[Paddlewise] Rudders

To pipe in with my  experience with rudders:

The core of the discussion seems to be getting down to the issue of
efficiency and convenience. I look at the convenience of a rudder (or skeg)
like the cruise control feature on an automobile. Sure, you can drive
across Nebraska and Wyoming without cruise control, but it makes the long
haul much simpler. When you need more hands on  control, you turn it off.

Before a long trip two years ago, I did a series of time trials, including
rudder tests, on a measured course on a lake with an impellor-driven knot
meter. Kayak empty, kayak loaded with 150 lbs. of bricks, rudder up, rudder
down, etc., and came up with about a 2% rudder drag factor, or about 0.1
mph slower at 5 mph. (Eddyline Sea Star, 18', 22")

This drag factor, in my opinion, is overshadowed by the effort that is
otherwise expended steering the kayak in some types of rough water. I have
been canoeing and kayaking since before 1970 (about 9250 miles total), and
can make anything, from a squirt boat on up, go in a straight line if I
work hard enough. On weekend and short haul trips of 100 miles or less, I
only occasionally use a rudder, as there is usually time and energy for an
active paddling style in rougher conditions. On the long trip- 1136 miles
in 30 days around the perimeter of Lake Superior, without resupply- I found
that I used the rudder up to about 70% of the time in choppy conditions,
since I was trying to direct most of my finite energy supply into forward
motion, and keeping a heavily-loaded boat on course in quartering seas and
reflected waves is a bit of work. 

In rough water, a rudder under load, would probably exert more than the "2%
baseline" of drag, but still takes some of the load off your arms and
shoulders and allows a steadier cadence. Perhaps a skeg would be a
practical compromise. These are just tools to do the job, like a GPS unit
or a butane lighter. This is of course my observation, relating to my
paddling style, as I like to cover miles, and am not too concerned about
any ideological or traditional purity beyond the human-powered premise.

-Andy Knapp
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