Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Strip: Retrofit rudder for Guillemot
By:JohnAbercrombie
Date: 6/10/2017, 4:50 pm
In Response To: Strip: Retrofit rudder for Guillemot (Phil)

Is a rudder really a must if I'm paddling with other rudder equipped kayaks?

It really doesn't matter who you are paddling with; you want your boat to go in the desired direction with a minimum of fuss, even (or especially) when paddling solo.

It depends entirely on the way your boat behaves in wind and waves. If your boat needs a lot of 'course correction' strokes, it can burn up a lot of energy that can be put to better use propelling the boat forward, and a rudder can help.

In my limited experience there are different kinds of 'rudder boats' - boats that need the rudder to go straight ('track') and boats that need the rudder to make them turn. And there are boats in between those extremes.

Many boats can be made to 'behave' in windy conditions with a skeg.

IMO, a rudder is usually easier to retrofit than a skeg, and you don't lose cargo space with a rudder.

Perhaps other owners of your boat design can give advice, and the designer (Nick) should be your first source for information.

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Retrofit rudder for Guillemot
Phil -- 6/10/2017, 12:44 pm
Re: Strip: Retrofit rudder for Guillemot
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/10/2017, 4:50 pm
Re: Strip: Retrofit rudder for Guillemot
Mark N -- 6/13/2017, 5:13 pm