[Paddlewise] Another rudder?

From: David Seales <dseal_at_ntplx.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 16:49:00 -0400
   I was thinking about a rudder...not in the water but in the air like an 
airplane rudder. I think it would tend to have the same affect on the boat 
as it does to an airplane and turn the bow into the wind. Wouldn't this be 
a good way to keep the bow facing the wind while you pump out after a 
capsize? It could be a fabric folding fan like device spring loaded to stay 
closed until you needed it. Or how about take it one step further and use 
it anytime you needed to turn the bow into the wind? Or take it to the 
extreme with another deployed on the bow to keep the stern pointed into the 
wind in following seas. Holy Bat Boat the possibilities are endless.
   Don't laugh but I actually played around with this using my wet rudder 
sticking up in the air and a deflated paddle float over it. The wind was 
light and the paddle float rig was floppy so not much happened. I'm a kayak 
newbie so I'm not sure if this idea is brilliant, really stupid or has been 
tried before with tragic results. Are we riding the intersection of two 
moving fluids using one to steer and ignoring the other?

***************************************************************************
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 Sun Jun 25 2000 - 13:51:10 PDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:26 PDT