Epic Surfski Rudders?

Advice
#1

Does anyone have experience using the weedless rudders on Epic Surfskis? Does the weedless rudder and weed guard combination work well? Would I be better of using an overstern kick-up rudder instead?



Thanks.

#2

I don’t have experience, but I have
seen what can happen to them on a low rocky river race and it is not pretty.

I race both canoes and kayaks, but not skis.

If I were racing a ski, and I was going to be in shallow river races, I would not want a understern rudder.



Jack L

#3

Said it before …
With no more than a 2 ounce weight gain, ski makers could make the area surrounding the rudder bombproof.



You might bend the rudder post but you would not puncture the hull …



Bend the post back ( as long as it was not one of those stupidly spec-ed hollow ones ) and keep going.



The weed rudder and guard work well. The guard can get knocked off pretty quick if you hit something solid but will work good 'till then. Much better than the other two Epic blades for shedding weeds and grass.






#4

Thanks…
…Pat for sharing your thoughts on this. I may give it a try.

#5

understern
Understern rudder won’t as easily lift free from the water in waves, where the ski was designed to be used.



Bill H.

#6

re Epic Rudders

– Last Updated: Nov-18-10 8:39 AM EST –

I had one of the first oversterns on a V10. It is just a plastic sea kayak rudder that epoxys to the back. Safe yes, but not real efficient. In the waves, it pops out, and on flat water it has more drag. It works though. The onno overstern is much sleeker,and better looking but costs more. On my V12, I got Epics 6" weedless with the deflector and I think it is the best set up I have ever had. I cut off two inches. On flat water, and average open water chop this set up is more than enough for turning power. Because of the sharp forward angle, I almost never get weeds. Cliff

#7

Thanks…
for the response, Cliff. I ended up ordering the Epic Weedless Rudder and Guard. I haven’t installed it yet but I’m hoping it wil work better than an overstern one. Did you end up using epoxy or the adhesive backing to glue it to your boat?



Regards,



Ed

#8

Oh yeah
I was surprised when the package arrived, and the deflector had adhesive already on. With no instructions to be found, I peeled off the backing and stuck it to the bottom. On my third paddle it fell off. The folks at Epic were nice enough and sent me out a new one. I epoxied it on as they told me to. I did not remove the adhesive first, but have always wondered if I should have. Anyway, at the end of the season I am happy to report it is still intact and working well.