Looking for advice from Bonanza 35 owners current or previous

[cholubaz]

I am looking at buying a plane next year and I have always had a thing for a Bonanza S35 but the magnesium ruddervators have me a little scared to be honest. I understand that if corrosion is found you are pretty much done and the plane sits till replacements can be had and it's not like you can just call up someone and order a new pair. A used set could set you back $20K or so from what I have been seeing.
Am I too worried about this? Is corrosion on these not that prevalent? What else am I missing?

Cheers,
Chris

 

[schmookeeg]

It's a problem for now.

Get a 33 if it bothers you. There is an aluminum reskin STC for those. They fly the same as a 35.

I've owned an S35, G35, B33, and E33, and flown most of the variants. All nice in their own way. I wouldn't put off buying a 35 over the tailfeather issue, but the "V tail" issues last time haunted the 35s for 25 years and depressed prices. This is gonna do it all over again, so may as well buy with the market reality baked in already.

$0.02.

 

[tawood]

What amazes me is that the lack of magnesium ruddervators hasn't depressed the 35 market that much. Granted, 33s of the same year/condition/equipment typically go for more, but not much more. Compare that to the plummeting arrow market, right after the embry riddle crash, which to me isn't as nearly as big a deal. I'll never understand the used airplane market.

 

[sourdough44]

You could register at beechtalk, they’ll have you wanting a Bonanza of some flavor. I think one is supposed to look at what type of flying is planned, then factor in budget, then look for planes that can do 80% of the flying.

 

[JEB]

Do you like the S35, specifically because of the look of the V-Tail? If so, it sounds like you have a good understanding of the issue. If the plane is thoroughly checked for corrosion and if it's always been clean and has good paint on the tail feathers, then you're fine. You just need to go into ownership with a solid commitment to aggressively protect that magnesium.

If on the other hand, you like the performance of the S35, but V-Tail vs straight tail isn't important to you - after all they fly exactly alike... get an F33, or even better an early A36.

Some of this decision is also driven by budget. The F33 and the A36 will cost more but they will also sell for more in the future.

 

[schmookeeg]

What amazes me is that the lack of magnesium ruddervators hasn't depressed the 35 market that much. Granted, 33s of the same year/condition/equipment typically go for more, but not much more. Compare that to the plummeting arrow market, right after the embry riddle crash, which to me isn't as nearly as big a deal. I'll never understand the used airplane market.

I think it's not as widely known yet. In 5-10 years, even if replacement skins become available, hangar wogs will be speaking doom and dread about the unobtanium tailfeathers and warning prospects away. Just like the Vtail root brace thing.

 

[simtech]

I bought a V35 as the whole ruddervator debacle was starting to surface. I too was scared but I contacted and joined the ABS and talked with Mr. Turner. He informed me that fleet wide the average is about 12 ruddervators need replacing in a year and those are usually on not well maintained aircraft. Biggs is now authorized to repair certain ruddervator problems. Textron has also sold, I believe 12 sets of skins to Biggs. There a a few firms working on a new solution all together. Things are in the works.

So with that, if you are to buy a BE35 make sure the ruddervators are pristine and you will likely never ever have to deal with it. Just don't smash them into the hangar, but hey if that happens, that's what insurance is for.

They are sexy planes, super comfy, and a straight up joy to fly. Take proper precautions before the purchase and you will be fine. Do it!

 

[AlleyCat67]

I bought a V35 as the whole ruddervator debacle was starting to surface. I too was scared but I contacted and joined the ABS and talked with Mr. Turner. He informed me that fleet wide the average is about 12 ruddervators need replacing in a year and those are usually on not well maintained aircraft. Biggs is now authorized to repair certain ruddervator problems. Textron has also sold, I believe 12 sets of skins to Biggs. There a a few firms working on a new solution all together. Things are in the works.

So with that, if you are to buy a BE35 make sure the ruddervators are pristine and you will likely never ever have to deal with it. Just don't smash them into the hangar, but hey if that happens, that's what insurance is for.

They are sexy planes, super comfy, and a straight up joy to fly. Take proper precautions before the purchase and you will be fine. Do it!

That’s an interesting question. If you experienced minor damage on the ruddervators, but that ended up effectively totaling the plane due to parts unavailability, would the insurance company pay the full hull value?

 

[schmookeeg]

That’s an interesting question. If you experienced minor damage on the ruddervators, but that ended up effectively totaling the plane due to parts unavailability, would the insurance company pay the full hull value?

Generally.

There was a report of someone who received an insurance quote and the "hull payout" was apportioned by major component/surface. It was buried in the fine print and amounted to limiting the empennage repair to 20% of stated hull value. Insidious.

I forget who that underwriter was, or where I read about it. It's really a shady way to take advantage of non-skilled insureds. Even pilots who are good at contract language might be slow to realize the purpose of the clause.

 

[cholubaz]

Do you like the S35, specifically because of the look of the V-Tail? If so, it sounds like you have a good understanding of the issue. If the plane is thoroughly checked for corrosion and if it's always been clean and has good paint on the tail feathers, then you're fine. You just need to go into ownership with a solid commitment to aggressively protect that magnesium.

If on the other hand, you like the performance of the S35, but V-Tail vs straight tail isn't important to you - after all they fly exactly alike... get an F33, or even better an early A36.

Some of this decision is also driven by budget. The F33 and the A36 will cost more but they will also sell for more in the future.

The S35 for me in general was the price and speed in that era of Bonanza. I'm looking at it as for my mission and price what's the plane that I would like the most. So for around the $125K range I can usually find a pretty nice S35. I just think it's hard to beat the performance and useful load for the money. That being said I am not married to the idea of that plane. I am always researching other options. Honestly I really like a Comanche 260 as well but there are issues with that choice as well. I know there will be trade offs for anything I buy and that's what I am trying to weigh out.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[cholubaz]

I bought a V35 as the whole ruddervator debacle was starting to surface. I too was scared but I contacted and joined the ABS and talked with Mr. Turner. He informed me that fleet wide the average is about 12 ruddervators need replacing in a year and those are usually on not well maintained aircraft. Biggs is now authorized to repair certain ruddervator problems. Textron has also sold, I believe 12 sets of skins to Biggs. There a a few firms working on a new solution all together. Things are in the works.

So with that, if you are to buy a BE35 make sure the ruddervators are pristine and you will likely never ever have to deal with it. Just don't smash them into the hangar, but hey if that happens, that's what insurance is for.

They are sexy planes, super comfy, and a straight up joy to fly. Take proper precautions before the purchase and you will be fine. Do it!

Thanks for the insight! The thing I like about that specifically is that if I find one and the ruddervators are perfect I can feel pretty confident they will continue to stay that way. I live in Phoenix where it's very dry so corrosion should be less of future issue I hope.

Cheers,
Chris