Rudder placement on Hydros & riggers?

[Diegoboy]

I hate to disrupt the flow of great advise by posting here. , I'm just reading & absorbing now.

[GregS]

The rudder on my BBY Zephyr hydro I put on the right as per the instructions. I do not having handling issues related to steering with it.

Greg

[Jeff Wohlt]

Rudder on right on cambell with Fuller wdge....no issues.... but I am also not running 50 mph in oval trim.

[teach]

Rudder on right on cambell with Fuller wdge....no issues.... but I am also not running 50 mph in oval trim.

One of my favorite people in my club would tell you just add more voltage!

[Diegoboy]

It's not unanimous, but the majority seem to agree.

[Ub Hauled]

........But this makes the boat far more sensitive to turning left, and most hydros will respond to excessive left rudder by rolling over.
.

Thanks Jay, that solves one of my problems
My DH just does not like turning left... if I come out of a corner and overshoot
the straight line, I spend the whole straight away trying to correct it, sometimes
she spins out if I am not careful... not a good.

[tharmer]

When I had that spin out problem with my 1/10th scale Pak, it was too much angle on the turn fin. The less angle on the turn fin, the more right rudder you can use before it spins.

I set my hydro so that it has a click or two of right trim (remember, I turn the wrong way). This ensures that if I over steer a corner a bit, it will straighten itself out without me having to add any right rudder.

-t

[Ub Hauled]

When I had that spin out problem with my 1/10th scale Pak, it was too much angle on the turn fin. The less angle on the turn fin, the more right rudder you can use before it spins.

I set my hydro so that it has a click or two of right trim (remember, I turn the wrong way). This ensures that if I over steer a corner a bit, it will straighten itself out without me having to add any right rudder.

-t

I knew about the severe turn fin angle spin out syndrome, there isn't too much of it right now (at least on my hulls)... I think "the rookie" Jay nailed it.
I personally don't like to have my rudders compensating for any off vector tendencies, I'd rather find out what the problem is and deal with it at the source.

[Diegoboy]

I took a lesson from this thread and mounted my Renegade rudder on the right!
Cross your fingers for me!!

[Mad Hatter]

The left side of the boat is known as the port side (I don't now why), the right side is known as the starboard side. I have been told that this came from the words "steer board" that's where the helmsmen steered the vessel in Viking days. Most of the 1:1 hydros I've seen had there rudders on the right, most of the crew doesn't know why. Some say it just makes it easy to pull the prop and/or shaft. Frankly I don't think that dual ruders make bad sence. Whatever floats your boat! -Ken-

[rearwheelin]

Putting the rudder far to the left - which you can do with most hydros due to their wider transoms - gives it more leverage to "load" the right sponson, helping to keep it down in the turns. But this makes the boat far more sensitive to turning left, and most hydros will respond to excessive left rudder by rolling over.

Riggers are usually lighter, wider and have lower CGs than full-bodied hydros, so loading the right sponson is far less critical - prop torque from the big wheels they spin usually does enough of that. The hooked turn fins in use today also make a big difference holding the sponson down in turns. Putting the rudder on the right works fine and reduces the usual problems with applying left rudder. Too, the rigger transom is so narrow that little is gained with a left rudder placement anyway.

I've run the rudder on the left and right of the same hydro hull and saw little if any difference. That boat had a pretty narrow transom however, and a wider transom might have seem more difference. Whatever you do, don't put the rudder right behind a surfacing prop. You'll get poor tracking, hunting and excessive drag....and too much rudder response.


.

This ! lol.... fingers crossed lol

[nitro ned]

I rely on pivot angle between rudder and turn fin to determine position on my hydros. I aim for 17 to 18 degrees and is the sweet spot on all my hydros. Some require a left side placement and som a right side placement. Usually depends on size of boat and width of transom. I avoid placement behind the prop for hydros as the rudder is in too much disturbed water

[Mad Hatter]

I was simply stating tradition. Riggers obviously are a different breed, indeed! Of course you will want to place the rudder and/or turn fin where they need to be to get the boat to hook/bite! This is how you win races! Like I said whatever floats your boat! Just find the perfect setup for making right hand turns and tell me what it is. I won't be in the boat (it's r/c) and I won't feel the feel the G forces. -Ken-

[grsboats]

Since I've started to run "riggers" in the mid 80's all of them have their rudders in the rightside working great,never tried in the left.
Gill