my only problem
with stuffing bags around the wire is that it puts a lot of pressure on the tub/skeg trunk connection. other wise ya it is really a minor issue. Course I’ve never had a problem with skegs that have wires routed under the deck so…
your knocking ndk fetish aside
how can you say they suck? they are simple. they do work and they are a breeze to repair if you do need to repair them.
my experience has been far different. on the skeg line to the rear of the cockpit - if someone is having a problem with making fine adjustments to the skeg position they can certainly put a small pulley on the line coming up from the skeg and gain a mechanical advantage to be able to make very fine adjustments easilly. if someone is unaware of their skeg position without turning around to look, they can put a knot in the line to determine the position by feel and they won’t have to go to the trouble of looking. if/when it’s jammed it’s pretty simple to fix and you don’t worry about anything kinking or being inoperable while away from home for any length of time.
seems sometimes like folks forget that these things were designed to be paddled in far away places with limited access to the rest of the world and being able to fix your boat in the middle of nowhere can be important.
i have had no experience with the skeg fitting to the front of the cockpit but i know a few that do have this and they have not complained any about it that i’ve heard. then again, mostly the skegs go unused in our boats.
there are posts here about a wire skeg that won’t kink or jam but that hasn’t been my experience. had one boat with a wire skeg - it jammed and the whole assembly is in a box in the barn…just puttied up the whole so it won’t leak.
forgo the whole thing and you increase storage capacity.
Retrofit
For all you retro fitters, check out the skeg kit at ONNO.
I used to fix kinked cables
all the time in my fleet of loaners. Since retrofitting to the necky wire I have done none. For those who do retrofit, you do have to tweak the tubing etc., but it works great… Do not confuse this wire with stainless. It is more flexible, and inert in salt water. In three years I’ve not had an issue. It’s just one approach that definitely eliminates kinks. Yes. you may have to ease the wire aside when packing, but I can say with certainty that that’s a non-issue for most. To the Pintail guy above, I know you can get the sytem to work easily with some tweaking if you want. On the wire equiped boats I no longer fuss about how I launch etc., as I use just pull ack hard on the control handle and that usually frees the skeg. Whatever floats yer boat. May you all have a kink free year!
yep
now if I could just get the poly to stop kinking I’d have a hell of a boat…
Thanks kfsrmn … the secret is in
the slight bulge. We use SS wire and never have any problems … no worries to run right up on beach or rocks. Skeg will kick right up.
The problem is not always in the wire or even the housing itself … its the arc it has to swing through. Are you listening skegged boat manufacturers ? Stick your faces in there and think about it … EZ fix.
David kicking sand again…
Pat
For boat builders, what’s the lag time for ordering your skeg kit? Thnx, John
Well,
I’ve seen several issues with them:
The bungie that tensions and retracts the skeg loses tension with use, and eventually fails. Seen this happen on more than a few of them, one after only 4 seasons of use.
The tube and grommet that go thru the deck have a tendency to leak.
THe skeg blade tends to be looser, and oscillates, causing unneeded drag.
I’ve seen two people capsize trying to set the skeg, because they were reaching behind themselves. One was in flat water, and the other is some decent seas.
The main advantage is that the system is easy to fix in the field with just a leatherman and a knife. And you can always scavenge bungie off your deck if need be.
But given my experiences with them, I’ll take a cable skeg any day.
Wayne
Dont confuse wire with cable…
…cable is weak in compression. Also, not all wire is equal. There is a huge difference beween NiTi and stainless. But why argue about this or that skeg system. If it works for you that’s all that matters. I agree that everything should be field repairable. Kinked cables are a bear to field fix IMO.
Rope skeg
My used boat came with a rope skeg and I have had no real problem with it. Took it apart without tools to change cord and put a two to one pulley set up on it which seems to have increased its’ finesse factor. Have also had and used a wire skegged boat that worked well and another one that kinked. Kinked one needed a phone call and tools to figure out and replace. That particular skeg would have been more difficult to have dealt with on a trip.
OK, I misspoke
Wire is definitely superior to cable. I used the term as a generic one. My bad.
The Nitinol wire that Necky uses intrigues me. It’s a memory compound, so even if you do kink it a little, it will snap back into its original shape once it is exposed to a change in temperature. Quite a good use for a former “Miracle” alloy!
Wayne
Nitinol
is amazing stuff. Cardiologist who married my wife and I is famous for developing stints and being part of the agioplasty development. these guys light up when talking about Nitinol! They form stints etc., freeze them in an istallation shape, install them, then flush them with warm saline so they re-form to their design shape… Also the wire that controls the angioplasy ballon is Nitinol. Obviously a kink in that application, or a wire/camera up your ass would be devastating!! I applaud Necky for looking beyond.
5-7 business days as long as baby does
not attack my eye again. Two blade options too.
Lube procedure
Pull the cable, flush the housing with fresh water or a solvent, apply lube to the cable and reinstall.
I can attest
There’s no issue with the skeg hitting things from the front. I have one of Patrick’s skegs in my Caribou, and it’s dinged a few rocks and the bottom once or twice, and it simply retracted. No problem, no damage. A rope skeg would not be so forgiving — you could either break the rope or damage the cleat.
Now if you leave any skeg down and go rock gardening, you could snap the blade off if you get sidesurfed over a rock. Same goes for surfing sideways into a beach. Which is why if you are knowingly heading into rocks or up a beach, it is best to pull up the skeg. It doesn’t mean that you will break anything, but the potential is there.
Wayne
Lubricating Stiff Cable
I enjoy the Necky wire cable on both my boats. While they never get stiff enough to fail to move, a trip or dump in the surf will allow enough sand to enter the cable tubes to make them inoperable. My solution is to turn the boat over on it’s deck, elevate the stern, like up on a saw horse and pour fresh water into the skeg box. The fresh water will drain via gravity through the tubes and out the side of the cockpit via the slider. Now do the same thing with vegetable oil. The oil is biodegradable and will not harm marine life.
Gene
Veg Oil?
Gene,
I wonder if sand is sticking cause you are using vegetable oil in the cable tube. I don’t think I would use that. Sounds like you are asking for trouble.
Suz
Not Sure You Know Any thing
about rope skegs Wayne! The skeg lowering restance is due to the bunges. If the skeg is adjusted correctly and you hit something with the blade it just folds up in the box and springs back down. No broken ropes because the skeg is retracted with the rope. The key to a rope skeg is proper adjustment which is quite easy.
Perhaps
The one I rebuilt this summer for a friend was put togehter backwards or something then…I put it back the way I found it with new rope and bungie, and before and after it would not retract if it hit something.
Maybe I should contact her & re-do it. And then ask who fixed it the last time.
I agree
– Last Updated: Jan-24-07 7:50 PM EST –
It's probably the worst lubricant you can use, as it gets gummy with age and it's a magnet for dirt and grit. If you're concerned about the environmental impact of a few drops of petrochemical lube, used a wax-based lubricant instead. Your local bike shop will have them.