: Hi Reg,

: Congratulations. The new boat looks great.

: Have you had enough time on the water to get an idea of how your
: skeel is working in relation to a skeg?

: JR

Hi John,
I used the system in the prototype from May to September, have it in my Grand Illusion, it is standard on all of Sterlings kayaks, so it is well proven. What I don't know is how well it works on hulls that have designed in a lot of keel to lock up the stern.

The logic behind this is that kayaks pivot from the lowest point and are controlled and corrected by pulling the stern in behind the bow, (stern draw) so a stern skeg only hinders the situation. Rudders belong in the stern but not skegs. If you look to sailboat design you will see that they are also dealing with the wind forces above and the water forces below.

I am totally confident that this is the way to go. Hope this helps.

Reg