[RD] > How about wood? I risk mentioning this because some people feel I have > a bias toward Kleppers Some of us even make the whole kayak out of wood!!!!! > Wood is surprisingly strong and with just a modicum of care will hold up > well. It has been said that if wood were to have just been invented it > would be considered a miracle material. The term applied to plywood is the "miracle-bi-direction- fibre", grows on trees too. > Rather than foot pedals, do what some of the German boats do...have a > thick rod run across the width of the boat to act as a foot brace. The > ends of the rod fit into holes or notches in side rails also made of > wood. > .............. > This rod itself could not work to operate a rudder. But it is possible > to attach to the rod some pedal type pieces that would pivot forward > with slight toe action. These would be attached to cables not > dissimilar to the way foot pedal operate rudders on the aluminum or > plastic foot controls. "Good heavens!!!!" you've just RE-invented our rudder pedal system. Make the pedals to the size of your feet, wider at the top, dropping down below the rod too, feed the rudder line to each pedal through a hole at the top outer edge, down and round the rod/tube and forward to a fixed point. You will now be able to reposition the pedal's rod without readjusting the rudder lines as they will automatically adjust. Alex -- ---------------------------------------------------- Alex Ferguson a.ferguson_at_chem.canterbury.ac.nz Electronics Workshop, Chem Dept, Univ of Canterbury Christchurch, New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jan 26 1999 - 12:39:16 PST
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