Re: [Paddlewise] Skeg Jammers

Matt posted (snip Peter's remarks and much of Matt's):
>I don't think anyone has mentioned that the best way to not get into this
position is to always test that the skeg is functioning correctly as soon as
you leave the beach.<

Yeah, someone did; makes sense, then you can land and fix it right away and
relaunch. The same person mentioned launching backwards too. On my west
coast jaunts with some skegged boat paddlers who jammed frequently, some of
the beaches were very steep with surging waves, making the two above
mentioned options more difficult.

>Paul Caffyn (the one previous circumnavigator of the same island--part solo
and part with a partner) is reported to have told Chris that if he didn't
use a Nordkapp with a deep draft rudder he had no chance of succeeding. If
that is true, Paul was proved wrong when Chris completed his trip.<

Well, Chris did require a rescue (nothing to do with the kayak design/rudder
question), but you are correct, he did eventually succeed during a very bad
year for sea conditions. Chris had mentioned Paul's comments about doing it
in a Nordkapp to me prior to the NZ trip; I remember thinking what a silly
comment by Paul, but then most paddlers I know are fairy opinionated.

>If I did have a rudder I'd cross the rudder cables so at least when I
wanted to turn the proper knee would lift up to help me turn the kayak
faster by leaning it. This also brings the proper knee into play when one
angles the rudder to straighten out a broaching kayak but nothing happens
until the rudder renters the water. If you have been trying to stop the
broach with a normal rudder your down wave knee isn't on the knee brace when
the rudder catches the wave crest again and tries to trip you down wave with
its leverage. Crossing the cables also naturally fixes this problem.<

Yes, you did mentioned this arrangement to me a number of years ago, which I
incorporated into one of my earlier Nordkapp rebuilds. It was a very good
idea I thought, with significant advantages for a "rudderer" type. The
problem was, I couldn't get used to it. I wish I had rigged the cables with
the switch when I first started using a rudder on my kayak. It would have
become habit (knowing instinctively which pedal to push on). I eventually
eliminated most of the problem by heavily padding my inner cockpit, complete
with a knee tube that allows bracing without the need to raise one knees.
The arrangement would be a bit, um, tight, for most preferences. :-)

>I almost forgot. With a seat/footbrace unit that can be easily moved fore
and aft in the kayak one can adjust the kayak's trim about as easily as one
can adjust a skeg (and there is no skeg control bump sticking out of the
deck to bark my knuckles on either).<

You mean you almost forgot to say you sell one of the few sea kayak lines
that incorporate a sliding seat arrangement, namely Mariner Kayaks. :-) Just
ribbing you Matt.

I've actually met folks who like the system and use it to good effect (well,
that was pre-skeg retail explosion days). For the most part, I place all my
heavy objects just abaft of the cockpit, having custom installed a VCP oval
hatch inches from the rear rim. It was a no-brainer when I was redesigning
the deck layout of my Nordkapp. I rarely ever place anything heavy in the
distal end of the second rear compartment though (to off-set the front cargo
weight), as this allows too much momentum (up and down) in heavy, steep
seas. At best, I may occasionally load my water in the front hatch for heavy
down-wind runs. I've never really understood the different loading
requirements far a Swede form versus a fish-form (if there are any), but do
know most paddlers experiment to find what works best. Those dumb enough not
to know that there are different ways of distributing weight, either have
not taken a course, have not bought or read a decent kayak how-to book, or
have not taken the time to ask questions from friends and mentors. Those
type of paddlers have so many other issues, perhaps this is the least of
their problems.

For what it is worth, your manuals section is still a superb document I
refer numerous new-paddling individuals toward. Thank you for making it so
readily available, even pre-web days in the past.

Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC
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