RE: [Paddlewise] Skeg Jammers

Duane Strosaker said:
> 
> I do propose that as an industry standard all skeg jammer 
> boats should have recesses on the deck above the skeg to hold 
> a pair of needle nose pliers and a butter knife.
> 

Duane,

Not a bad idea. However I picked up two tips on Paddlewise that have (so
far) enabled me to avoid the dreaded "jammed skeg" that can't be freed.

The first is a tool that Steve Scherer told me about. In fact, they give one
to everyone who purchases a skegged boat at his shop. They take a stainless
steel butter knife and grind it so it looks like a climber's nut tool
(picture of one at
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=1033&storeId=8000&c
atalogId=40000008000&langId=-1&color=&img=/largeimages/471460.jpg&view=large
&vcat=REI_SEARCH). Then drill a hole in the handle and attach a short wrist
loop on it and you can hand it to your partner so he can free your skeg
while you are on the water.

The other technique that I was taught, was to drill a small hole in the skeg
and tie a short loop in it so it can be grabbed and the skeg pulled down
when necessary. The loop on mine hangs down about 1/2 inch so it shouldn't
ever get caught on anything in the water. If it does, I would have felt it
grinding along my hull first.

So far, I've only had my skeg jam once when I received some unwanted help
from a 300 pound woman who decided I needed a push to launch (I was still
fastening my skirt). She put all her weight on my boat's stern and pushed me
across a few feet of small gravel. The Scherer Skeg Removal Implement worked
wonders and my skeg was soon functional.

Next time we paddle together, I won't even charge to show it to you (gr).

Steve Holtzman
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