Re: [Paddlewise] Rudders

This is the best and clearest exposition in this thread.  That means I agree
totally.  Thanks.
Jerry


>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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