We undertook a full refit of our sailboat in Thailand back in 2014, but ten years later encountered the most challenging sailboat repair we’ve faced since owning SY Esper.
Once more, hauled out at Medana Bay Marina, we had to sort out our steering issue, which we believed was being caused by the rudder. The only way to be sure was to take the rudder off and check…
Could removing the Rudder be our most challenging sailboat repair?
We started off by trying to lever the rudder and knocking the rudder stock from above. But nothing moved.
At this point, we were beginning to wonder if this really would be our most challenging sailboat repair of all time, it certainly felt like it!
So, in week two we asked our mechanic, Hendro, to make up a steel collar to fit around the top of the bronze fitting. Which he did, in between all his other jobs. This, of course, delayed things further because he’s always in big demand. It ended up taking a week to be made.
Then, in Week 3, we spent most days whacking the fitting to budge the rudder. This sounds easy enough, but we couldn’t afford to damage the bronze heel, so it took a careful balance of brute force and gentleness.
By week four we had achieved absolutely nothing. So we rolled up our sleeves and put our thinking caps on. Here’s how it went down:
Navigating Challenges: A Stubborn Rudder and a Lombok Haul Out
It seems like every time we haul the boat out of the water, it’s for a job that turns into a much bigger saga than we ever anticipated. This time, in the beautiful Medana Bay, Lombok, was no exception. What started as a plan to address a steering issue quickly spiralled into a multi-week battle with a stubborn rudder.
A Lesson from a Fellow Sailor: Tackling a Tough Job
Before we even got started, we managed to get in touch with our old friend Ben from sailing yacht Samira. He had the same problem with his Oyster 435 and had to remove his skeg. He confirmed our fears, saying it was one of the worst jobs he ever did on his boat. He had to use heat guns and described it as an “absolute bastard of a job.” Seeing him decked out in a full protective suit in the past, we knew we were in for a tough time.
Haul Out Day: Preparing for the Lift
It was haul-out day, a process we’ve become familiar with. The system here involves a tractor and a hydraulic trailer, which is a fascinating operation to watch. We provided a detailed breakdown of how it works in a video last year, if you’re interested in the details.
Line Preparation: The Key to a Smooth Haul Out
Whether you’re hauling out or just coming into a marina, preparation is everything. What we like to do, irrespective of the situation, is to have lines ready on both sides of the boat. This might sound like overkill, but the unexpected can always happen. You may think you’re tying up on the port side, but a last-minute change, a gust of wind, or a strong current can push you sideways.
My strategy is to have lines ready at each corner and also amidships. The fore lines stay forward with Liz at the bow, ready to throw them first. The lines at the back are brought forward so they can be handled from the cockpit. This saves one of us from having to run to the back of the boat at a critical moment. Even though we weren’t docking, we put fenders on the port side just in case, as that’s where the jetty is.
The Haul Out: A Slippery Start
The day was a bit rolly, but manageable. However, our first attempt to get onto the trailer wasn’t successful. We were aware that we had gently touched the bottom the last time, so we were trying to avoid that by going in slowly. Unfortunately, going too slowly meant we didn’t have enough steerage, and a bit of swell pushed us sideways.
On the second attempt, we succeeded. There was a lot of shouting, mostly from me, but the yard crew was fantastic. One man stood with a giant pole, expertly pushing the stern of the boat into position. We soon discovered the problem: there was a lot of sand under the trailer, causing it to slip. The strong currents here constantly change the beach’s contour, so the crew must blast the slipway with water to clear the sand before every haul.
The Rudder Removal Saga
Once we were safely on the hard, the real work began. The main reason for this haul-out was our rudder. After loosening the steering cable, we noticed some concerning lateral movement in the lower hinge, indicating that the bearing needed to be replaced. To do that, we had to drop the rudder completely.
Week 1
We discovered that to remove the rudder, we’d have to drop it, angle it, and disassemble it from its hinges. The rudder stock goes all the way up to the deck, so there’s a lot to move. Peter, the yard manager, had the boat positioned with the bow angled two degrees down to give us more clearance at the back.
Weeks 2 & 3
This is where the real struggle began. Up to this point, we had tried levering the rudder and knocking the stock from above. In week two, we had a steel collar made to fit around the bronze fitting to try and whack it with more force. We spent most of week three hitting the fitting with brute force, trying not to damage the bronze heel. It did absolutely nothing.
Week 4
Four weeks in the boatyard, and nothing had happened with the main job. We realized that the problem was the epoxy in the bronze shoe. It was holding everything in place like cement. So, we began the painstaking process of removing it. We tried heating it, pouring acetone in, and slowly chipping away at it.
It’s been a challenging and frustrating job, turning into one of the biggest nightmares we’ve had since owning the boat. A huge thank you to everyone who has offered advice, including the folks on the Oyster owners’ forum, our friends Ben and Belle, and of course, our mechanic Hendro, who has been scratching his head right along with us. The work continues, but that’s boat life for you.
To find out what we did next, watch the video…
- 00:00 Preparing lines for haulout
- 01:55 Hauling out (at Medana Bay, Indonesia)
- 03:35 What should we do about the anitfoul?
- 04:30 Checking the hull and prop
- 07:50 Removing the rudder: Week 1
- 09:02 Removing the rudder: Weeks 2 & 3
- 09:30 Removing the rudder: Week 4
- 10:34 Removing the rudder: Update
- 12:41 Another Oyster 435’s solution
- 14:13 We begin cutting…
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