In the preceding three chapters we’ve exam-
ined standard rudders in detail: how they are
sized, their forms, the strengths of rudder and
stock, installation considerations, steering
systems, and considerations for optimizing
performance.
Naturally—as you would expect with any-
thing so vital—a host of inventors and gad-
geteers have dreamed up all manner of
spanking-new and improved steering gizmos.
Some of these brainstorms were downright
silly, but others—though they might seem
peculiar—are worth a close look. Though con-
ventional rudders will and usually should
serve the needs of most average boats, we’ll
examine a few unusual and useful rudders
here.
Ring-Form Rudders
Rudders from the Kitchen?
A long time ago a British admiral (Admiral
John G. A. Kitchen, to be precise) sat down to
design an improved rudder. He wanted vastly
enhanced steering at low speed (maneuver-
ing and docking) plus great simplicity. In fact,
the rudder he came up with not only works
but also completely eliminates the need for a
reverse gear. The year Kitchen’s patent was
granted was 1916. You would expect—if it
was so good—that you would be surrounded
by Kitchen rudders by now. Instead, they’ve
been virtually forgotten. Heck, I seldom meet
someone who’s even heard of them.
THEKITCHENSETUP You can see from the
illustrations in Figure 13-1 how the Kitchen
rudder is set up. Basically, two half-circles
(somewhat conically shaped) surround the
prop in a ring (not unlike the Kort nozzles
seen on some tugboats and trawlers). Instead
of a single vertical rudder blade aft of the
prop, the entire ring rotates in unison to
steer. This actually slightly improves water
flow into and out of the propeller disk,
enhancing efficiency a bit. You can slow
down by cutting back on the throttle in the
usual way, but the Kitchen rudder offers an-
other remarkable option: Each conical half-
circle pivots aft, ultimately closing with its
mate behind the prop. Half-closed, for
instance—without touching the throttle—
reflects about half the prop thrust forward
(allowing half the wash still to flow aft)
and effectively puts the boat in “neutral.”
Fully closed gives you a solid, reliable
reverse—fully steerable. What’s more, there’s
no unpredictable walk to port or to starboard.
In reverse mode—at docking speeds—the
Kitchen rudder acts like a true stern thruster.
In the late 1910s or early 1920s, the U.S.
Navy performed trials on a 38-foot (11.6 m)
launch fitted with a Kitchen rudder. They re-
ported that from 10.4 knots, this vessel could
Unusual and Special
CHAPTER 13 Rudders: High-Lift Rudders
