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Originally Posted by goldorak
I would answer if I knew the differences in performance between the two types of ruder. 
But based on a purely estetic point of view I choose cruciform configuration.  |
There's definantly some collness to the X form. Its a sexy design.
To sum up the performance differences in a quick nutshell, one could basically say that the X form produces more turning power and thus improved manueverability, but is mechnically more complicated and operationally more complicated. A cruciform gets less turning power, but is simpler.
Cruciforms are pretty inuitive to operate, just at a glance, and in the situation where a computer goes down, or for whatever other reason, the ship needs to be steered manually on manual control it can be done pretty successfully. The X form on the other hand, is more complicated, and in the event of a systems failure, would be a nightmare to control.
One could go into more detail about the why's and ifs of each design but that about sums it up. I chose the cruciform.
Oh, and I'm not sure how easy it is to stream a tow array through an X form rudder... :hmm: