I have both . .
. . and agree that the roped skeg is prefered.
A wire skeg is superior in function but the rope skeg is more damage resistant. Both are a PITA to repair in the field but the wire required tools and a cable while the roped version only requires (multi-use) materials that are already available on the boat and can be installed with just a knife and a piece of small diameter line.
An added advantage (feature ?) of the roped skeg is it’s lack of fine adjustability. I find that since the roped skeg only really works easily for gross adjustments that I fiddle less with the skeg (or just don’t use it) thereby encouraging development of the skills needed to paddle skeg-free. There are skills to develop by reducing our reliance on skegs. YMMV
Cheers,
Jed
you funny
so because the skeg only has ‘gross’, non-precise adjustments it’s an advantage cuz it makes you a bettter paddler?
an optomistic way to look at an issue, I guess.
Personally, I really enjoy the fine tune aspect of a well designed skeg adjustment. being a sailor,as well, I find the micro adjustments to achieve perfect balance, a fun and challenging aspect of skeg use.
steve
cheers !
I'm not so sure about the "better paddler" part. I can certainly appreciate a fine-tuned (and finely tunable) skeg as a wonderful thing when desired. I just find that the distinct lack of caring, brought upon by years of living with roped skegs, lets me paddle without caring how or if my skeg is properly trimmed. . . just one less thing to worry about.
For me it's more about simplicity than better form. I'm sure once I graduate to real boats that I'll develop a taste and appreciation for fine skeg design, but for now I just don't see the value in the trade-offs between fine-tunability / complexity and robustness. Think about it, do we really need a hydraulic skeg in such an otherwise primitive craft? What's next, mechanical skeg / rudder crossovers that follow whatever course we dial-in on our GPS's? Hell, I don't even own a GPS.
I don't know about you guys but in my experience "stuff breaks" and when it does I just never get around to fixing-it. I can't deal with anything more complicated than slapping a chunk of fiberglass over a hole in the hull. For me bombproof beats clever design everytime. I guess that one of the reasons I'm not a boat designer and maybe why I prefer acoustic instruments. ;-)
Cheers,
Jed
Simple is good
Jed, I agree with you about the simple part. But a fine tunable skeg system can be very simple. I think there’s room for innovation in design but also feel that bells and whistles are what sell a lot of boats. I don’t like that trend really, as my personal preference is for very clean, simple outfitting etc. The hydraulic idea has merit I think depending upon it’s weight and reliability. Theoretically, it should be more reliable than current systems, but that remains to be seen. Radical departure from conventional thought really changed WW and surf boats. It will be interesting to see what happens with touring boats in the next ten years. Cheers.
I hope …
it’s friction pegs and fretless necks 
~wetzool
The wire skeg on the 2005 Aquanaut…
… is remarkably resistant to jamming damage. In fact, with the boat sitting up on the car, I can grab the skeg and move it in and out very easily, with almost no resistance anywhere in the system. It’s as responsive that way as from the slider.
So I think running that skeg up on the beach deployed would simply and smoothly un-deploy it – not that I recommend that approach.
–David.
acoustic here
13 acoustics here, no electrics at all.
but like tuning an instrument the tuners need to be of the ‘fine-tune’ variety, eh?
me thinks there is room for fine adjustments within a simple design and materials. any boat requires some work and maintainence to keep her ‘ship-shape’ and the notion that broke things stay broke is…un-seamanlike.
steve
Simplicity rules!
Want simplicity? Lose that stining skeg!
According to some, it would result in a giant step forward in your skill develpement.
Me? I can even enjoy the complexity of a rudder! Not.
openning to new things
How old does one have to be to find that “challenge”?
Just got a text message from my Mom (1 year shy of 70) on my phone! Had to fiddle frantically to figure out how to text message her back…
Rear Rope thusfar
Both my day boat (Romany) and my expedition boat (Aquanaut)have rear mounted Valley rope skegs.
Thusfar I am very happy with them.
I have started storing my boats with skegs deployed after reading a discussion on the NDK forum: http://www.nigeldenniskayaks.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12
It seems to help with their ease of function when at sea.
I cannot insist that they are better than the alternatives. I can only say that thusfar they work very well for me. My reasons for choosing rear mounted rope skegs echo many of those cited by Jed.
I can only wish . .
. . that I was good enough to ge fretless. I wish I could say yes to friction pegs, but I’m a steel string kind of guy.
Jed
so far great different strokes for…
different folks have different reasons for paddling and paddle in different conditions with different size bodies and boats.
For me, I like Jed, thought, ah, another contraption, simple good, learn the skills. It has merit at least for me.
For me, I like others, flatpick, find good seamanship in having a skeg, for times when injured, on a long crossing, towing someone in a crisis, seasick, I want the skeg as a resource.
For me, like some others the hydralic thing looks unduly heavy and other mechanisms seem fine if not better. But I value openness so much and it has gotten me so many new adventures, friends, and ideas especially in the last few years, I say, OK, NDK go for it, show us what you are after.
what about the ‘clc’ skeg?
clcboats.com. sells plans and a kit. it looks simple and repairable. anyone have experience with it?
I am surprised
that no one memtioned the rope skegs on QCC’s. I have both a 600 (maybe 3 years old) & a brand new 700. For the level of design & construction that this mfg puts into their yaks, it is madding to me that the skegs don’t work better. That’s not true, the skegs work great… but it’s the lack of adjustment & slippage of the cord that drives me crazy. The skeg arrangement on my brand new 700 is a big improvement over my 600, it feels like QCC has increased the spring tension by a factor of 10, it really plops down. But, on both models slippage of the cord thru the cam lock requires constant attention. This is more of a PITA when there is ruff sea/surf conditions when the wave action causes the cord to slip out of the cam lock & after 5 minutes of fighting to point into the wind I notice the skeg has dropped. Also, as far as adjusting the angle of the skeg. I can go from zero skeg to 50% down, but in order for the cord to catch on the cam, it can’t be fine tuned from 50% to 100% fully deployed.
For all my gripes, I still will vote for skeg over rudder. Just that QCC should go to a cable. One of these day I’ll reto fit it.
QCC…
The two boats I mentioned in my earlier post that had problems were both skeg QCCs. I really didn’t realize that so many other boats had rope.
Currently talking to QCC about building
rudders for them .... When I asked about skegs Phil said something to the effect of " You have to like the spring loaded skeg with rope control." I just kept my mouth shut ..... IMO, and trying to still remain PC..... these things have a lot of room for improvment. Like switching to a wire for control.
You can modify it
It’s not difficult to drill and tap a hole in the skeg blade for a set screw. That eliminates the need for epoxying the skeg cable. With all due respect to Impex, glued-in skeg cables seem like a REALLY dumb idea.
Sadly, that will likely change with time
On a new boat like your Aquanaut, the skeg better be very smooth. Salt and sand infiltration will stiffen it up over time, though keeping it clean and lubed will help.
The reason CLC skegs aren’t popular…
…is that they require a large skeg box that robs storage space and a big slot in the deck, which many people find unappealing. From a functional standpoint, it’s about as foolproof as you can get.
ya think??
CD does the same. our set screw combo is a little delicate but works well. beats the heck outta drilling out and replacing epoxy.
steve