Tideplay
I have retrofitted Valley and Impex boats with Necky’s wire which is NiTi SE 508 .118 (not available in small quantity). Order through Necky. Takes a bit of routing tube reconfig…, but works great and will be field maintainable. There’s extra wire, so if it ever snapped (heard of two in thousands) you simply pull the broken bit out of the skeg, re-insert the wire and tighten the set screw(s).
This was an excellent development from Necky and it’s stood the test of time! NiTi is Nickle Titanium, or Nitinol. It’s a memory metal that is inert in salt water and tough. You can bend it 180 and it will pop back.
I’ve had zero issues with it in my boats. It’s so tough you can even force it against a jammed rock with no consequence.
what is the best skeg system i wonder
I have had skegs fail on a number of occasions, none of them consequential. However, recently all three boats I have are suffering from some form of skeg problem.
Is the answer the simplest system possible so that it is field fixable with little effort and few tools, rather than some mammoth bombproof system.
I suppose it is inevitable that sand, grit, and what have you will lodge there and if the system cannot be easily freed without damaging it, then one is going to have massive problems.
Different strokes for different boats
– Last Updated: Jun-02-09 3:21 PM EST –
You only hear about the cable skegs that jam but never the thousands that work perfectly. Those early valley ones jam a lot too. You have that rope and pulley wheels on the deck and because of space you are forced to use that thin bungee to keep them up which wears out without you seeing it.
If you oil the push-pull cables regularly and don't sit on the boat when it's down, it will work forever.
And on pulley ones, if you change your bungee cable every year, run fresh water down the skeg opening and squirt in some Amorall, the pulley ones will go on forever too. Plus with the rope skeg, you have to work out your own little marking system on the rope if you want to drop the skeg down a half inch of so.
Rinse out the salt in the skeg box every paddle.
NDK Rope Skeg
it is easy to fix, or completely replace.
A bungee holds the skeg in the box and pulls it to the deployed position. A rope is used to raise the skeg. If you remove the bungee and rope the skeg slides out very easily. You could carry a complete replacement kit that was a little bit wider than the skeg itself.
In the 4 years I have had my Explorer I have used the skeg ONE time, and I could have gotten by without it.
whoa
That looks like a great design. Anyone used it yet?
Very Good Info, Very Good!
This is one area I never applied a technical look see with. Thanks everyone. I understand the inner workings of these systems better,
what it takes to maintain them, and what each has as advantages and disadvantages.
I don’t use a skeg much but there are times it is essential, as when fully loaded and on a long crossing in large beam sea, with students learning the forward stroke, and so on.
So much thanks and any more ideas appreciated. To those who made suggestions like the use of that fantastic cable wire, I am going to pursue it. Thanks again.
OK i am on it!
Thanks again Salty. You are a fountain of technical knowledge.
I am onto it!
never did see no kinked skeg
i read about these mysterious issues on pnet all the time, but my very simple skeg on the Impex (nee; Formula) has never had an issue, beyond rock jams requiring the skeg to be yanked out to clear the pebbles. i don’t think the skeg cable is anything special either, but it hasn’t kinked despite lots of forceful pushing and pulling in 6 years of ownership. maybe i’m just lucky? i have pulled out the skeg a couple times to rinse out the grit to improve sliding, but that’s it.
clean water bodies
maybe it is just all those clean water bodies you are in : > )
What is not repairable?
I have yet to see a skeg system that couldn’t be repaired by the user and/or modified to make field repairs possible. Some skegs have the cable molded/glued/riveted to the skeg blade, but simple modifications can convert it to a connection that requires nothing more than an allen wrench, like some of the skeg systems on the market. The design is a bit difficult to explain, but I’ll give it a whirl. Here are the major design points:
1- You need a hole drilled in the edge of the skeg to accept the cable. It should be ~ 1" deep into the blade. Most skeg systems already have this.
2- You need a second hole drilled in at an angle to the first one, intersecting it between 1/2" and 3/4"down. Tap this hole to accept a stainless steel set screw that will lock the cable into the skeg.
3- Optionally, you can drill a hole 1/4" or so in diameter through the skeg at the intersection point of the two holes in #1 & #2. This will provide a space that the set screw can bend the cable into, providing a more secure anchor. The downside is that the bend in the cable it creates can make it difficult to remove the cable later.
At the other end, all of the skeg controls I’ve seen require nothing more than an Allen wrench to release the cable. Depending on the size of the set screw in the skeg blade, you may be able to get away with a single Allen wrench. Pack a couple in your gear along with a spare cable and you’re good to go.
Yes
– Last Updated: Jun-04-09 3:39 PM EST –
Came with my Capella 167, and I like the operation very much, no complaints.
One advantage not mentioned is that since the mechanism is under constant tension the fin doesn't clunk around as some conventional wire-deployed skegs can.
Another advantage is there are no holes through the hull for the pivot. Just one at the top for the string tube.
Mike
mercy buckets
Thanks man. I guessed this might be so. I am onto this. I have left this zone to dumb luck for way too long. So, now is the time to get it right.
Field repair tip
Of the wire skeg boats I have borrowed or owned, they all had set screws on the skeg, and an allen key on the adjustment control.
Those tools are easy to pack along on a trip, for field repair use.
The difficulty has been with the cable. On the older NDK, valley, and P&H boats I am familiar with, the replacement cable should be cut to the exact length as the original. Otherwise, you may wind up with limited deployability. Since cutting these cables to length is very difficulty in the field, I pre-cut a replacement, and duct tape it along with the tools, to the rear bulkhead. I pick up my boat, the repair kit is coming along for the ride.
One other tip. Feeding a cable through the housing can be frustrating if it starts to fray. Electric tape around the ends works with a few,but usually makes the diameter too large. I dip the ends in epoxy glue, and massage in into the end to lightly fuse it. It feeds much easier into the housing.
real world fix
thanks I will try this. So so glad folks have worked this stuff out.
To Bad it won’t fit
NDK boats:( I tried a retro-fit but the Necky wire was to short for my Explorer and they only have it in pre cut size according to my dealer.
Cable lubricant - WD-40 or ???
sometimes the cable kinks because gunk in the housing tube keeps it from sliding freely. WD-40 squirted in one end & gravity-assisted through helps cure this.
Just wondering if there’s anything better than WD-40? Not sure what effect it has on the plastic tubing.
World war 2 product
WD40 is a navy WWII product. WD means water dislacement. It was meant to keep maintenance down not to lubricate!!!
So there are better things. Some very advanced lubricants for
Racing bicycles chains and brake cables have the quality of
Bonding with the metal. Not affecting the housing and being dry. That is they won’t attract gunk!!
Bike Chain Oil
I think the stuff I use is called “White Lightning.” Does not pick up dirt and grit like WD40 can.
Sailtrack lube
Was recently discussing cleaning/lubing skeg or rudder cables with a couple of acquaintances. They endorsed Sailtrack lube from West Marine. Dry teflon lube that is supposed to work excellent and is long lasting. Doesn’t gather goo like petroleum products. A bit pricey, but a can ought to last you for ages.