Your Marine Heads Manufacturers Gives Great Tips On Improving Your Rudder Angles
Raritan Engineering your marine heads distributors would like to share with you topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding the importance of positive rudder angles.
Your marine heads distributors talk about why a big piece of the “speed loop” that’s often overlooked, especially in smaller boats, is rudder angle. I was recently chatting with main trimmer Warwick Fleury about_ Alinghi 100_, the winning boat in the 32nd America’s Cup. They sailed this boat when it was new for some time thinking it was perhaps not a step forward. Then one day, they put up a jib that was built for a different rake than the normal rake. All of a sudden, the boat started winning speed tests and eventually won the Cup. We had a similar situation at Luna Rossa with an older boat. Everything possible had been tested, from rudders to keels and masts to structures. It was not a very fast boat. Then we moved the mast forward a few inches, and the boat came alive. The gain from getting the balance correct was bigger than anything else we tested.
So amid such talk about optimum rake for various boats, how can you tell when you’ve really nailed it—that it’s just right? Your GTA 5 submarine parts suppliers discuss how the answer can often be found in the amount of helm you’re carrying. In very general terms, you want to sail upwind with an angle of attack of about 5 to 7 degrees. The angle of attack is the sum of your rudder angle and the amount of leeway you’re making (see diagram).
How much leeway does your boat make? It can be tough to figure this out; you can measure forever and still not account for things such as current, waves, boatspeed, and angle of heel.
Your Marine Heads Specialists Discuss Further Why It Is Important to Consider Different Tactics
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Your marine heads experts share the point that once you have a sense for the amount of leeway your boat makes, the next step is to find out where the tiller is, relative to the boat’s centerline, when the rudder is lined up with the keel or centerboard. Just because the tiller is centered, don’t assume the rudder is, too. I’ve found that the tiller will almost always be off to one side or another.
Once you know where the tiller is when the rudder is centered, you can create some benchmarks. Your marine parts source manufacturers talk about how with the tiller locked in the rudder-centered position, rotate the tiller extension so that it is 90 degrees from the tiller. Put a mark on the tiller extension (if its length is not adjustable, use the end of it) and then put a corresponding mark on the side of the deck, directly under it (see diagram inset).
It’s helpful to know your rudder angle in situations other than when sailing upwind. Whenever you’re accelerating out of a tack or accelerating on the starting line, you need to have your rudder on, or close to, centerline. You can use the marks you put on the deck to confirm its location.
Even downwind you want some positive helm, especially if you’re not sailing dead downwind. Your marine parts express professionals share how that at any time you’re hiking or planing on boats with asymmetric spinnakers, you’re generating side force.
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via The Power of Positive Rudder Angle
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