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Kayak and Canoe Design Bulletin Board
skeg vs rudder
Posted By: Lance Alldrin
Date: Thursday, 10 February 2000, at 1:07 a.m.
I've just started a Guillemot Double which I plan to stretch one foot and add an extra cockpit to allow me to take 2 of my 3 boys with me (as Dale Frolander has done: frolander.homepage.com/kayak/kayaker).
As a new kayaker (I've never been in one ever!! I do however have 2 ski boats and 2 sailboats in my backyard, so boating in general is not new to me) I'm wondering why rudders are used instead of a skeg or centerboard? It appears that the rather small rudders I've seen, along with complaints I've read regarding linkage,leaks etc. would warrent the use of a skeg instead. Would a skeg/centerboard mounted just forward of the cockpit between the paddlers knees provide the resistence needed to point into the wind to some degree? Would there be room in this area of a kayak or are you in need of as much space as possible? It seems that a centerboard in a trunk would would allow you to reach forward to position it and being sealed from keel to deck would eliminate all chances of leaks. Since it would be positioned more towards the center of hull would it provide more "authority" than a rudder/skeg that was more "stern" mounted? Do sea kayak rudders really provide much help in altering direction?
These might be really stupid questions to those of you who are "veterans" but this is something I didn't see addressed in the hundreds of pages I read through on the web. I realize that I'm asking for the whole "enchilada" in one big cruiser boat but I'd like to address the isssue of rudder vs skeg vs nothing at all before I get to the point where I glue the deck on!!
Thanks,
Lance
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