[Paddlewise] Solid foot pegs

A little more than 2 months ago I got a chance to try out the solid foot
pegs that my kayak buddie, Dave, had installed in his Telkwa. I knew
right away that this was what I wanted for my boat.
I purchased a Seda Swift w/o a rudder in May'96 and became adept at
handling it under all conditions. A truth soon  became apparent to me--I
was working much harder at holding a course in rough conditions than my
buddies were( with rudders deployed). Seda installed the rudder about 2
years ago. Immediately, I felt there had been an unwelcome trade-off. I
got a rudder but I also got mushy pedals. I hate mushy pedals! Even
though I paddle 95% of time with the rudder up I have sloppy pedals 100%
of the time( slight movement of the rudder in its cradle + some
flex/stretch of the cables).  Didn't know what to do about it. I even
considered a system to control the rudder not via the foot pegs( I had
seen this on a video clip of San Francisco Bay area where paraplegic
paddlers used some sort of fitting on the deck to control the rudder).
But I never followed thru on my desire to do something until I tried the
solid foot pegs in my buddy's boat.
I ordered mine thru a Prijon dealer in Wa. state. The installation was
simple--had to widen slightly the 2 existing holes and drill 1 new one
for each assembly. Then had to file a little material off the footpads
to provide clearance with the deck. Then I went down to West Marine
where I spent about $7-$8 for fiitings,cable , nylon webbing,etc. In
use, the balls of my feet rest against the lower part of the peg. When I
wish to adjust the rudder I curl my toes toward the pedal slightly and
then straighten them immediately. Repeat the curl/ straighten process as
needed( usually once or twice). When pushing with the balls of your feet
these pegs really do feel solid. I like them.  Jim Jacobs

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