wind, waves, skegs

Posted by LeeG on Mar 17, 2005

It's easy to mix up the utility of a skeg for controlling weathercocking with maintaining course with waves off the stern quarter. What the skeg can do to prevent the stern from sliding out against beam winds is a more significant corrective force that what is needed to make a long skinny kayak with a sharp entry and low bow volume more controllable with waves off the stern quarter. A skeg is a passive tracking aid when dealing with wind,,when it comes to controlling kayak direction with stern quartering waves the paddler can't be passive. So putting a passive tracking aid on a hull with marginal wave handling won't make as significant a difference as a hull with better wave handling attributes.

In Response to: Yaks in following seas by Greg Jones on Mar 16, 2005

Replies:

• Re: wind, waves, skegs by Vike on Mar 17, 2005
  • realistic expectations by LeeG on Mar 17, 2005
    • Re: realistic expectation by Ben M on Mar 17, 2005
      • Re: realistic expectation by LeeG on Mar 17, 2005