Rudder setup left or right whats best

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BullDogRacing

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
297
Gaday Guys

I'm in the proses for rebuilding a drop sponson 1/8th hydro the last bloke who set her up had the rudder on the right side same as the turn fin and is on you tube and ran ok .

But I always built mine over the past 20 odd years with the rudder on the opposite side to the turn fin so the rudder always had clean water to run in.Now I didn't really want to be drilling a new 16mm hole in the transom to have the exhorst running out the right side so I got to thinking <_< <_<

why is it we scale boaters build with the rudder opposite side to the turn fin but the rigger guys build with it on the same side ????.

my first sport 40 that I built had the rudder on the same side as the turn fin i thought that is how its done and it ran like a tether boat tuned great but i was told by the sports boat builders at the time the rudder should be on the left when looking at the transom since then thats how i done them till i got this one to rebuild .

So whats your thoughts guy horse's for course's

thanks Brad ????
 
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why is it we scale boaters build with the rudder opposite side to the turn fin but the rigger guys build with it on the same side ????.

I believe it is because the real boats have their rudders on the left side. But their boats turn to the left. Our boats turn to the right so therefore I feel that they are being put on the wrong side. My last Sport 21 along with other sport boats had the rudder on the left side and I had a lot of problems with the boats spinning out if I really crank a lot of rudder in the turn. I feel the rudder helped push the right sponson down along with the turnfin and caused this problem by lifting the rear of the boat out of the water. I moved the rudder to the right side and the problem has almost went away. Now I am working on some new turnfin designs with less bite.
 
Gaday Guys I'm in the proses for rebuilding a drop sponson 1/8th hydro the last bloke who set her up had the rudder on the right side same as the turn fin and is on you tube and ran ok .

But I always built mine over the past 20 odd years with the rudder on the opposite side to the turn fin so the rudder always had clean water to run in.Now I didn't really want to be drilling a new 16mm hole in the transom to have the exhorst running out the right side so I got to thinking <_< <_<

why is it we scale boaters build with the rudder opposite side to the turn fin but the rigger guys build with it on the same side ????.

my first sport 40 that I built had the rudder on the same side as the turn fin i thought that is how its done and it ran like a tether boat tuned great but i was told by the sports boat builders at the time the rudder should be on the left when looking at the transom since then thats how i done them till i got this one to rebuild .

So whats your thoughts guy horse's for course's

thanks Brad ????
Hi Brad, I built a boat this last year with the rudder ofset 1" to the right of the centerline of the hull. I only got to run it once in September. With the rudder end point adjustment set at 60% the boat turned shaper than I wanted it to. The bottom of the skid fin is over 6" from the centerline of the hull-pretty sure it was running in clean water. Good luck, Glenn
 
Gaday All

Thanks for the feedback so far :)

But keep them comming as im going to go with the magority rule :)

Thanks Brad
 
Gaday AllThanks for the feedback so far :)

But keep them comming as im going to go with the magority rule :)

Thanks Brad
If its on the right leave it. If i were building id put it on the left, it has worked good on all my sport boats. Turning a 15 pound scale packing lots of air the boats seem to like the left rudder setup. Some boats might not be bothered by snapping a hard turn but scale boats tend to need some slide that you control with rudder turn fin setup..
 
I used to run all my scale boats with the rudder on the left so it held down the right sponson in the turns. Since I am now using cupped turn fins to hold the right sponson down, I mount the rudder on the right. The problem with the rudder on the left is it makes the boat blow off the water when you make a left hand adjustment because it pushes down on the right sponson and the left sponson lifts, thus blow off! Torque is trying to lift the left sponson as it is. With the rudder on the right, when you turn left, pressure is put on the left sponson to help keep the boat from blowing off the water, so you can make left turn adjustments easier without fear of blowing off. Hard left turns are a non no, but rudder on the right works better.
 
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Thanks also for the replies to this question. I'm minutes away from heading to the basement to work on my Sport 12 and was about to move the rudder from the right side to the left. I guess that I'll put it back on the right. Besides, the holes are already drilled.
 
Right Side. Keep THE EPA throw down just enough to stay in lane one. The Left EPA to change lanes.

Bob
 
Even the full scale hydros have been split on what side to use. Most current winners in the unlimiteds mount the rudder on the opposite side of the turn fin.

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I always went with the theory you don't want the rudder fighting to turn near (or in) the same trowel left by the the turn fin, thats why my record setting 8ths stay opposite. ;)
 
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Their is a multiple of reasons for putting the rudder on the oppsite side of the skid fin. All good ones! Another very important one taght to me by Ron Jones sr. is that the boat will track straighter if they are on opposite sides. as well as giving the needed stability in the turns. Distance from the proppeller plays a big roll as well. you want the blade in clean water and the leading edge of the blade must be square to the bottom no matter what the position of it is. full left or right. thus the importants of a perfectly square transom.
 
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