys.
Take care
Thanks for sharing! We also believe it was a whale, possibly sleeping.
We appreciate the time you took to share this information. We do the best we can to be safe. The world can throw curve balls no matter where you are.
Stay safe out there! Glad you're still here to tell the tales!
🇺🇲🇺🇲👍👍
🤙🤙👍👍
Too many whales, in the ocean.
Who put those there, seriously! Good from far though 🤣
@@SailingSweetRuca Yep, those whales are a worry. Silly things, sleeping just below the surface and not leaving their AIS on.
All things considered, I'd say you were incredibly lucky. This impact could so easily have turned into a 'mid' Atlantic sinking, from water rushing in via the prop shaft seal or, of slightly less concern, the rudder bearing. Not to mention the hull being broadly cracked from impact between a whale's flailing tail and the keel. A friend lost his HR 48 when a whale retaliated after being woken from a good sleep. Smacked his hull with its tail. All over, red rover. Same for Raindancer recently. We chose an aluminium hull with exactly this concern in mind; somewhat less chance of being sunk by a whale. Sheesh! Well done on how you handled the situation, and in particular with the repairs. What a great emergency port to stop in. Fantastic chandlery. Regards, Rick.
Must be killer whale 🐳
:-) very possible!
Where are you guys..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
It looks like the whale pounded your rudder up into the boat a bit. I'm glad it seems the shaft isn't bent. Hopefully no split bearings either. I know you two are a bit behind on comments, it's not really a problem on my end. Cruisers are notorious for not being in contact with people for weeks or months...no biggie. We are setting up the green screen to start the Cat sailing TH-cam channel. Hopefully we can get some of the interesting expressions he does playing. Then do an intro sequence. It may require hanging the green screen behind the boat in our house's yard. I can't seem to fix the engine fast enough to launch the boat at an expected December launch date. That is terrible, but hey maybe the filming season won't be a total loss with the green screen.
Bummer about the engine, but we love the idea of the Cat sailing channel! A green screen for the whole boat? Haha, holy smokes, that is some hollywood level stuff. We can't wait to watch the Bed Pirates first video! The whale definately gave us a pounding, but it is looking like nothing too serious, all fixable.