fixing skeg cable valley avocet

have a 3 year old valley avocet fiberglass…while on a trip the skeg fell out of the box …looks like the cable disconnected from the slider…is there a website that has diagrams/instructions on how to fix…and if not any advice …looked inside the boat and cannot figure out how to reconnect cable to slider …thanks stan

set screw on the knob
There should be set screw on the knob, 3mm hex if I recall correctly. Loosen it up. Thread the cable from the skeg end and tighten the screw.



Cable fraying can be prevented by dabbing the end with some epoxy of other non-gummy glue. Just make sure it does not change thickness of the cable.

I asked the same question
I am having the same issues. I am going to try a heavy duty nylon rope instead.



Has anyone done this? My Dagger Approach 10 has this and it works great.

Good luck
Steel cable is not very flexible - that is what allows it to push the skeg out. Nylon rope would probably just start looping at the exit of the skeg tube.



One more option is to go the Necky route and use memory alloy wire for skeg control - it is guaranteed not to kink. Keep in mind, it is expensive option.

It’s not rocket science
If you need a visual demo, your dealer should be able to show you how to swap a skeg cable in about 5 minutes. Be sure to get marine grade stainless. Or if you go with Necky cable as some have, they say it’s the last time you’ll ever kink a cable. I believe they quoted me $35 for one boat’s worth of cable when I called out of curiosity.

expensive and
it may not be long enough. It isn’t for my NDK Explorer. I am going to try some stainless spring steel wire and cut it to length.

Send back
and ask for the one for the Chatham 18. It should be long enough. I doubt stainless spring wire will work, but worth a try. Titanium wire does work OK and is flexy, but not as much as NiTi. The NiTi is awesome.

Wire has been used successfully…
…in commercial kayaks, most notably Walden boats like the Passage. Using 1/16" stainless wire is a viable alternative to cable. Anything appreciably larger than that probably won’t be flexible enough to make the bends required. Thicker Ti wire works because it’s not as stiff as steel.

Why
would you doubt stainless spring steel wire of the same diameter would work. It is stiff and rustless??

If won’t work…
…if it’s the same diameter as it would be WAY too stiff. That’s why Walden used 1/16" wire. It works fine in the standard plastic tubing that’s used with 3/32" or 1/8" cable.

Tried several wires personally
The stainless was springy but too stiff, the Ti was better but still too stiff. The NiTi was more flexible resulting in the best operation.



Hey, lot’s of things can work, so experiment and have fun with it.



Just sharing my experience here which is real, not hypothesis. Going down in wire diameter is another option so long as it nests nicely in the blade and skeg control handle.