Ocean Going sternwheeler Monkey Rudder design for RC

[grumpysumpy]

Hi all

some "kind" gent from our club noted the i love paddlers and gave me an old stern paddler that was built by a now deceased member. he said that it would be nice to see it on the pond again....that's right I got sucked in....it was rotten but after stripping back the 3 ply stringers abd balsa planks, replacing the 2 aft bulhheads, the challenge became doable.  asking around the club, they all remember that it was fairly unresponsive to rudder input. the original fitment has twin monkey rudders fwd of the wheel.
have a couple of options here - increase the size of 2 balanced rudders and/or add another fwd rudder approx 150mm from the bow.
 the paddler has no keel except for a  centreline wedge 280mm long 20mm wide stopping 30mm short of the transom.

any other ideas???

hull length 860mm loa 1040mm draft 50mm beam 200mm paddle dia 165mm orig rudders unbalanced 40mm deep x 80mm long

[kurlander]

Is there room for a bow thruster?

[grumpysumpy]

hi kurlander
no i hadn't even given it a thought.
thanks for your input.
i have reservations about using a "modern" device but...............

[mogogear]

Good luck and nice looking paddle tug in your avatar!!

[grumpysumpy]

thanks greg

first try at a scratchbuild.
very pleased with the outcome

[kurlander]

Bow thrusters are not a modern idea. The boat I am building  "Delta Queen " had to have one when it moved from San Francisco to the Mississippi River Valley in the late 1940's so that it could do the many turns on all the rivers it traveled. Six rudders could not turn it fast enough in swift waters and avoid all the new sand bars popping up.