A Smarter Rudder?   by Greg Wolf

  When maneuvering a vessel in tight quarters, a quick visual reference of your rudder angle is very important. A Collision could jeopardize the safety of your passengers or of people on the dock. It could also damage your boat, your outboard motor, and your pride. Luckily for us, technology provides a solution.

  A rudder angle indicator is a device which monitors your rudder's horizontal position. It is often referred to as a 'rudder reference gauge', 'rudder locator', or a 'rudder position indicator'. We took a look at several different types of rudder indicators and reviewed them for you in this article.

  The first type we reviewed are gravity-driver rudder locators. These simple devices attach to your steering wheel and use gravity to pull a needle downward as the gauge moves in synch with the wheel. These units are inexpensive and easy to install with no cabling or drilling required. However, we found that these rudder locators are inaccurate and unreliable.

  As the boat rocks from side to side, the needle will swing back and forth making it virtually useless in choppy water. Another problem is that many times the rudder will not turn to the exact calibration of the wheel due to varying hydraulic fluid pressure.

  The second type of rudder indicator we reviewed operates using a mechanical arm. Mechanical arm rudder locators are the most common type on the market. They consist of a dashboard gauge and an arm (often sold separately) that connects to your rudder or outboard motor. Arm-driven units like the Wagner Rudder Locator come stand-alone or as a part of auto-navigational systems such as the Navitron Rudder Indicator. A downside to these devices is that in some vessels the rudder moves further in one direction than another, this cannot be read by the mechanical arm. Otherwise, these units are accurate and reliable. They are somewhat pricey though, ranging from $350-$2000 and typically require expert installation.

  Last but certainly not least, we reviewed cable-driven rudder locators. These units are available for both in-board and out-board motors. A company called SmarTrac inc. has a patent on the system with their product the SmarTrac Rudder Locator. For this device, a 'sending unit' (potentiometer) is mounted near your rudder or outboard motor. A cable is then pulled from the sending unit and attached to your rudder linkage with a plastic tie. A three conductor cable transmits information from the potentiometer to the dashboard gauge. The unit is easily programmed to match the specifics of your vessel. Accurate, inexpensive ($199), and easy to install, this new technology is making a big splash in the boating electronics market.

About the Author

Greg Wolf is an editorial electronics writer and web designer from Cleveland, Ohio.