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Home >> Technical >> Tiller Universal Joint
Thanks, Peter.  Brand new 2020 boat that arrived in Texas last winter.  My 11 year old Ronstan battlestick UJ is still going strong on my Weta trimaran, so long lives are possible.

Can't really consider it a quality escape because inspection wouldn't have revealed the void/delamination.  As I was a reliability engineer, I'm going to say infant mortality on a time vs failure bathtub curve.  Rather than geek out further about Weibayes and Weibull analysis, I'll just say these things happen.

Scrambling to find a replacement.

Thanks for the link.



Reply
30/03/2021 19:31:00
Larry
Posts: 2
Hi Larry,
Congratulations on your new RS Aero and welcome to the Class!

Sorry to hear that, that is unusual.
Those joints are usually good for over a few years sailing and have a much improved life over what they were like in 'the old days' a long time before RS Aeros. When they do finally deteriate you can normally spot it before they break.
I wonder if you have been unlucky with a duff one or perhaps it has suffered being left in the heat in Texas? (or worse still UV?) 
I would not let it put you off replacing with the same, 2700 other RS Aeros are using them.

TopTip #75 describes the benefit of training that joint to assist your sailing;
https://www.rsaerosailing.org/index.asp?p=forum&fid=13&tid=9106



Reply
29/03/2021 23:57:00
Peter Barton
Posts: 4628
I took delivery of a new RS Aero last week, #3311.  While rigging it for the first time in my driveway this morning, the Selden CA0015 elastomer flex joint broke when I rotated the tiller extension from one side to the other.  Looking at it under a 10x loupe, there appears to be a thin void or delamination adjacent to what I believe is the failure initiation point, a roughly 7mm circular segment toward the aft outer diameter.  I'm thankful it was too gusty last Saturday for a first sail.

Weird first post.  Curious if anyone else has experienced this.



Reply
29/03/2021 21:08:00
Larry
Posts: 2


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