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chris1234

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  1. When I do my report, if the overwelming view among the canal boat community is that the KR would be unsuitable for the job, then it would not make a good business opportunity. So all the responses, even the negative ones are helpful. The info on other parts of the canal network, like the BCN, is useful as I don't have any first hand experience of it.
  2. I am studying Mechanical Engineering with Industrial Management so part of my dissertation is going to be on investigating the potential business opportunities for the Kitchen rudder. So far I see that there is concern over weed fouling and its strength if it hit anything, and this would put people of wanting one but its beyond the scope of my project to redesign it or test this to see how bad it is and how it could be improved. I am analysing the current design my supervisor has on his canal boat and trying to improve it using Computational Fluid Dynamics. The clamshells are straight around the propeller and then point inwards after so for instance varying the angle at which they do that would be something I will look at. The main aim is to try and reduce the force required to hold the Kitchen rudder closed when manoeuvring. After I have come up with my conclusions he may fabricate another improved rudder to replace it but that is up to him.
  3. True if you did hit something like a brick wall the clamshells would probably bend and need replacing. The danger of hidden objects could limit its usefullness in certain places. I think though it could be designed to dislodge and come off the skeg rather than break to make repairing easier. It is something I will think about. One of the concerns my supervisor had about the Kitchen rudder on his canal boat was the forces required to control it, at certain angles they can get quite large. Still manageable, but one of the sections of my project is to do a Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis of it to see if changes in the clamshell design can reduce them.
  4. Lord Kitchener sorry. He died on a warship and I forgot his title. I'm not sure how far he goes without asking him but I think he mostly stays on the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal.
  5. Thanks for the replies. I'll try and answer some of the points raised. My project supervisor has a canal boat with a kitchen rudder fitted to it and has not had any problems with weed fouling or things getting stuck in it. So I think the problem may be a bit over exaggerated particularly on well maintained waterways. Also the bottom of the clamshells is not lower than the keel of the boat so anything big would hit that first and a mattress or similiar would be to big to get sucked into it. If something did get caught in it you could still have a "weed hatch", and close the rudder to gain better access to to propeller. A good thing about the kitchen rudder is that while maintaining a constant engine speed you can adjust the rudder to move forwards and backwards at a speed slower than the idle speed of the engine. Also the clamshells can be turned whilest closed for sharper turning. In theory you could turn the kitchen rudder and then open and close it to "row" around tight bends although I would not have thought that you would need to. The document below in the link contains more information about the Kitchen rudder and its inventor. It is a common misconception that it was Admiral Kitchener and not John Kitchen that invented it. http://www.scribd.com/doc/22985018/Kitchen-Rudders-Their-Inventor-and-Some-Applications
  6. I am a final year mechanical engineering student and my final year project is based on the Kitchen rudder. To do some market research to find out if the Kitchen rudder presents a viable business opportunity, could anyone who owns a canal boat, narrow boat or other inland waterway craft please fill in the questionnaire via the link attached. It is 8 multiple choice questions so it should not take too long. Thanks https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uD9nFlbveynFKJm9r9VS_ZIMRcigkBzq2NipwIny4xM/viewform
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