Rudder Mount Failure

[Yessup]

I wonder what SPBFAN thinks about this. I remember he also damaged hid udder several months ago.

[thtrog]

I wonder what SPBFAN thinks about this. I remember he also damaged hid udder several months ago.

I think it's healed by now....

[kerlee]

If the previous owner is lying and hit something, it would of had to be a left side rudder impact. If he hit a curb or speed bump it would of broke through the front of the plate if he backed in to something. If hit from the bottom (speed bump) the plate would of broke through the back. So my question if how can you hit something make no marks on the rudder and have it break through right side?

I was thinking it may have not been a "hard" hit at all but a bump or tap when backing up at a slow speed (ie. hit a curb or retaining wall), stopped and then pulled forward. Just enough to break the rudder mounting seal, heck moved it a 1/4 or an 1/8th of an inch. Maybe the driver did not even realize it. Then over the years, the rudder mount finally caved in as it was weakened.

Is your bow stop movable? As I alluded to with a previous boat I had, the tongue weight was initially too heavy, so they moved the bow stop back. They moved it so far back that the tongue was too light and you could literally pick up the tongue with two fingers, then they had to move it forward, it took a couple of tries but they got it right. I forget what the recommended tongue to boat/trailer weight ratio is.

[Yessup]

I think it's healed by now....

Rudder

[Thomas Hohl]

Ahhh, just get it fixed and go out and have fun. Nobody is going to be able to "armchair quarterback" this thing from their home computer. If it was hit, it was hit. All you can do is fix it and move on. In reality, whats your time worth? Spend your spare time on the lake, which is why you bought the boat in the first place.

[da.bell]

Good luck. That doesn't look like you had an enjoyable time out.

[Fuh Sho]

I cant belive this is on page 4 already............

[goose69]

Ahhh, just get it fixed and go out and have fun. Nobody is going to be able to "armchair quarterback" this thing from their home computer. If it was hit, it was hit. All you can do is fix it and move on. In reality, whats your time worth? Spend your spare time on the lake, which is why you bought the boat in the first place.

At the shop as we speak. We have put 90 hrs on boat since november. My son was practicing 1 1/2 a day. A now he is practicing behind a moomba and he says the wake sucks!

[goose69]

I was thinking it may have not been a "hard" hit at all but a bump or tap when backing up at a slow speed (ie. hit a curb or retaining wall), stopped and then pulled forward. Just enough to break the rudder mounting seal, heck moved it a 1/4 or an 1/8th of an inch. Maybe the driver did not even realize it. Then over the years, the rudder mount finally caved in as it was weakened.

Is your bow stop movable? As I alluded to with a previous boat I had, the tongue weight was initially too heavy, so they moved the bow stop back. They moved it so far back that the tongue was too light and you could literally pick up the tongue with two fingers, then they had to move it forward, it took a couple of tries but they got it right. I forget what the recommended tongue to boat/trailer weight ratio is.

I could see you point if it was broke all the way around, but the left side is not. Yes the bow stop is moveable and when i get it back i am going to adjust that.

[Domsz06]

I could see you point if it was broke all the way around, but the left side is not. Yes the bow stop is moveable and when i get it back i am going to adjust that.

make sure the bow stop is not loose, and by loose with that boat on it what appears tight could still be loose enough to move when trailering. I'd be curious if the bow stop came loose or moved a bit over the years, was not knoticed and something was tapped....

good luck.

[Iwndr]

Good luck with your repairs Goose, Sorry that your season was interrupted,
Hopefully your shop will beat the timeline.
The main thing now is to get your son back behind a boat whose wake does not suck

[talltigeguy]

Goose, thanks for staying calm despite there being a lot of naysayers here. You have showed some class for sure.

I think your trailer is jacked. It might be my imagination, but it looks like the bow is too high on the trailer and the boat is projecting slightly skyward. Almost every boat I have seen the lines of the trailer and the rubrail are parallel. When the bow stop moves forward, does it also go down? It looks like it might.



Like you probably, I have roamed these discussion boards heavily for many years and have never seen a spontaneous failure like this. What we do know is your trailer is jacked because it does not protect your rudder. We also know that the prop guard has sustained a hit bad enough to bend it. Draw whatever conclusion you can from that.

[talltigeguy]

I wonder what SPBFAN thinks about this. I remember he also damaged hid udder several months ago.

SBFan hit a big rock in Lake Mead. His was not a spontaneous failure. Whole different story. In fact, I think he commented how glad he was to be in a Tige because the bottom was very thick and he might have ended up on the bottom of the lake if it hadn't been so thick.

[ajholt7]

Is it my imagination or do the bunks actually get higher toward the front? If so adjusting the bow stop won't help.

[jwanck11]

If the boat is sitting flush on the bunks, the length of the bunks, I do not think that moving the bow stop will make a difference.

Are any of the bunk risers adjustable? I do agree that you want your boat forward and parallel to the trailer as long as the tongue weight is proper. This is probably something that a trailer shop ought to address.

If nothing else, you will have greater protection for your rudder.

As for having the rudder/prop guard hit hard enough to bend - I am not sure where this has anything to do with the damage. Mine has been munched (both wheels on either side of the guard are toast) and it never got anywhere near the rudder.

Lastly, backing into something and hitting the rudder would likely have the reverse damage than what is pictured.

If the Boat sat on the trailer and the bow went skyward at some point, I would think it is possible for this to have had an impact to the structural integrity of the glass.

In any case, thanks Goose for your calm approach to this and best of luck getting her back on the water soon!