Reply With Quotei ran one for all of 10 minutes before i floated over a rock bar and broke it off the pump. I've just grown accustomed to oversteering at slow speeds. Doesn't bother me a bit.
well, so far it looks like more pro's than con's on running the rudder. im pretty sure im gunna get the small rudder atleast. the safety factor alone made the decision for me. as for breaking it while trailering, i havnt hit the large rudder i have now so im sure ill be ok with the smaller one on the place diverter. mine now is plastic and have never had a problem with it. thank you so much for the advice and oppinions.
i ran one for all of 10 minutes before i floated over a rock bar and broke it off the pump. I've just grown accustomed to oversteering at slow speeds. Doesn't bother me a bit.
are the place diverter rudders prone to breakage? i have the stock large plastic one on a JC pump. i think the place ones are aluminium.
they are prone to snapping off because they are made from cast aluminum which is quite porous (sp?). The old ones were made from brass i think which is much more flexible.
I use what could be considered a very large rudder on my 69 Tahati,Berkley J A/B and remove it for towing. On and off is quick and easy to do on the ramp, and while I'm doing it the plug, or lack of the plug is right in front of my face. The rudder is part of my launch routine..Moneypitt
I had the one from American Turbine on mine and It definately helped steer my Edge at docking speeds...especially for my wife. I just replaced the droop snoot and diverter to a place setup ....and I will probably buy theirs too...And, rudder on /off had no effect on top speed on my boat
so... should I be running a skeg on my Mercury SportJet?
Oh yeah, I do run a rudder; it's called a gas pedal...
LO
I have only owned one of these jets so far and mine does not have a rudder. I find it hard to believe that the rudder provides any help whatsoever with a jet application. With a fixed prop boat, water is being diverted left or right by the rudder. With a I/O or whacker boat, the prop provides left or right. With a jet its the position of the nozzel. All of these boats are in reality directed left or right by propulsion whether it be past a rudder or the direction of the propulsion. The idea that a rudder will save you if you lose power seems wrong to me by experience. I have some rather dramatic small boat experience from my time in the coast guard. I have always experienced that a boat with a decent sized rudder that is up to speed and loses power will barely do more than wag its ass left or right according the steering input. The boat comes off plane and usually does nothing more that swing left or right. The boat will always continue in the general direction you were pointed after your off plane regardless of where the rudder is. The small rudder usually seen on a jet has always seemed to me as a novelty and nothing more than a feel good to the folks that are used to a prop boat. I don't mean to get anybody fired up here. This has been my experience.
A reference: Once on Lake Crescent out in Wa. State, a guy in an open console 19' or so Boston Whaler decided to put his bow to us and drop the hammer.(and outboard boat) We were in somebody's personal little 16' skiff. Mr. Dumbass rolled back the throttle and cut the wheel. The Whacker died out, came off plane and ran up on top of the boat I was in and slid back off before we took on water. All of this while the wheel was cut hard and Mr. whacker was shitting his drawers. A whacker has much more affective rudder surface area than any jet I've ever scene.
I will say that I am highly experienced at dockside manueverablility. This boat of mine is as menueverable as any single drive boat I've ever ran. I personally assume that the jet boat rudder is a trinket item however must admit again that I haven't driven one yet. So I'll say that it certainly "could" offer a difference.
Here was one of my boats while in Wa. St.
[ June 26, 2003, 02:33 PM: Message edited by: Back Forty ]
Havasu on a holiday weekend.
Posting Permissions