And if you own a kayak with a skeg, check the skeg every time you put in. Pebbles jam it easily, especially if you seal launch from a gravel beach. If you can, float the kayak and check that the skeg moves freely before you get in, then get in while it is floating. If that isn't possible, check it after you launch, and if it is jammed, have a friend free it up for you. Also, be sure to raise the skeg before landing. A couple of weeks ago I forgot that mine was down when I landed (I don't use it that often), and then shoved the kayak backward off the beach when I launched again, which unseated it so it wouldn't retract completely. The result was that I was unable to steer into a 20- to 25-knot wind and waves until I landed at a sheltered beach and reseated it. I still prefer a skeg to a rudder, though. Chuck Holst -----Original Message----- From: Gerald Foodman [mailto:klagjf_at_worldnet.att.net] Sent: Sunday, September 13, 1998 3:21 PM To: paddlewise Subject: [Paddlewise] Check Your Rudder Cables <snip> Moral: Don't be an idiot like me. Check your rudder cables. Also check what would happen if the cable fails. If the rudder is deployed, will you be able to get it up? Will you be able to convert to fixed braces? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
This was a common problem with the Valley type skeg on my Romany, and is a major reason I decided to go with a P&H Sirius to replace my stolen Romany Explorer (blue, SN# DKJ95581595). <Rant mode on> The Valley skeg would even jam up with suspended sand in surf, rendering it a totally useless piece of junk. Yes, I'm being extremely harsh about the Valley skeg, but I hope they get a clue and start using a better skeg. The Romany is a very nice boat, but the skeg is an abysmally poor piece of equipment. <Rant mode off> The P&H skeg is far superior, you dont have to reach behind you to use it, and I know people who have used them for years without ever having them jam. I hope to be one of them in just a few days. ;-) Wayne At 04:07 PM 9/13/98 -0500, Chuck Holst wrote about his Romany skeg: > >And if you own a kayak with a skeg, check the skeg every time you put >in. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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