: I listened to Joe Greenley, Pete Rudie, and others and decided to make it a
: better paddling kayak by adding a fin.

: I sanded down the bottom of my kayak and added the fin by bonding on many
: thin strips of ash. The first one was bonded with epoxy to seal the boat
: separately from the fin. The rest were glued on with wood glue. Then I
: went wild with the dremel and carved my fin.

: I fiberglassed the fillet transition with the hull, and I added a piece of
: glass roving on the bottom edge for protection like I did on my paddles.

: THE RESULTS: Prior to adding the fin, my kayak was looser than my friend
: Cid's Guillemot 18. Since adding the fin, I went paddling several times
: and now it tracks GREAT. The wind and waves now have NO effect on where I
: want to go. When Cid and I were on Spada Lake a few weeks ago (after fin)
: I would point the kayak at a spot across the lake and it would just go
: that direction. I would be looking sideways at Cid talking about whatever
: and when I would look forward again I would still be right on track. The
: kayak is a lot more fun to paddle now. Cid's kayak is now looser than
: mine!

: So now when I do want to turn all I have to do is tip it on the edge and it
: turns great (not quite like a guillemot, but not far off either).

Placing the skeg farther forward will give you tracking no matter how big the waves are, and leaning your boat won't get the skeg as far out of the water, so it will remain relatively stiff-tracking. Farther forward is closer to your lateral center of resistance, so it won't affect tracking as much as farther back.

Placing the skeg farther aft may result in the skeg being lifted clear of the water if you're on top of a wave.* Leaning your boat, however, will clear the skeg of the water, and your boat will maneuver more with a paddle stroke. Farther back = better tracking.

Deeper = better tracking

Shallower = less tracking.

Shallower and longer (like Dale's) has about as much tracking as deeper and shorter, but that's more prone to damage.

*This isn't necessarily a bad thing. You're most likely to get broached in waves, and being able to swing back on course with a single stroke is valuable...having to fight your skeg with multiple strokes could be a pain.

Shawn