I just bought an old Necky Elaho kayak. It’s missing the drop-down skeg. There is a line on the left (port) side of the cockpit with a clam cleat that goes to the back of the boat, and it appears to have been there for the purpose of controlling the skeg.
This is quite an old boat, so there is probably no way to buy a replacement skeg. Is it possible to build one?
One thought I had was to make a fixed skeg from a piece of quarter-inch plywood. It fits snugly in the skeg slot.
My plan is to use this kayak for a two or thre day camping trip to the uninhabited barrier islands off the southern tip of the Delmarva peninsula in Virginia. I normally paddle a canoe, but for this more open water type adventuring I’d like a kayak.
I wonder if I’m viewing the same kayak, because I found a model that has a rudder instead of a skeg.
If TopKayaker doesn’t have replacement skegs for your model, you can order plastic on line, find something like a plastic cutting board of the right thickness, or buy some sheet aluminum. That material would probably be a better option than plywood, which might not stand up to long term immersion and be prone to breakage against underwater objects.
I believe that the earlier versions had a drop down skep and later ones the rudder. The top view looks the same. I think mine has more rocker aft, which makes the skeg important.
It must have been discontinued for a while, based on the retail price listed (under $500). The only info I can find is misleading, such as a used listing for a model with skeg, but showing a rudder model. TopKayak is helpful in finding available parts, if they’re still available. You might be able to adapt another model’s skeg.
