GUNNING-PUNT RUDDERS 287 



** tough metal " (i.e. a special brass alloy) casting, bored a good 

 fit for A. It will wear better if steel-bushed — I mean "mild " 

 steel; it is not necessary to "skin" or " case "-harden the 

 steel. F is one prong of the brass fork hinged on to E, so as 

 to work vertically. E works about the neck of the rod-bolt, 

 and allows rudder and all attached to swing horizontally. G 

 is a through pin ; H is one of the two connecting rods. The 

 rods link the fork to rudder at K and G. They are kept on 

 the link-pins by collars with fitted taper-pins through. The 

 fork may be of gun-metal or yellow brass, and the other fittings 

 of similar material. I think there should now be little difficulty 

 in following the sketch. Its working may be readily under- 

 stood by reference to view showing rudder lifted. It is not 

 absolutely necessary that the parts be made of brass ; iron will 

 answer ; yet if trouble is taken to make a rudder of this descrip- 

 tion, let the material be of the right kind, so that it may last a 

 long time. Of course it should be needless for me to state 

 that the work and fitting must be good or the rudder will not 

 work satisfactorily. Care should be taken when marking off, 

 to note the exact radius of the fork and position of connecting 

 rods. To describe how the actual fitting of the job is done 

 would, I fear, be out of the present subject ; yet I trust that I 

 may have made the matter sufficiently clear for almost anyone 

 to understand it. If the rudder is to be unshipped at any time, 

 all one has to do is to take off collar B, unscrew nut C, and 

 withdraw the rod-bolt. Any small firm of engineers or brass- 

 finishers would undertake to make the parts. 



As the draught of the motor-punt is much more than of ordi- 

 nary fowling-punts, the lift need only be about 3 in. The tiller 

 and cords may be dispensed with, and a thin wire rope arrange- 

 ment substituted for actuating the helm. Instead of a tiller, 

 the rudder can be fitted with a semicircular rack, which can 

 work upon a pinion cog-wheel (3 in. across the teeth) set parallel 

 to the rudder's vertical movement, and keyed on to the spindle 



