Scheurer Bootswerft AG is a specialist ship builder based in Nidau, northwest Switzerland. The company has built A-Cat catamarans for regatta around the world for around 40 years. The A-Cat sailing class, often abbreviated to A-Cat, is a development class sailing catamaran for singlehanded racing.
“We are one of five or so producers of A-Cat catamarans in the world and typically build up to ten catamarans for sailing enthusiasts and professionals every year,” explains Aron Steinmann, CEO at Scheurer Bootswerft. “Our customers appreciate our Swiss quality and attention to detail, along with our close relationship with them to constantly evolve and develop our catamarans to further improve speed and performance.”
A reliable high-strength stainless steel fastener solution
Scheurer Bootswerft has used high strength BUMAX® 109 screws to fasten its catamaran rudders since 2017. An A-Cat catamaran has two rudders, and each Scheurer Bootswerft rudder is secured with two BUMAX® 109 screws.
“We originally used standard stainless steel A4 screws to fasten the rudders, but as the rudders come under very high tension when turning through the water at speed, we found that these screws were bending and eventually breaking,” says Steinmann. “Even a small bend in these fasteners can alter the angle of the rudder, which reduces performance. Importantly, the high-strength BUMAX screws can cope with this high tension to keep the rudder at the correct angle while maintaining corrosion resistance in saltwater environments.”
Scheurer Bootswerft has also found that BUMAX fasteners can cope with sudden impacts, for example when the rudder hits debris in the water.
“The screws fastening the rudder are a simple but essential part of the catamaran as their failure can be the difference between winning or losing a race,” says Steinmann. “They simply cannot be allowed to fail.”
Enabling Scheurer Bootswerft’s new rudder system
“Our latest rudder system that further improves speed is unique in the world and BUMAX is a key part of this system,” says Steinmann. “We intend to continue to use BUMAX screws as our A-Cat catamarans further improve and evolve in the future.”
