Re: [Paddlewise] Rudders

Gerald Foodman wrote:

>...SNIP...
> > This whole question of rudders should be addressed in the context of
> particular boats.  If a boat needs a rudder it doesn't have a good hull
> shape.  Others have remarked that all boats weathercock  without a rudder or
> skeg.  This is only superficially true.  Some are very difficult in winds,
> such as the Sea Lion or the Caribou, some are quite well behaved, such as
> the GTS or any of the Mariner boats.

One of the issues that invariably arises in our discussions over
rudders/skegs is this issue that you raise, as to whether it is the boat
or the paddler that needs the rudder.  You say that certain *boats* need
rudders, but your examples are not consistent with your conclusion. 

First, you state (as though it were fact) that the Caribou is "very
difficult in winds". The correct statement is that the Caribou is
difficult *for some paddlers* to handle in the wind. While I have read
reports that some folks have difficulty controlling the Caribou in
winds, I can only conclude that this is because they have not developed
the requisite skills. I find the Caribou to be exceptionally EASY to
control in winds, as do many other Caribou owners. (My own experience is
based on paddling one in a wide variety of wind and sea conditions over
the past year and a half.) If this were not the case, I would not
hesitate to add a skeg (or to sell the boat).  

Second, you state that the Mariner boats "are quite well behaved".
Again, this is true for some paddlers, but is not true for others. For
example, I find the Mariner II to be very easy to control in winds, but
I once paddled with a guy who, when the wind picked up, had a great deal
of difficulty controlling his Mariner II. This was in part due to the
fact that he did not have the boat loaded properly (he had ignored Mat
Broze's warning to load the boat stern heavy) and was in part due to his
poorly developed skills. (By the way, Matt Broze told me that a lot of
the problems that some folks have in controlling their Mariners is due
to their failure to pay proper attention to how they load their boat.
The Caribou is even more sensitive to proper loading.) 

It is interesting to note that I have seen Mariner IIs with rudders
attached. In one case (when I was on the market for one) I found one in
the Seattle area that was in good shape except that it had a really ugly
rudder (I suppose that's redundant). The woman who owned it pleaded with
me not to tell the Brozes. She explained that she had great difficulty
controlling the boat in winds without the rudder. The problem is that
she actually BELIEVED all this stuff about how, if you buy the right
boat, you don't need a rudder. I didn't have the heart to tell her that
the shortcoming was with the paddler, NOT the boat. By the way, I have
never seen a Caribou with a rudder or a skeg, in spite of the fact that
the original manufacturer of the Caribou offered all customers a *free*
skeg retrofit if they decided that they wanted one after paddling the
boat for a while. No one took him up on this.

In short, while boat design is not irrelevant, most of the problems that
people have controlling boats in the wind are the result of inadequate
skill development. Even folks who make some attempt to learn boat
handling skills often think that boat lean and sweep strokes are all
that one needs to know. Even beginning canoeists, however, very quickly
learn the stern draw, which can have a magical effect in terms of
controlling a sea kayak in the wind. Nigel Foster teaches this in his
classes for "experienced" sea kayakers. Canoeists taking one of his
classes might be inclined to wonder what all of the fuss is about.

Dan Hagen
Bellingham, Washington
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