Saga of the Bluenose II Continues — Schooner’s New Rudder to Cost Another Million

bluenoseiicbcFor the last few years, we have followed the sad saga of the “rebuilding” of the schooner Bluenose II.  The latest development involves the replacement of the existing steel rudder and steering system at an estimated additional cost of $1 million Canadian.  The project, which began in 2009, is many years behind schedule and significantly over budget. The original cost has grown from $14 million to a projected $25 million.

While the project is referred to as rebuilding or repair, it is, in fact, the construction of a new schooner. The old schooner was largely put through a wood chipper and a new schooner was built with new keel, frames and planking as well as more modern scantlings. The previous Bluenose II was a replica built in 1963 by the Oland Brewery, which was given to the province of Nova Scotia in 1971.  The original Bluenose was a fishing and racing schooner built in 1921 famous for winning a series of fishing schooner races in the 1920s and 1930s.

Remarkably, Bluenose II, the new rudder will be the third rudder design for the new schooner. The original design was for a wooden rudder and rudder stock. Late in the construction of the schooner, the Canadian government brought in the classification society, the American Bureau of Shipping. In order to meet classification requirements, the wooden rudder and stock were replaced with a steel rudder and stock. The new rudder was too heavy to steer with traditional steering gear, so a hydraulic steering system was installed. The newer heavier rudder never worked properly, suffering bearing and hydraulic failures.  As reported by CBCNews: “A consultant’s report released Thursday by the Nova Scotia government, the current rudder is so heavy it is adding strain to the schooner’s hull — which could eventually change the shape of the vessel and ultimately reduce its lifespan.

When the coming sailing season is over, the plan is to replace the steel rudder with a wooden one or one that is made of a composite material.  That new rudder is expected to cost up to $1 million to design, build and install.

To attempt to put these costs in perspective, the Bluenose II cost $300,000 Canadian to build in 1963, which is roughly $2.3 million in today’s dollars, or about one-tenth the $25 million which the new schooner is ultimately expected to cost.

Comments

Saga of the Bluenose II Continues — Schooner’s New Rudder to Cost Another Million — 10 Comments

  1. Facts Jack. Project ended in 2012. Rebuild term was used by media only. Classed as new. Old planking was sold as souveniers, interior sections reused, deck hatches reused, spars reused. Some old rotten frames burned. Would love to see the chipper that can take a 300 ton schooner 11,000 fastenings and all. ABS never said steel rudder required. No bearing failures. New Columbia cost $30,000,000 Cdn. They had trouble with their hydraulic steering. Has a steel rudder along with a dozen other Class A sailing vessels.

  2. Very disappointed to here the money spent and the choices made by so called experts. I being involved in boat building, ship repair from all angles for 35 years. It’s even more disappointing to look at my 111 year old Nova Scotian schooner sitting in my back yard waiting for a refit which I do not have the money to restore. She is part of the history of the Bluenose II. She was the schooner owned by the Oland family who built the Bluenose II. I can only imagine the Oland family sailing her in Nova Scotia and Deciding to build the bluenose II. I hope some day if I have a fraction of the money spent on the bluenose I could restore the oldest schooner in Nova Scotia with my 6 year old daughter and continue the tradition and have a wonderful girl at the helm.

  3. Facts? How about these? The schooner was launched in 2012 but didn’t go into service until 2015, which was limited by rudder failure. The rebuild and refurbishment terms were also used by the government of Nova Scotia and by the shipyards themselves. ABS requirements resulted in the choice of a steel rudder. The cost of the Columbia has not been made public. In any case, comparing the wooden replica to a custom steel yacht is odd. And yes, the Columbia has a steel rudder because she also has a steel hull.

  4. I don’t see how a composite rudder could cost 1 million. I just can’t get my head around that. Why can’t the Gougeon bro’s donate the material and consult on fabrication? Or some other fabrication business? Like an aircraft composite fabrication company? But even if the Bluenose II group had to pay the full shop and install price 1 million sounds nuts.

    Ron

  5. I agree, Ron. One million dollars to build a new rudder and steering system is nuts, but then so is the overall price tag of $25 million. The Pride of Baltimore II, a schooner of roughly the same size, cost $4.5 million in 1989. In today’s dollars, that is around $8.6 million.

  6. 2012 and 2015 both accurate. ABS insisted on upper steel post only otherwise why would they say wood is ok now. Columbia builder stated cost of $25m US on local news interview in Lunenburg. Highlander Sea. Wooden hull steel rudder.

  7. From the link I provided: “It would be difficult for ABS to approve the use of a wooden rudder blade given the complexity of fitting a wooden blade to a steel stock. It was decided to move forward with the current design of a single steel blade rudder.” Bottom line, the whole rudder design has been incredibly mismanaged.

    The Columbia is a steel hull. “Eastern Shipbuilding Group has launched Columbia, a steel hull replica of the historic Gloucester Fishing Schooner.” It is also a rich man’s yacht, not a strictly a replica of an early 20th-century fishing schooner. Replica of Columbia Launched 91 Years Later.

  8. If you read the Lagan report you will see a steel upper rudder post did not need to be used. In fact the only change required from the 1963 version was to make the rudder post an inch or two bigger in diameter which is nothing. Eventually the bad decisions will fall in the right lap. John Steele nailed in a letter to the editor today.

  9. According to the Nova Scotia government, the rudder stock would have to have to be almost doubled in diameter. From the previous link. We can agree that the engineering and management of the project were definitely lacking.

    “It was determined that the diameter of the rudder stock required by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) would be 21” as compared to the 11” stock that was used previously. Since accommodating a 21” stock would require significant revisions to the vessel’s hull structure, it was determined that a steel stock would be better suited to fulfill the ABS requirements.”

  10. In the end and rudder aside the vessel is well built and will be around a long time. My hat is off to the builders in Lunenburg who at times put themselves out there to keep things moving forward. I hope they are still around in 50 years when this comes up again. 🙂