How many steps are too many?

[Meniscus]

How many steps are too many? You be the judge:







Maker's dimensions:

Middle hull
length: 450mm;
width 60mm;
height 56mm;

Side hulls
length: 176mm goint to 210mm;
width: 30mm gointo to 40mm; the tests will show is 40 better than 30 and then I will decide.

Overall
length: 495mm --> 529mm;
width: 283mm;

Clean work though!

[Eodman]

Don't know about boats but............ when my heart is pounding 120 beats a minute & I can't breath that's enough steps for me!

[Rumdog]

Not sure how steps would help on the tub of a rigger anyhow since it shouldnt be riding on the water.

[Darin Jordan]

Not sure how steps would help on the tub of a rigger anyhow since it shouldnt be riding on the water.

I'm with you, Rumdog..... Looks like just a lot of additional weight in the tub to me...

If that part of the boat is touching the water, you've got issues that steps aren't going to solve...

[m4a1usr]

Steps on the hull are a waste of time and material. At least on a rigger. On the sponsons thats another story. Ride pads are the key to most setups. Those should be considered steps. How many are too many? I dont know the answer but you should have at least one set to minimize surface area.

John

[Simon.O.]

As many of you know I am an out of the box thinker and like new ideas and will often trial them.

That rigger with a pile of steps is a weird one to me.
I can understand the anti trip that is on some hydro sponsons but a rigger tub needs to have a smooth bottom. It is in the air after all.

I am happy to be convinced otherwise, but for now I'll leave the steps off my riggers. My cats however have all sorts of strange steps.

[Meniscus]

LOL, I found it a little humorous and perplexing, but I'm not going to judge other's effort. Especially if they are taking the time to try different things in the hobby. I just wish that the builder would be able to add his input regarding his thought process behind the design. For all we know, it was made to be a joke, a shelf queen, or even made for someone else who provided the specifications. I suspect the latter.

Nice hover action though in the pictures!

[NativePaul]

It should have a better holeshot than the average rigger with that tub, personally I don't spend long enough shooting from the hole on a sport run for it to be worth it and racing for that size hull round here has a mill time so its not worth a tinker's cuss there either, but I have had a very fast accelerating cat racing with riggers in the past when we didn't have a mill time and know the value of getting to the first buoy before the others avoiding all the trouble and making them pass you on the outside if they can.

If his racing doesn't have mill starts I can see it being an advantage, the steps will be out of the water when underway and I can't see the aero drag making up for having clear water and a tight line.

[Simon.O.]

Paul I can see your point there about racing, I do not race so can not comment a lot.
As for holeshot. Both my riggers, the small one in particular are up on the prop in about a second. The big rigger may take 2-3 seconds max to get to full flight.

I just can not see the value of the steps but am keen to hear why they are there on this hull.

[RandyatBBY]

The steps are good for big boats that have to run wet. With the steps you can loosen the boat up some. I have tested some on hydros at the saw's and it made little differance. But in a Oval appclation on a big hydro it does help to get threw rough water and still be faster.
Just my .02

[Cat-Boi]

steps produce lift, 2 sets usually on offshore, but I do not see it helping on a rigger bottom unless you need lift in that area.

[RandyatBBY]

steps produce lift, 2 sets usually on offshore, but I do not see it helping on a rigger bottom unless you need lift in that area.

Ya I was not talking about Cats, But is cats steps cause the boat to hook in oval trim, that is why I do not use them much on my cats. But I feel that the steps or shingles in a 45 inch sport hydro will make it faster and more stable in the long run racing.

How much good this will do no a little rigger remains to be seen.

[Meniscus]

Good input guys. I understand what you all are saying about rough water. It would be interesting to know what advantages/disadvantages are achieved.

[Gerwin Brommer]

Lift in the back of a rigger is created by the shape of that part of the hull.
Playing with the shape of the bottom of the strutt is another way.
And the choice of the right prop, of course.

The whole tub has some "V" in the bottom.
Once the hull is out of the water, that shape is an disadvantage regarding lift.
The "square/flat" upperdeck pushes the back downwards.
That's my humble opinion.