-
How to use a rudder
When To Get A Rudder & How To Use It by Tom Holtey
NOTE: We now stock rudder kits for a variety of kayaks. Take a look at our full selection of kits and replacement rudder parts at Tom's Top Kayaker Shop - RUDDERS http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im.../Rudder/up.gifMany new paddlers will ask themselves: Do I need a rudder on my kayak? We should start by asking: What is a rudder & What does it do?
The term "rudder" makes us think of a nautical device that "steers" the boat. While this is correct, the assumption is that it turns the kayak. In fact, rudders are used more often for keeping a kayak on a straight path rather then helping it turn a corner. Presented here is just about everything you might want to know about rudders and their use:
Parts of A Rudder:
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...udder/down.gifWhen crossing open water, wind, waves and currents will "push" your kayak around and a rudder blade can help keep the kayak straight, much like the feathers on an arrow allow it to fly true.
A rudder is a blade at the stern of the kayak that can pivot from side to side. Foot pedals in the cockpit control it.
The foot pedals are connected to the rudder by means of cables that are usually stainless steel, but sometimes made from thin super strong cordage such as Spectra. Push on one foot pedal, the side you wish to veer toward, while you relax the pressure on the other pedal, to turn the rudder blade.
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...r/liftline.gifMost kayak rudders will have a Lift Line (Perception Illusion photo right) to allow the paddler to deploy and stow the rudder, on the back deck, at will, while seated in the cockpit. This allows the rudder to be raised during landing, launching and crossing shallows.
In most cases this line is a long loop and knotted near the cockpit. The farthest knot back is always the one to pull, as the knots change position each time you raise or lower the rudder. Remember that your rudder may have a "keeper cord" to lock it down to the deck during storage and transportation. Check to make sure this is off before launch.
Because the rudder blade can be raised or lowered it can also lift itself over a shoal, or submerged obstacle when paddling in a forward direction. It cannot however perform this function in a reverse direction.
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...itchRudder.gifSome kayaks, mostly surf skis, will sport Through-Hull rudders that are mounted close to the stern, but not at the far end. Note the Cobra Wave Witch photo (left). They protrude from the bottom of the hull and have shaft that swivels in a tube that is through the hull. The top of the shaft has a T-bar that attaches to the cables on the top of the back deck. This is sometimes concealed by means of a cover plate.
A Through-Hull rudder cannot be raised and lowered, it is always down. Care must be taken in shallow waters, kelp beds and beach landings & launchings. Other kayaks have a similar mechanism that is a streamlined, moveable segment of the hull at the very stern. This is less vulnerable to impact with submerged obstacles.
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...dder/cable.gifThe cables are almost always running through plastic tubes that poke out of the back deck at the stern and poke out of the cockpit walls (sit-on-tops) or (sit-in-sides) inside the hull, maybe through a bulkhead, connecting rudder to the foot pedals. This keeps the water out of the hull. Some kayaks will have the cables mounted externally on the deck.
The foot control pedals usually consist of a foot peg mounted on a rail that has graduated slots for peg adjustment, fitting a variety of paddler leg lengths (photo below left). The rail is then mounted on a track that allows the foot peg & rail to slide freely forward and back, pulling the cable. To make the rudder turn one peg must go forward and the other back.
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...er/footpeg.gifOne problem with this system is that it requires the paddler to bend and straighten the legs, affecting the grip/fit on one kayak. Those paddling sit-ons will feel a looseness in their knee straps, those in sit-in kayaks will have less contact with thigh brace pads, both types of paddler will notice a decrease in control of the kayak and in ability to lean and brace.
This one fact alone has many paddlers avoiding rudders because loss of lean control and brace ability that can lead to a tip over, and that can be trouble for the decked kayak (sit-in) paddler. (Not so much for the open deck paddler.)
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...rudderrest.gifThis problem has been solved, and while still not widely available, we are now seeing kayaks outfitted with "toe-control" foot pegs on ruddered kayaks. (See photo Cobra Expedition left)
This means that the legs do not have to move, thus maintaining good contact and control of the kayak. Only the toes need move while the ball of the foot braces firmly against the main portion of the peg. A "toe control" rudder is standard stock for Cobra kayaks.
A rudder works by creating drag. When kept straight, like a skeg, it ensures that the stern of the kayak will want to move slower than the bow, keeping you from "fish tailing." The rudder also turns the kayak when the blade pivots to one side.
How Rudders Work:
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...udder/Drag.gifThere is more drag on the side of the kayak that the rudder is turned to, thus slowing that side of the kayak, while the other side maintains its rate of speed. While a rudder makes "steering" easy, it is in fact consuming your hard won forward momentum, thus making you work harder to get from point A to point B. Of course this is like the power steering in your car, it draws power from the engine so you don't have to "muscle" the steering wheel, but the gas mileage is less. Like power steering many folks will find this a good trade off.
The rudder, for use with kayaks, is a relatively new innovation. The Inuit originators of the kayak did not use rudders on their kayaks. Significant numbers of kayak paddlers today adhere to that traditional simplicity of going rudderless. They also may be looking to save those extra calories wasted on drag. Indeed most kayaks do not need a rudder. Proper use of paddling stokes can provide all the control of your boat that you need. So, in effect skills can replace hardware.
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Im...wavewitch2.gifYou will see that many kayaks on the market have a rudder option, or even come with a rudder as part of the standard package. A few kayak models have a skeg option. A skeg is a fixed blade that does not move, kind of like a surfboard fin. Many of the rudderless traditionalist like a skeg to help their kayak track on a straight course, and some, as above, like both.
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Ar...RudderUse.html
