for any of you that have a recently purchased (witin a year or so) kayak with a Sealine rudder that you use in salt water, you might want to consider taking a flashlight and checking very carefully the edges of both of the foot pedal housings that go up against the hull. If you see a whitish/gray area be prepaired for a breakdown.
Last week while paddling my one year old kayak my left rudder housing fell off into the cockpit, and I was astounded to see the back of it (aluminum) completely corroded and eaten away. I wish I could post a picture here. It looks as if someone put it in a container of acid.
I checked the right side, and both of the ones in my wifes kayak, and it looks like the same is happening to them.
This is only on newer ones, since our last boats had them for six years with no problems except the normal cable breaks, and the fiasco they had with the original plastic ones.
jack L
Good but sad post and wonder if
Wenonah/Sealine has a poor, possibly offshore, product provider using a poor quality aluminum alloy, or is getting some form of electrolysis with the mountings, as I believe Wen recently took over QCC. Be nice if they responded with an explanation/fix. Tks, R
Move to Michigan
My Epic Endurance has a split-pedal SealLine rudder
- but we have Fresh Water up here in the north
SealLine SmartTrack Split Pedal
Foot Brace for rudder control
http://exm.nr/Rudder
Smart Track?
Neither SealLine nor Wenonah own or manufacture Smart Track rudder systems which I presume you are referring. SealLine sold Smart Track several years ago. Wenonah was the US distributor for the new owner briefly, but it is now sold through a small California distributor called Paddler’s Supply. They only sell to retail shops.
None of the new Smart Track products have the SealLine logo.
You should try contacting a local Smart Track retailer for assistance.
Good catch
Staying up-to-date on “who owns what” is a great feature
of the Paddling.Net boards. Sharing is caring. Thanks.
Example
http://www.topkayaker.net/Articles/Instruction/RudderSmartTrack.html
Who Owns Smart Track Rudder Now?
Once upon a time, this was a link to the offshore company who purchased Smart Track Rudder from Sealine: http://www.smart-tracker.com/
Sometimes the preceding link works; sometimes - not.
Our QCC's have factory installed Feathercraft rudders.
Any one know who currently owns Smart Track rudder?
Paddlers Supply
Owner/Distributor appears to be Paddlers Supply in USA
http://paddlerssupply.com/
SmartTrack stuff shown here on their webpage:
http://bit.ly/SteerStraight
You are right it is Smart Track
Believe it not it says “the original” on it,
but on our old ones the black color didn’t wash off and leave us with two tone ones, (half black and half brown) as these ones have done.
Jack L
The boat mfg or dealer that installed
the original system should simply step up and replace a pretty obvious poor quality (and possibly dangerous) items - quickly. Business flipping of product ownerships shouldn’t in any way absolve manufacturers or dealers of responsibility. They have to be held accountable - no excuses. Please keep us posted on the resolution.
Agreed, and I am eagerly awaiting to
see what happens when they return from the Holidays.
Jack L
alternative
I tossed the Smartrack foot pedals from our QCC and installed one of Patrick Onno’s carbon footboard systems.
The only thing better is not needing a rudder at all.
Rudders aren’t a sin
Rudder adds only 1% drag to kayak.
Constantly modifying strokes to correct a "line"
- robs more than 1% from the forward power.
I learned to paddle without a rudder,
but they have their place.