Rudder angle indicator

[bob daily]

Just installed a rudder angle indicator on my R21EC the Scuttlebutt

 

[Smokeyham]

Thanks for posting that. I think having a dedicated display for that would be very helpful.

 

[Smokeyham]

Can you tell us what make of rudder indicator you used?

 

[bob daily]

Amarine-made 12-24v about $30 from Amazon, sending unit was about $20

 

[Kimberly Dawn]

I have a love / hate relationship with Tugnuts... I love it for all the information you can gather on so many topics from a wealth of knowledgeable boaters with first-hand experiences and willing to share them... I hate this forum because it's my time sink, just the reason I have avoided Facebook!

So, from the "More Observations - R23" post, there was a link to a YouTube video "back and fill", which had a single screw maneuvering b&f video, which showed a simple, gravity style rudder position indicator by Davis that mounts to the center of the steering wheel. Available from Amazon Prime for $25 USD.

I have GOT to go mow the lawn! Today!

Bob & Kim
The Doghouse 2

 

[cstpt]

I have found the Davis Rudder Indicator works well and looks good. Pic is in my album (2_8)

 

[TexasEye]

The DAVIS Rudder Position Indicator works great with direct cable steering. It does not work well with Power Steering as the centre wheel position drifts constantly making the gravity rudder position indicator useless. The electric is the way to go if you can't feel the rudder. I like knowing my rudder position when in close quarters.

 

[bob daily]

I looked at the davis unit and after looking at the reviews and remarks from user's I chose to go with the electrical unit. For the R-21 owners you know there is no room under the fuel tank where the rudder is to install the sending unit, so to solve this problem I used the other end of the steering cable and made a bracket to attached the sending unit. Power is attached to the key so unit is only on when motor is running and attached the lights to the running lights. Used it for the first time during my fishing trip this last month and loved it worked great! Also spent about 10 days fishing in dense fog and didn't spend the entire morning trolling in circles.

 

[cstpt]

After reading a number of poor reviews I considered it likely that I would not be happy with the Davis model, but decided it was worth a $25 gamble. It has exceeded my expectations. As pointed out, it does not work equally well on all steering systems, but on the 21EC it is just fine to visually determine which way the rudder is pointing and to stop short of turning the wheel hard over, where it sometimes resists coming back. It has white lines to the right and left of the centre indicator which are just about right for maximum turn.

In general, Davis products don't offer the most sophisticated solutions, but they tend to be workable at quite reasonable cost--I feel that everything I've bought from them offers excellent value.

 

[cstpt]

BTW, can someone point me towards the instructions for including a pic from my album in a post. I didn't see it in the FAQs.