Larry Shulman
11-14-1999, 06:03 am
In repsonse to a claim of failing to post a response, I have not been in this forum and not sure how it posted here. Anyway, my rudder failure ( the one in a million, or the invented failure) was repeated by another boat built within a week of mine. This boat was in flat seas, motoring under 2000 rpm and had lost the rudder in the same fashion, no grounding, no snags, no bent post, no hull marks or damage. My feeling is that this rudder was built improperly and the process of building it was flawed. I am not sure how it is foamed or fiberglass but the design has been proven over time so the failure must be related to the factory's actual build of it or something in the material used. Either way although I now have a "new" rudder, I will not sail the boat until another rudder is installed with some form of failsafe design that will prevent this type of error from happening again. Short of a fire or penetration of the hull, this is a safety and quality of life failure. One cannot enjoy the water if they are consumed with the possibility of this type of random failure. This should never have happened, not once or twice. Anyone who would like more details of the situation can call me at 516.694.2034. I will also give you the 2nd boat owners name and number upon getting his ok on this. The dealer and Catalinal have worked hard to get me back online and I appreciate the effort, but more is needed to bring back my confidence. I came from a 40 foot Island Packet, and my month on the Catalina has brought more fun to my sailing than I have had over 5 years on the IP, but the reliability is a real issue. I hope they do the right thing here. Larry Shulman