Hi! I’m new to kayaking and decided to pick up a used Dagger Charleston for $130, but the skeg is missing and the bolt that it pivots on needs to be replaced (the skeg rests in a slit on the bottom of the kayak when not in use). Does anyone have any suggestions for replacing the skeg? I would like to have a retractable one rather than putting on a fixed one for greater maneuverability when needed. Thanks in advance for your help!
Find a local dealer…
– Last Updated: Aug-05-15 8:15 AM EST –
Preferably a paddling specialist and not a big box store.
http://www.dagger.com/find-dealer
They might have spare parts available, or at least know where you can get them.
You can also try contacting Dagger directly...888-525-2925
maybe lucky
In some ways you are lucky. The Charleston looks like the skeg cable (which lifts and lowers the skeg) goes outside of the kayak. Most skegs are controlled by an internal cable, which would be much harder to replace.
You may not be so lucky in that the pivot bolt quite likely isn’t available any more and will be hard to get at. Was it embedded in plastic, or can you get access to it and remove it?
On the skeg itself, you could just make one out of a sheet of plastic. The size/shape isn’t all that important.