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Re: Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg
By:Dave Houser
Date: 6/29/2011, 3:05 pm

: Hey John, good advice from kurt told me to listen to everything
: that you say since we seem to have the same style of paddling
: (aquanaut over nordkapp) so... after looking into your website I
: noticed that you had done a fixed skeg on your Night Heron. This
: is the same Idea that I have for my Guillemot. I built a quick
: fixed skeg and hot glued it on the other day, at the aft edge it
: was 3/4 of an inch as it was a left over scrap strip, and this
: seemed to improve the tracking more into the range that I am
: after. I would be interested if you had more pics or info on the
: way that you did it in order to blend it into the hull better
: that just a 3/4 tall tapered into the the keel line chunk of
: wood that looks like it doesn't belong. My e-mail is
: d_gnr@hotmail.com.

: Thanks in advance

: dave g

I'm not John but here is my 2 cents worth that might even be worth a nickel. Adding a skeg to a kayak alters the kayak’s paddling characteristics in two ways. It makes the kayak harder to turn and it reduces its weathercocking (even to the extent of causing it to leecock). You should take that kayak out in a crosswind to confirm the skeg is sized to your preferences. If it leecocks make the skeg smaller, if it weathercocks too much make the skeg bigger.
Dave

Messages In This Thread

Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg
dave g -- 6/28/2011, 8:27 pm
Re: Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg
Dave Houser -- 6/29/2011, 3:05 pm
Re: Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg
dave g -- 6/29/2011, 7:20 pm
Re: Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg *PIC*
dave g -- 6/29/2011, 7:43 pm
Re: Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg *NM* *PIC*
dave g -- 6/29/2011, 7:44 pm
Re: Seeking: John Caldeira info on fixed skeg
Bob Johns -- 6/29/2011, 8:55 pm
fixed skeg sizing
Dave Houser -- 6/29/2011, 8:01 pm
Re: fixed skeg sizing
dave g -- 6/29/2011, 8:25 pm
Re: fixed skeg sizing *PIC*
Dave Houser -- 6/30/2011, 1:44 am