Re: [Paddlewise] Fore and aft trim

-----Original Message-----
From: BaysideBob <vaughan_at_jps.net>

<SNIP>
>Good about rudders:
>        Going a long way in one direction
>        with any sort of cross wind my arm
>        gets real tired from paddling mostly
>        on one side.  I'm no athlete but I do
>        get on the water 3-4 days a week
>        and I still dread long straight shots
>        with a cross wind.  All boats are bad
>        in cross-winds, some just less bad
>        than others.


I don't think you have paddled any Mariner Kayaks to have used the word
"All" in the above. Also I suggest you read the "Course Keeping" section of
Mariner Kayaks' "Paddling" manual on our website
http://www.marinerkayaks.com.
There are tips there on how to combat weathercocking that you may find of
value. I suspect Dan Hagen uses many of them to make a kayak that others
have labelled "uncontrollable" in strong winds into one he doesn't need to
use a rudder or even a drop skeg to control.


>How about:
>    Airplanes have trim tabs.  That's
>    all a rudder really does for a sea kayak.
>   Couldn't someone make something
>    minimal just to trim the boat to port or
>    starbord for wind?  A little simple
>    something(s) without all the
>    cables, peddles, flopping mess of
>    rudders?

Easy Rider tried this about 15 or 16 years ago, I believe they called it
their True-Track system. A shock cord pulled the pivoting fin one way and a
single line and a jam cleat held it in place against the shockcord's pull.
It still had a big floppy (in the way) fin on the back of the boat, but I
thought it was a step in the right direction. Their system didn't work very
well (partly because of the flexibility of the shock cord--better for winds
from one side than the other) and was not well received by paddlers. Easy
Rider then went the next step and turned that same fin (that had originally
just been a overstern drop skeg) into a full fledged foot controlled rudder
very similar to what they use today. Personally, I would have worked to
improve on the True-track system rather than turn it into a rudder as I
thought an adjustable trim tab was the better concept (no floppy foot pedals
among other things).
Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com



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