RE: [Paddlewise] Rudders redux

Wow, I wish I had bought a scorecard for this discussion, I get a little
confused, but am enjoying the dialog.

I have heard some claim that Matt's designs are as close to the perfect
ideal of mixing tracking and maneuverability as one can get in a kayak; I
hope to find out some day. Even so, quite a bit of his antipathy towards
rudders seems to come from an aesthetic viewpoint.

Right now I'm paddling a John Winters boat that has a rudder that I
practically never use. From the discussion, I'm still not sure if he's a
true advocate for rudders, or just doesn't believe there's good evidence to
prove they're detrimental.

I don't think there is or ever will be the perfect kayak, but as close as
one comes, I'm sure some paddlers will still want to have a rudder on it!
For me the issue has always been too opinionated to make a decision based on
facts and that doesn't seem to have changed, so I go with what I feel like.

What I've never agreed with is the idea that it's impossible to design a
better rudder, so I offer these links as proof of people working in the
right direction. Of course, that suggests there is a proper direction, which
really only opens another can of worms. I'm not saying that either one of
these is the solution, I just appreciate that someone's putting the effort
in to overcome the limitations that a lot of people rightly see on the
subject.


http://www.mirageseakayaks.com.au/features.html

http://www.kari-tek.co.uk/html/skeg_systems.html

I also appreciate Matt, John etal for providing the debate. Seems like this
storm got a little to big for even Doug to stay in! :)

Mark Sanders
www.sandmarks.net
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