with you on this one

[Red_Hamish]

Hello all, and Mick, I'm agree with you all of the way as to your suggested imporvements and will keep you updatas to how much ballast she'll need to take it down to the proper waterline. The rudder should be a simple affair. Would you suggest independent motor control or go with one motor and a decent gearbox setup?

cheers

Jim

[mjt60a]

Well, (and this is what I intend to try on my current model - and I do mean TRY as I haven't done it before... I'd use two motors connected to one speed control. I'd have a seperate servo for the rudder (which he doesn't have in Modelboats, relying on motor control to steer...) Each motor would have it's power supplied through a 'microswitch' on one side of the steering servo so that at (for example) full turn to port, the port motor will be disconnected (in my case, will have a large resistance connected in series with it) to assist with the turn. You could even have the polarity switched  to reverse the motor.
A I said, it's what I intend for the Freshwater model, I haven't tried it yet but the theory is sound, I think  :?

[Red_Hamish]

Well Mick your reasoning is sound. My concern on a model as short as this is if you only had one paddle thrashing the water would this not lead to a tendency to inversion at a rapid rate : I can understand the slowing down but not the reversing of drive. I am quite happy for the tug to have a W  I  D   E  turning circle as I do not intend do any serious towing with it. Well certainly not the QE2 (joke) it is too big for anything without at least a 2 1/2lb bollard pull. and certainly having a rudder or even a pair of rudders working off of one servo should do the trick.

The glueing up started tonight with Skeg being laminated and Stempiece and Bulkhead 3 in position. Oh I can hardly wait ...

cheers

Jim

[Eddy Matthews]

Just so we can keep things tidy, can we move to the "Drive Systems" area, or the "Construction" area (depending on the subject) for future posts please.

It just makes it easier for members to find info later....

[mjt60a]

...My concern on a model as short as this is if you only had one paddle thrashing the water would this not lead to a tendency to inversion at a rapid rate....

Well, in the article he says it handles exceptionally well using the paddles alone to steer so I imagine it wouldn't be any worse....
....it would have been good to discuss this in 'drive systems' or 'construction' - in case anyone else is thinking of using such a system of control or building the tipstaff, is it possible to transfer it there?

[Eddy Matthews]

....it would have been good to discuss this in 'drive systems' or 'construction' - in case anyone else is thinking of using such a system of control or building the tipstaff, is it possible to transfer it there?

Consider it done Mick :-)