Has anyone ever heard of any kind of add-on skeg. Maybe an adhesive mounting? I have a Scupper Classic that tracks horribly but i like evrything else about it.
If your Scupper Classic is a poly boat
then adhesives would not work very long. Sanding, and then using waterproof contact cement, might work for a while.
Another approach is to look for a cheap add-on rudder or skeg assembly which can be riveted to the top of the rear deck. The rudder or skeg would be dropped or lifted with a line on the outside of the hull, leading to the cockpit.
I’m sure you’ll get better suggestions, and I’ll add just one more. You may find that the longer you use the boat, the less of a problem this will be. I paddle whitewater decked boats, and I have no trouble at all keeping my whitewater kayaks on the desired heading. It helps to use a somewhat more vertical paddling style, with plenty of forward reach, and most effort applied before the paddle blade gets to your hip.
Tracking
Paddling it more and developing better technique is a better solution. Good paddlers can make inner tubes track straight.
Ocean Kayak does make a rudder system you could install. Can’t imaging one’s really needed.
Skeg
I installed a 1"x18" long skeg on the keel line of my stitch and glue kayak and it works great. I used epoxy to install it to the hull but you can also use 3m 5200 adhesive. The farther back toward the stern that you install the skeg the stronger the tracking will be and the less manuverability you will have. I like to find a location that gives me the tracking I’m looking for without reduceing the manuverability any more than I have to. You can make a skeg out of 1/4" plywood and use duct tape to try different locations until your happy with the performance. Hope this helps.
MENSABIKER-GOTTA GO WITH GREYAK
– Last Updated: Mar-23-05 8:50 AM EST –
on this one..
Sally has had her Classic for about 6-7 years now, and she paddles it straight just fine. With her, it's a case of wanting more speed for the same effort, or the same for less effort.
We got a Hurricane TRacer, an otherwise nice boat at 16-1/2' X 22-3/4", but it really takes a lot of (relativeely speaking) "work"/"technique" to get the "T" to track on anything but glass -compared to it, the Classic feels as if it's rails.
Try to invest in s shorter paddle, use a more vertical stroke, engage in torso rotation, and do a little on-line research (there's a lot of good illustrated articles out there).
And an 'adhesive' for poly...??? The only adhesives that really work are screws and rivets...!
I almost guarantee you'll go a WHOLE lot straighter and a lot easier (in the long run) as you
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Add on skeg
– Last Updated: Mar-23-05 10:16 AM EST –
Necky Kayaks sells add-on skeg kits for about $30. It attaches with 4 bolts through the stern, and is controlled with a cord. Just installed one on my Dagger Vesper.
I agree
Working on your forward stroke will pay huge dividends.
My girlfriend has been a rudder-dependent paddler for years, claiming that it’s more efficient. HOWEVER……….she recently bought a Nigel Foster Silhouette, which has a skeg, and she’s been constantly complaining about it always wanting to turn right, even with the skeg partially deployed. I finally got sick of hearing it, and took the boat out for a paddle myself on a day with 10 – 12 kt winds. I paddled upwind, downwind, and beam on both sides & never once needed to use the skeg at all (In fact, I really like the boat a lot!).
Then, I had her paddle my Betsie Bay Recluse — same problem.
So it appears that the rudder has been masking a fundamental flaw in her forward stroke (Which is the opposite of more efficent). She’s been paddling the Silhouette almost exclusively for 6 months now, and the problem is going away out of necessity. Neither of my kayaks have either a rudder or a skeg, and I have no problems with tracking, even in high winds. One of my kayaks could benefit from a skeg, but still do fine without one.
Wayne
Would adding skeg
help keep a boat straight after you stop paddling or only while the boat is moving forward? I have a Phoenix Isere which I like almost everything about except that when I stop paddling to bird watch, the boat turns with the slightest breeze. I suspect that I may just need a boat with less rocker.
it will track straight while coasting
i added drop skegs to my phoenix boats
Which drop skeg…
did you ad to your Phoenix boats dannyb9?
What do you see as the pros & cons of adding the skeg?
here are some pics
http://community.webshots.com/user/dannyb9 i dont see any cons, if i were doing whitewater i might take them off and seal the holes with silicon or duct tape. these old classic downriver boats make very fun and easy handling ‘sport tourers’, straight tracking with the skeg down.
mensacyclist
"mensacyclist" an oxymoronic name
now “mensacanoeist” would be a redundency!
Happy paddling.