I didn’t think the skeg cable would wear out before I did, but after a few kinks and one broken strand of wire, it was useless. And searching for a new cable has been much tougher than I expected. If anyone has a suggestion where I might find one for my old VCP Selkie, please let me know.
BTW, I already contacted the nice people at GRO, but unfortunatly their next shipment arrives days after our camping trip in Md. Thanks all
AKT?
You might try Atlantic Kayak Tours:
http://www.atlantickayaktours.com/pages/retail/Retail-Equipment.shtml
The VCP stuff I’ve not gotten from GRO, I’ve gotten from AKT.
Skeg Cable
It’s probably 1/16" stainless steel cable. Sometimes it can be found at saltwater tackle/boat shops as leader material. Also, eBay is another option. Sometimes it is hard to find but when I do find it I usually get about three times the amount I need so that I will have some spare cable on hand.
cable
Pick up some down rigger cable at your local tackle shop or even Walmart.
RR
Boating Stores
Boating stores all carry stainless cable in various widths. It’s used on Sail boats for rigging. It’s fairly cheap. You can buy clear plastic tubing at hardware stores that can be used as a sleeve if you need that too.
the subject
came up a few weeks ago.
Somebody wanted to replace skeg cable with memory wire ( fancy alloy that springs back to shape it had at some point ).
I suggested mcmaster.com as a source for both cable and wire.
Bicycle shop?
cable
It could also be 3/32" which my NDK is. Actually it came with a metric sized cable that’s a hair larger, but 3/32" works just fine. You’re looking for 1x19 stainless aircraft cable - any good marine shop should have it.
Size
3mm
Good suggestions
I want to thank everyone who responded. I’ve got some good leads which should provide me with the correct cable in time for our trip to Md.
BTW, I did call a very large kayak dealer in Jersey, and I was politely told I could find the stainless cable at a marine supply. After being unsucessful in person at one, and on line with another, I thought I better go to the source, and posted on P-net.
cable skeg
Try contacting or stopping by Riverside Kayak Connections in Wyandotte, Michigan. Their contact infromation can be found on their website, http://www.riversidekayak.com/
I am pretty sure that they carrry extra cables that are pre-cut to fit your boat.
You are partly right,…
Ms Klutz. I spoke with them on the phone and they have the cable. But my old kayak has an old skeg that’s almost 1/2 inch thick and the cable attaches by going into a slot, around a plug, and back out and the cable is then crimped together with a brass fitting. I ordered the cable and I’ll have to find someone with the tool to crimp the cable together, maybe a tool rental can do the job. Ah, the joy in owning a classic.;>)
Sail Boat Cable!
You can buy sail boat cable from the boating stores. The size is just a small bit larger so you will need to drill the hole in your skeg just a little bit.
Won’t affect things, but US cable is twisted oposite direction from Brit cable
You will need bicycle brake cable cutters to cut to length.
Wade