Michael Daly <mikedaly_at_magma.ca> wrote:>> << <Snip> >>I've been thinking of this on the weekend - if we rely on weight distribution to minimize need for a skeg/rudder, we risk goofing and not being able to adjust on the water. If we rig a sliding seat to correct on the fly, we have simply replaced one form of mechanism that can fail with another.<< While any mechanism might fail some have proven a lot more reliable than others. A few posts back I listed every minor failure I knew about with our sliding seat system. I'll add that it might take a new paddler a little while to learn how to move it (especially if they have not gotten any instruction). Someone with experience doesn't have to even slow the kayak down but can move it with, at most, the loss of a stroke or two. How many failures with sliding seats have you seen? I realize Mariner sliding seats are much less numerous than kayaks with skegs but my experience is that even including the half dozen or so minor slide bolt failures (that don't have much immediate effect on function--the sliding seat is still useable but the pedal isn't held up as high as it should be) failures have happened to far less than 1% of the owners (even just once) in the last 23 years since we started making them. What is the "Subject" line of this discussion? Considering that many skeg owners have had multiple problems and repeated jams with the same skeg and most have jammed their skeg at least once, the "failure rate" of skegs must be well over 100% (possibly as much as 500% or more). I'll bet the percentage of skeg users that have had extremely serious and difficult to repair problems (such as skeg box leaks flooding their stern compartment) is well over 1%. I'm sure some companies skegs are a lot more reliable than others so I don't mean this as a blanket indictment of skegs. In general I'd prefer a problem free skeg to a problem free rudder. For the most part though, it seems that there is a lot of room for improvement with skeg systems. >>Given the simplicity of the most basic skeg designs (rope and cleat rather than silly little sliders and Bowden cables), I don't see much point in avoiding them. The skeg box's blockage of the stern storage area is a minor annoyance IMHO. << Mike<< >>BTW, Nimbus (Rainforest Designs) kayaks all have sliding seats.<< Nimbus seats can be adjusted fore and aft. They have recently made it a lot easier than it was previously (formerly required tools while out of the seat on shore). With the latest version it is possible to move the Nimbus seat while sitting in it although it does require readjusting 4 to 6 webbing straps (four on the seat bottom and two for the foot pedals) and the backrest cord, This is not something that can be done in an instant to optimize the performance for a particular short term condition but adjustment might well be considered if that condition was expected to prevail for a long time. Since most have a rudder, the rudder can be used for short term corrections without much loss. Disclaimer: we sell Nimbus kayaks in our store. Matt Broze www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Jul 01 2004 - 17:01:23 PDT
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