I bought Innova Sunny inflatable kayak and use it with a skeg. Lately it started pulling to the right without a wind or waves. The pull is stronger when two people are using the kayak. The pull is so strong that to move straight, I have to paddle only on the right side. I checked the skeg position and it seems straight. Help, what am I doing wrong?
I scratched the bottom of the kayak a little, what can be done to treat it?
Thank you,
Victor
check the tube pressure
I have been paddling a sunny for about three years.
Having different pressure in the tubes, thus one side being softer than the other, can cause the kayak to pull. This can be a problem on sunny days when the angle of the sun is such that one tube will heat up more than the other. I have come to realize that an IK is somewhat of a living thing and adjusting to it’s changes is part of the fun of paddling.
Other things that have caused pull for me in the past:
- check that the chair and footrests are aligned perpendicular to both tubes. There is enough play in the attachment flaps that they can get out of alignment and twist the kayak.
- alternate the direction of the bolts for the skeg so that the drag from the wingnuts is equally distributed.
Please post back here with your results or lack there of. I am curious. Good Luck.
Innova Sunny
Thank you for the advice. I’ll monitor your suggestions to identify the problem and report results. I already alternate screws on the skeg because it makes it easier to tighten them.
Is it important to inflate seats hard? I find it difficult to plug seat valves without loosing some air. How do you do it?
Victor
seat inflation
I also struggled with the seats. In the review section of this site, one of the reviews suggests inflating the seats first before the side tubes. I tried this, and it makes it much easier to get good inflation in the seats.
Both right-handed?
possible alignment problem?
or you need a brake adjustment? oh, wait … wrong forum. 
One side in shade, one in sun
I had a similar problem with a hardshelled plastic kayak. It was a bit warped anyway (to the left) since the day I got it, but after a while I noticed a pronounced pull that was not always on the same side. Upon looking at the kayak whenever this happened, I noticed that (a) the warping got really bad, and (b) the shorter side was in the shade while the longer side was in strong sunshine. To make things even worse, the kayak was a dark color.
I used to check truck tire pressures outdoors, but no more. Shady side always had lower psi than the sunny side, if the truck had sat for more than a brief period. Yet if I parked it in the garage and waited, the pressures were the same. Now I don’t bother checking them unless all 4 tires are in the same temp/shade conditions.
Probably the same thing happens with some inflatable kayaks.
Of course, it might be paddling technique or greater strength on one side also. Maybe even unequal left-ride weightload.