Re: [Paddlewise] A Rudder Experience

From: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 06:47:12 -0500
Gerald wrote;

>
>Do you think many designers actually choose whether to balance the hull
>design to be neutral with the rudder deployed, rather than with it up?
How
>would you do that anyway?  Wouldn't small variations of the load
>distribution change the result.

I cannot speak for other designers but I calculate the stability roots
using a formula I devised for canoe design about eight years ago. Since
canoes don't use rudders getting it right is pretty important. Having said
that, I should point out that stability roots seem to be most useful from a
relative standpoint and one has to have a design that tracks well as a
starting point for comparison. Failing that, having access to a tank with a
rotary arm can be useful.

>I prefer paddling my Solstice GTS without its rudder deployed.  It is only
>under certain conditions of wind and chop that the rudder is a real
benefit.
>I think that I am happy with the balance of the GTS with the rudder up,
and
>am willing to pay the penalty of having the  bow blow off a bit in a side
>wind.

As I think I mentioned in another post, reducing the area of the rudder
will probably cure the lee helm problem and giving it an airfoil shape will
make it work better anyway.

Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/

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Received on Fri Nov 20 1998 - 04:40:07 PST

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