Some view rudders as a self fulfilling prophecy in that if they are up (out of the water) the wind will catch that surface area and make it so you need a rudder. I have used both types of boats and it all depends on the paddler and conditions. Shawn was right, it is too often used as a crutch to compensate for poor paddling form.

My advice is to start without a rudder and see how she does, but built into your boat the required backing in the stern to add one later if needed.

: Hi Warren, Depends on whether you're going to install the rudder as a crutch
: or as a tool. Will you really need the rudder?

: If she wants a rudder for steering, then forget it. Have her take a few
: classes and learn to steer with paddle strokes. You don't need the rudder
: for this use (crutch).

: For dealing with quartering seas, and confused chop, or confused winds, a
: rudder may or may not help. The Guillemot is a very maneuverable boat, and
: sometimes maneuverability is more of an asset than strong (rudder-induced)
: tracking in keeping a relatively straight course in large seas.

: For dealing with weathercocking in less-confused seas (water is flat, but a
: big wind has kicked up) then the rudder may be just the ticket. Set the
: rudder angle to negate the weathercocking and paddle straight ahead.

: If you're looking for a boat with more tracking (straight-line speed in calm
: conditions), then the Guillemot is probably not the boat you want. (I
: know, kind of late to tell you that, but the boat isn't built yet). The
: Great Auk might be the boat you'd want to build in this case.

: If most of your answers point you to not needing a rudder, then just build
: the boat normally. If you exhaust all the other options and still want the
: rudder after a year of paddling, then just install it right on the end of
: hte boat. By the way, have you ever considered a skeg?

: If you do intend to install the rudder initially, consider what type of
: rudder would you install? Feathercraft aftermarket rudder, or handmade? If
: it's an aftermarket-type rudder you might install, then I'd recommend
: making your stern form and inner stem more of a dog-leg with a 3"
: long skinny vertical surface, rather than tapering both to a point, like
: the plan shows. I think a tapered line would look better than a transom,
: but it's just my personal preference. If you want to build a handmade
: rudder, look at the rudder Nick put on his Fast Double.

: I hope I don't come off as sounding rabidly anti-rudder. They definitely have
: their place, but they're also frequently used incorrectly, which leads to
: some pretty bad habits and inefficient paddling.

: Shawn