Re: millcreek 16.6

Posted by Kurt Maurer on Jul 7, 2006

Might wanna paddle it and see for yourself what it needs, if anything.

When talking about rudders, skegs, or nothing, it can religious in a hurry. The British swear by drop skegs; the Down-Unders make rudders look realy good, and Americans, as usual, are all over the map. Each of the three have arguments chock full of good points... and drawbacks, too.

I go minimalist myself, and rely on paddle technique to keep my bow where I want it. Saves building time and expense, boat weight, keeps the deck slick (think rescues), and keeps the potential for failure to a minimum. Others might remind me of how much energy I waste correcting, but I just keep munchin' my Wheaties and ignore 'em. Your mileage may vary.

If you go with a skeg, I recommend a homemade drop skeg arrangement, as CLC provides instrux for, so you can add or detract the effects of it as desired -- and raise it for beaching (don't forget!). If you want a rudder, I likewise recommend making your own; they're tons easier to fix up than people think. And whatever y' do, I recommend paddling lessons. I used to think it was a stupid idea (how hard can paddling a little boat be??), but now, having suffered a few lessons of my own, I've changed my mind.

Cheers, Kurt

In Response to: millcreek 16.6 by brian on Jul 7, 2006

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