[Paddlewise] No need for a rudder... finally

From: Dave Williams <paddler_at_loxinfo.co.th>
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 1999 10:43:32 +0700
Hi y'all,

A while ago we had a little debate going about the need use a rudder.  Well,
I was one of those who saw nothing wrong with using a rudder.  Others stated
firmly that if you have a good design, you shouldn't ever need a rudder.

I now have a different opinion after paddling a Wilderness Systems Cape
Horn.  My old paddling buddy Andy Zimmerman (Wilderness Systems) is here in
sunny southern Thailand visiting us.  He brought over some Cape Horns.  Wow,
what a nice boat.  I'm at the upper recommended weight (I weigh 215 lbs.),
yet the boat handles beautifully.  I had absolutely no problem with tracking
even in a quartering sea. We encountered a wide variety of conditions
without any handling problems. We had some novices with us on a recent
paddle and they also experienced no problems with tracking.

It's also one of the most comfortable boats I've ever paddled.

Cheers,
Dave

Dave Williams, Director PaddleAsia

dave_at_paddleasia.com
http://paddleasia.com

93/6 Soi Samakit 2, Yaowarat Road
Phuket Town, Phuket 83000
Thailand




***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
Received on Fri Dec 31 1999 - 19:56:17 PST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:18 PDT