Split paddle

[Leighton]

Hi PD's
There has been talk of a split rear paddle on the "Jean" and the
amount of steerage it gives.
With the Spirit of Waikato going to be running on our local Waikato
river which is not that wide but wide enough to turn the rear wheel
paddler around if we have thrusters at the bow.
The question that I have is would a split paddle make how much
difference?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Leighton
NZ

[GJ. Nelson]

This boat can do 180 degree turn and not move an inch.
Same holds true repeated 360 turns. It works so well I
think it could work almost as well with out rudders.

Gary

[Paulrjordan]

Hi Leighton:

The impression I got from a website quoting a skipper of the
original "Jean" was that the ship was highly maneuverable, could spin
round in her own length and go athwart (crab). Now THAT sounds like
a really useful ship in a narrow river...AND UNIQUE too! Who knows
you might even be able to dispense with bow thrusters! Thanks to
Gary's excellent pictures, the rudder arrangement is quite a thing to
behold with it's monkey rudders...the lot! As I've said before, the
quarter wheeler principle fascinates me.

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

[Leighton]

Hi Gary,
Thanks for that info. I need to confirm, we are talking about a SternWheel Paddle steamer and not a side wheeler?
How are you driving the split paddles. One axel inside another?

Regards

Leighton

[Paulrjordan]

Hi Leighton:

If you want to see the quarter (split) sternwheel application in
practice on a full size ship, check out the "La Crosse Queen" which
is an excursion steamer operating on the upper Mississippi. Her
promotional material states:

"She is one of the few authentic paddlewheelers still in operation in
the country today. In keeping with early traditions, she was built
with sternwheels which are her only means of propulsion. The Queen
has a split sternwheel and each is run by a twin diesel engine that
powers hydraulic motors which turn the paddles. The split wheel gives
her greater maneuverability and dependability."

The Website for this paddler is at:
http://greatriver.com/laxqueen/paddle.htm#about

Regards

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada

[Tony Mattson]

On the subject of quarterwheelers I recall that one of the UK model
boat magazines ran a two or three issue serialisation of the building
of a model of a Quarterwheeler African Riverboat at least ten or
twelve years ago - I think the model was called either the Luluanga
or the Luanga.

The modeller used Graupner feathering paddles and powered them in
almost identical fashion to Gary's Jean - the key difference was that
he had a narrow central hull extension which carried the inboard ends
of the paddle shafts. I think that the paddles were powered using
belt drives to brass pulleys on those inboard shaft ends. (I'll see
if I can dig up the details of publication and issues and if
successful will post same to the group.)

Gary, I'm interested in the control of the monkey rudders on your
Jean. I can see the flexi coupling from servo to rudders in front of
the paddles but how did you control the set of rudders aft of the
paddles?

Kind regards
Tony
Auckland, NZ