Shearwater Rudder

I am looking for input on the advisability of installing a rudder on my new Shearwater 17.  I am not worried about tracking in calm weather so I am not inclined towads a skeg.  Rather I am thinking about a long haul quartering into some wind.  Setting a little angle on a rudder would ease the job of keeping on track without a lot of extra paddle effort.  Words of experience would be appreciated.

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RE: Shearwater Rudder

I have spent many hours in my Shearwater in many different areas and conditions.

You don't have to worry about quartering into a headwind. The boat excels in a headwind, both in tracking and speed.

Wind and chop in an aft quartering sea is very much another story. If you are out for hours doing some distance, a rudder would make life much easier. I may add one to mine at a later time.

 http://shearwaterkayak.blogspot.com/

RE: Shearwater Rudder

have you considered a skeg?it might be a better option if you only need it for occasional adverse conditions. just do a litttle research in how and when to use it .i had one on my pax and didnt really understand  what to do with it  i figured the more extended it was the straighter it went.i didnt get how to trim it to compensate fro wearhercocking i'll be putting one on my shearwaterand hope to have better results now i know what to do with it

RE: Shearwater Rudder

I deal with winds just about every time I am out and the skeg keeps my shearwater tracking perfectly.  I should mention though that my model is a 2006 shearwater 16 (with a 21 in beam).  I'm not sure whether or not the shearwater 17 would benefit as much from a skeg.  I would avoid a rudder as they are prone to damage and the sliding footbraces can complicate bracing.

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