RE: [Paddlewise] The Great Skeg Vs. Rudder Debate.

>>
Skeg
1) Adjusting rod can kink or break, locking the skeg in one position.
2) makes turning the boat without an aggressive lean much more
difficult.
3) More prone to damage than a rudder from forward impacts like running
up on a beach with the skeg still out.
4) Takes up room in the rear compartment, leaving less room for gear.
5) Skeg box and adjusting rod are in the rear compartment, making more
places for potential leaks.
6) You have to remember to pack a butter knife.
>>

1) Some kayaks use a bungie to help lower the skeg and a line to raise it, 
thus do not have the broken or kinked rod or cable problem. (incidentally, 
though I have heard of problems with cables, I have not heard of any with 
rods).
3) All retractable skegs I am familiar with retract on hitting the bottom 
if the kayak is moving forward. I once jammed mine, though, by pushing 
backwards off a beach with the skeg still down. It took about a minute to 
fix at the next stop.
4) The skeg box doesn't take up much space, but it divides it, so you have 
to pack differently.
5) My wife's skeg box leaked when the boat was new because of pinholes in 
the layup, not because of the skeg box design. Mine has never leaked; in 
fact, my after compartment is drier than my forward compartment.
x) Small stones can jam a skeg. This can be avoided in calm water by 
floating the kayak and checking the skeg before you get into it; otherwise, 
it helps to check it after launching and then have a partner clear it, if 
necessary.

Chuck Holst

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