Efficient maneuvering and navigation across the vast blue ocean is one of the main goals when sailing a ship. That's when the rudders kick in. Basically, a rudder is a sheet of material (mostly metal) that is attached to the stern of the ship, so that it can be moved to redirect water flowing through it, ultimately causing the ship to turn.

Types of rudders

Depending on the usability and size of the boat, different shapes and arrangements of rudders must be employed on various types of ships.

--1. BALANCED RUDDER

In this type, the rudder plate joins with the rudder stock only from the top. About 40% of the rudder plate is in the bow and the rest is in the stern.

--2. UNBALANCED RUDDER

This type of rudder arrangement is typically seen on most heavy boats. But nowadays these are replaced by semi-balanced rudders because of their wide range of capabilities.

--3. SEMI-BALANCED RUDDER

This type of arrangement makes use of balanced and semi-balanced types of rudders. The upper part of the rudder is hung again from the stern post. However, the bottom half of the rudder is attached in the same way as the balanced rudder, meaning, 40% of the plate is attached to the bow side and the rest is to the stern side.

--4. SCHILLING/FISHTAIL RUDDER

The rudder is designed so that the tip of the rudder is in the shape of a fish tail. This shape helps speed up the water more and therefore improves maneuverability.

To put it as simply as possible, the rudder is a device that is the part of a ship's steering gear that is fixed at the stern of the hull, or the stern just behind the propeller.