Spent a little time looking at the water rudder connections and decided to just eliminate one rudder… never needed more than one on any other float plane… then do a standard pull-pull connection to the other. It’s all rigged now. Looks like this:
Kept the eyelets on the end for adjust-ability and used Kevlar thread for the runs just because I had a small amount on hand that was probably not enough for anything much larger. I haven’t tested it yet so will have to get back with update #3 with a report after a field test… or is that pond test?
Looking forward to Update 3! I too am frustrated with the rudder system as is. My turning radius is so big I have to wait for cross wind to get me around turns…sometimes even making three lefts to make a right. Let me know how the single rudder works for you!
Thanks for posting…good to know its not just me.
Kevin, hope you enjoyed update 3. I think it is a useful and much more robust way to handle the water rudder connection.
I just finished my beaver and don’t like the water rudders either. I was thinking of several ways to make it better. I like what you did. My plane came with extra string and eyelets what are they for ?
Bill,
Are you sure they are “extra”? You need one for each rudder (total 2) if you rig it up the way FlyZone recommends. If they gave you four, perhaps they have seen the light and given you the parts you need to rig it up for a dual pull-pull setup! Hope you enjoy the Beaver. I’m either going to sell mine while it’s still in good shape OR I’m going to do some mods like planting a flap servo in each wing panel to ease assembly. Now that I have the Carbon Z Cub, I have a feeling that the Beaver is going to get even less flight time.
These are 2 strings about 12″ long with 3 dbl. ended eyelets, 1 at each end and 1 in the center of each string. They kinda look like a figure 8 with a long stem in the middle. The eye opening is just the right size for the screw that mounts the float spar. I am going to use them as pulleys and run a string along the under side of the fuselage down the spar and back to the water rudder via the float . I will then run a 2nd. string in the same way from the other side of the rudders for return center pull. If I can figure out how to download pictures on this site I will do so