REVERSING RUDDER

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 95, 16 January 1920, Page 7

REVERSING RUDDER

« , j A BRITISH INVENTION. I Tho development of Ginall fast motor - crnft has forced llio attention of in- - venlors to two points —the .improvement of steering and of the process of going astern. The ordinary tiller, is not. altogether satisfactory as to tho first point, and the usual clutch system is most unsatisfactory .'is to the second. By the reversing rudder recently introduced by ' a British company both actions are ac- ' complishcd by the one simple mechanism. If one imagines the ordinary 'helm split in two longitudinally and each half curved so as to give room for tho propeller to revolve inside it, one gets a fair general idea of the arrangement. : When tho two curved blades lie square, 1 one on each side of the propeller, they ! keep tho boat straight ahead. When both are moved in Hie same direction they steer the boat, giving a more rapid • and efficient control than- the ordinary helm. Again, if both halves are moved ! back so as to form a kind of cup bci. hind tho propeller, (hey reverse tiho,forward push of Hie propeller and thus translate iit inlo a sfrong propulsion astern, The engine, of course, is allowed to run all the time in the same direc- ' tion, so that no reversing.chitcii is necessary. So powerful is the reversing action that if it bo applied suddenly wTien the boat'is going at full speed, those 6Ti board find it advisable to hold tight.