No Rudder ?

[Papa Fritas]

Can one effectively control the direction of travel sans rudder - but with a small outboard motor attached to a mount?

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Papa Fritas

Can one effectively control the direction of travel sans rudder - but with a small outboard motor attached to a mount?

If you are using the engine - yes if you can steer the engine

if the engine is not running - no. unless you have attached a rudder like device to the skeg!

[Papa Fritas]

Ok great

[dennisail]

Only under power, or possibly under sail while motor sailing if your boat is trimmed perfectly. I broke the wire which allows me to lower the rudder on my trailer sailer while sailing. When sailing downwind or on a broad reach with little to no weather helm I could steer with it on full throttle. But on a reach it would round up and any attempt to counter it with the outboard just caused cavitation.

[klem]

There are many ways to control the heading of the boat. Generally people trim their sails or start the engine and simply use the rudder. An engine can be used to steer when it is in gear, when it is in neutral and not producing thrust, the skeg is not large enough for steering. In adverse weather or with poorly trimmed sails, the thrust of the engine will not be enough to overcome other forces and the rudder is required. Other ways to steer are by changing sail trim and moving weight around the boat.

It is all about balancing forces. As long as you can balance them using whatever necessary (sails, hull drag, rudder, engine) you can steer.

[SkiprJohn]

On small boats you can steer with an oar or the outboard or in the case of really small boats and just going down wind you can steer with the daggerboard.
regards,

[Jon Sims]

It's always good to try things on your boat when the weather is more clement and learn, espeically how to trim and steer without a rudder. It can be a lot of fun playing with sheets and some of the results you get may surprise you.

[maxingout]

Yachts vary significantly in how they fare without a rudder. Some have a great deal of directional stability and can be steered rather easily. Others lack directional stability, and in a seaway, they will be unmanageable in terms of steering.

When we crossed the Atlantic, there was a 44 foot monohull yacht with a fin keel that lost its rudder in the middle of the Atlantic. The yacht eventually was abandoned because it was impossible to jury rig a rudder that would control the yacht.

My Westsail 32 had lots of directional stability, and the same is true for my Privilge 39 catamaran, despite the fact that they are extremely different designs.

[SkiprJohn]

Oh, and in small boats weight to one side or the other will head the boat up or let if fall off so that's another way of steering.
regards,