Thanks for the comments. Very interesting. I would rather avoid the complexity of a moveable skeg. Adding a bit more on the stern sounds like an good compromise.

: Hey Rick,

: If you like the Guillemot "L" go for it. You're not much bigger
: than I am and the "L" is a nice kayak. I don't go out in open
: water - my paddling is small lazy rivers so I don't get in much wind. I
: built the Guillemot for my wife and the "L" for myself. When all
: was said and done the "L" tracked considerably straighter than
: the Guilly 17' which took a fair amount of paddle correction. Anyway, to
: make a long story short, After my wife tried out my boat she wanted me to
: fix hers. All I did was add about 3/4" more depth to the outer stem.
: Now her yak tracks slightly straighter than mine in a side wind. A very
: simple correction.

: If you build the "L" (or I suspect pretty much any other design)
: and you want it to track really straight all you have to do is add a
: little extra to the outer stern stem. Let it start at nothing about 5'
: from the end of the boat and drop it down 1/2" - 3/4" at a point
: just before it comes up out of the water. Then bring it back to nothing at
: the tip of the stern. Very easy to do while you're building it.

: The kayak on the bottom is my wife's Guilly that I added to the depth of the
: stern stem. Maybe it will give you an idea of what I'm trying to say.
: Sorry but its the best pic I have of the fix.

: Happy yakin'. More pics at the link.

: Charles.