Re: [Paddlewise] Rudders/ frequency

I use a racing sit on top, a surf ski, made by Venture sports-Bruce gibson.
Its 19.5 feet long, very narrow, and very fast.  Its stable as long as you
paddle, particularly if you use the far more efficient and much faster  WING
PADDLES, which provide more lateral stability as well as more efficient
thrust.
Because my boat is made to be fast, it likes to track straight, and while it
"can" be turned by leaning, this would be a poor way to control it, and
would fail if high wind conditions arose ( over 25 or 30 mph winds--we do
get that here in WPB Florida). Since I use my boat to paddle out to the
reefs about 1.5 to 2 miles from shore, where I freedive ( deep snorkelling),
this can become a real issue. A rudder is CRITICAL  in this type of "surf
ski" design. And, coming back in to shore, if the winds have picked up a lot
since I went out ( also typical from 8am to 12noon) , the large waves that
begin to roll in, become helpful to me on my return trip to shore, with the
help of the rudder-----the bigger waves ( over 7 feet, but not too steep)
can be used to actually "surf" in, the boat riding each large wave you catch
for many minuutes at a time. with steep waves, it  gets harder to catch
them, and they dissapate sooner. Your return to shore can average 10 to 12
mph, instead of the surf ski paddling speed I average of about 6 to 6.5 mph
on the way out. Without the rudder, this "surfing" would be impossible for
this type of boat.

As to my frequency of paddling, I do this every week on saturdays or sundays
for a month or so, then go a month doing more cycling or something else, and
then go back to the freediving and kayaing.
Regards,
Dan







>        Now that the subject's been raised, who uses rudders and who leans
>the boat?
>
>        My Current Designs Solstice GTS has a rudder, but I've never used
>it. I bought the boat slightly used from Pacific Wave where it was the
>"extra" trip boat for a while for the "in crew" at the shop. . . I don't
>think the rudder's ever been used.
>
>        The Solstice GTS tracks in all seas, and doesn't broach or windcock
>much.
>
>        Anyone want to keep score on this one?
>
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