Aka Shear Pin Replacement On The Water

Looking this from dry land, I do not see it working very dependably with the straight-up bolt replacement in 3' chop with cold hands.

Fiddling with that little keeper ring? ......... Somebody must be kidding. I had trouble on dry land with warm, dry hands and fingernails intact.

Fumbling with a nut? ........ Still bad....... One fumble or false move and I would expect the nut and/or the replacment bolt to sink out of sight before my very eyes.

I am thinking something not too heinously in violation of the shear bolt's function - but fault-tolerant, easier to deploy, and good enough to get somebody home.

First thing that comes to mind is a Phillips-head screw driver about the diameter of the shear bolt: shove that puppy in and you're done.

But the steel shaft, besides rusting while stored, is now defeating the shear pin concept. ......Besides, you drop it and it's gone to the same place the shear bolt replacement went.

So now we are looking for something that approximates the shear resistance of the stock shear bolt.

Having found that, we cut off a piece 8" long, sand one end to a blunt tip for ease of insertion, and bond a hunk of bright-colored foam over 3" of the other end.

And if we want to be cute, we do something to make it reasonably easy to shove in, but not so easy to come out on it's own accord....... maybe just a diameter such that it has to be jammed in and sticks until yanked out - yet can be pushed out if/when it breaks and another one needs to be shoved in there.

Now we are back to the screwdriver form factor but it floats, stores well, deploys easily, and does not defeat the purpose of the shear bolt.

The Question:

What to use for the rod?

1/4" nylon bolt stock?

Something else?

Some days ago, I read a post by FusionEng about using his engineering tools to approximate the forces involved in shearing that bolt - but can't find it or recall whether he came up with any substitute materials.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

My thought was to get something spring-clip-y so I could just drop in a new shear bolt, then clamp the bottom end of it with said spring-clip. The first thing I saw on my desk was a box of those black binder clips. They come in various sizes, but they're metal so I'm sure would rust quickly and be useless before being needed.

I'm sure I've seen something like this somewhere / somewhen but can't think of where it was or what to call it. Some sort of stainless clothespin-esque clip (with short handles, don't need anything long) that has a groove running across the width of the jaws so it firmly grips the round shaft of the pin?

I got extra shear bolts and have them in my kit, but didn't realize until after the fact I have to order the nuts separately. Of course the currently-installed nut will drop in the water immediately on shearing so it's been occasionally on my mind...

How about using a small zip tie through the shear pin hole?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ere is my post of Jan 14

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I like it.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I think replacing an aka brace shear pin on the water is pretty minor. I do ALWAYS carry my "tool" dry bag with pliers, needle nose pliers, screwdrivers, spare Spectra line, serious zip-ties, duct tape, small W-D 40, Danco silicone grease, spare parts like shear pins (brace & rudder), aka brace ball, split rings, etc. I also carry a Leatherman "Skeletool" tethered to my PFD, and, unless it is a hot day and I'm pedaling with no wind, I always wear my PFD. Now, the ONLY time I replaced an aka shear pin on the water was after my recent capsize (last April) with my new 2015 AI (AI 2). That day, replacing the pin was the least of my problems.

I do replace the pins in my driveway--easy.

Replacing my rudder shear pin on the water--I've never done that, and I hope I never have to. In 2011, Rick Parks did replace my rudder pin on the water. It was on my 2007 AI with the old "twist-n-stow" rudder. The new pin broke within 200 yd--it is a long story. You can read about it here, http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7276&start=150. Scroll down until you come to "Chokoloskee to Flamingo, Feb 8-14, 2011." I hated that "twist-n-stow" rudder, mainly for that reason: broken rudder pins (there were a couple other reasons also.)

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon