i bought looksha 14 for a winter kayak. The rudder system is giving me a lot of grief. Having to reach behind to feel for knot that is furthest away to deploy rudder & having pedals slide back when my foot slips off the pedal. Was curious to see if anyone else is having a problem with this system. Must be a better way.
I have the older Looksha Sport.
I’ve removed the rudder system. The Sport responds strongly to leans and, as a ww paddler, I’m used to controlling kayaks with strokes.
Rudders are desirable with long sea kayaks that don’t respond quickly or strongly enough to leans and strokes. For shorter touring kayaks, rudder systems are a matter of taste.
It was especially good to get rid of squishy rudder control pedals and replace them with fixed, firm foot pegs.
bungee?
I thought there was a Bungee type cord that pulled the rudder pedals toward the front? That should keep the pedal from slipping too far toward you (toward back) such that your feet can’t find the pedals. Maybe check to see if that is there and if it just needs to be tightened.
Not sure what you mean by reaching behind pedal to reach knot?
bungees
My boats did not come with bungees, but I took the loop type (with a ball - for tarps?) and put around the pedal and the forward mount of the track.
bungees
these pedals slip back when you take feet off them. Adding bungees to have then move forward may just solve my problem. Thanks
the knot
I did not mean reaching behind the pedal for the knot. It is the control on back deck. You have to feel for the knot that is furthest away to deploy rudder & when you want to raise rudder have to reach behind you to do that. It also has a jam cleat back there which is a nuisance. I just placed a piece of rope in that.
jam cleat
The jam cleat is used when you are holding the rudder up. Place the rudder deployment line in that to keep the rudder from dropping down.
A common mistake I see, which you may already be aware of, is that the jam cleat should not be used when the rudder is deployed, as if you catch something (rock, log, shallow water, etc.) with the rudder. If the line is in the jam cleat when the rudder catches something, it is unable to kick itself up to bet over the obstacle, and something has to give (usually the rudder assembly).
Rudder deployment takes getting used to
That said Necky has screwed up many time in the past with some models requiring way too much effort to deploy.
Likewise push pull rudder footbraces are an anachronistic throwback that should never appear on new kayaks yet still do. Seriously your boat didn’t have anything to keep the footbrace from sliding back?
those drive me nuts
– Last Updated: Jan-14-14 8:48 AM EST –
I've seen some tied back with a thin bungee so they don't slide forward.
IIRC the looksha needs a rudder more to maintain course than to turn.
20yrs ago
Paddling out under the GG Bridge in a Necky Swallow. 3’+ waves and my right foot slipped off the right foot peg , zing! the rudder slams left and I’m flying back with the flood current. First thing I did after that was bungie the foot braces.
bungees
there are small bungees which are supposed to pull the pedals forward. Trouble is with long legs & pedals close to the bulkhead they are useless ( too slack ) Think the mistake I made when foot came off right pedal I kept left foot on pedal so rudder was to the left. Probably would have been better to take both feet off the pedals so rudder would be neutral. Hope it does not happen again but if it does i’ll try that. As for that jam cleat line gets caught it in when rudder is down & very hard to see when it is behind you. Altogether I think a very !! poor design
that setup
looks like a sailor designed it.