Phenomenal RUDDER!

If it is 17-4 PH it is a very tough piece of metal.

Thanks for the response Steve! It always had me wondering as even Mercury has a high percent steel in their props and it's why they rust and so they don't flex.

Found this online;

"17-4 stainless steel is an age-hardening martensitic alloy combining high strength with the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Hardening is achieved by a short-time, simple low-temperature treatment. Unlike conventional martensitic stainless steels, such as type 410, 17-4 stainless steel is quite weldable. The strength, corrosion resistance and simplified fabrication can make 17-4 stainless steel a cost-effective replacement for high strength carbon steels as well as other stainless grades."

I'm sure cost is still a factor. No sense in wasting money just to say you have Titanium Vs. Stainless.

I think the cost of a Titanium plate is about 5-10X higher than stainless. And we aren't talking about 100 bucks worth of stainless here. probably more like $2000 worth.

I don't know much or claim to be any kind of expert on it but I do know Stainless is soft and brittle.
 
This boat should have its own website.
Amazing project.

http://www.copelandsphenomenon.com/

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Take that back. Serious should set up a section for projects like this and the Outerlimits thread. Good reading.

I agree- one thread for us to comment on; one thread for only those involved with the project to post the story on. Keeps us from cluttering (for lack of better term) the thread with "great job", "thanks for sharing" and so on. Just keeps the story of the boat easier to follow.
 
Most of the fatalaties during prop speed record runs were from rudder failures. Bobby Latham is the only guy I would consider to make a rudder for that job.
 
That's the same rudder system that Bob engineered for my 46 Skater and another one for my Mystic. They work great and really help to stabilize the boat at high speed.
 
That's the same rudder system that Bob engineered for my 46 Skater and another one for my Mystic. They work great and really help to stabilize the boat at high speed.


Ken Warby told me a story about the rudder on his record setting boat cavitating and losing effect around 200 mph, have you ever experienced that on one of your boats Dave? And how do you counteract something like that?
 
The way Warbys boat was engineered if he lost the rudder it would have blown over this from what I have gathered.
 
Ken Warby told me a story about the rudder on his record setting boat cavitating and losing effect around 200 mph, have you ever experienced that on one of your boats Dave? And how do you counteract something like that?

Never experienced any of that.
 
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We were at an OPA event when he talked about it, he said he figured it out, but got distracted before I asked him how, it has bugged me for years :ack2:

Thanks anyhow, and welcome to the board Dave!
 
Ken Warby told me a story about the rudder on his record setting boat cavitating and losing effect around 200 mph, have you ever experienced that on one of your boats Dave? And how do you counteract something like that?

He cut the bottom off with a torch, that may have had something to do with it... :eek:
 
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