Page 154 - 2022-08-01 Paddling Magazine

KAYAKING

PHOTO: NICHOLAS SPOONER

PADDLING WITH A SKEG

SO, WHEN IT COMES TO A KAYAK’S PERFOR- HOW TO USE A KAYAK SKEG
MANCE, how much does the skeg help? Beyond the As mentioned, even a well-designed kayak will turn
ability to help your kayak paddle straight in wind and into the wind (weathercock) when the skeg is up. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
current, skegs can also add versatility to kayak design. When you lower the skeg fully, chances are you’ll BETWEEN A SKEG AND
Many recreational paddlers want a kayak that is overcompensate, moving the kayak’s trim too far A RUDDER?
efficient and tracks well, but is also responsive and toward the stern. Now your kayak will start turning
maneuverable. Yet, as any kayak designer will tell away from the wind. WHAT IS A SKEG ON A KAYAK?
you, tracking and turning ability in kayak design Instead, you’ll want to slide your skeg down a little A skeg is a retractable fin that
are a compromise, trading more of one for less of at a time until you can hold course without any extra drops out of a slot in the kayak hull
the other. Incorporating a drop-down skeg allows correction—or frustration. You can make subtle skeg near the stern. The skeg fin cannot
designers to build more versatile kayaks by blending adjustments as required to trim the kayak to suit turn side to side, but its depth can
playful, maneuverable hulls with on-demand tracking. variable conditions throughout your paddle. be adjusted up and down using a
control slider, cleat or knob beside
the cockpit.
A skeg works by changing the
WIND
bow-to-stern trim of your kayak—in
essence, it makes the slippery
stern sit deeper in the water and
locks it in place. By adjusting the
depth of the skeg fin, a kayaker can
balance out the forces of wind or
current on the kayak, enhancing
tracking and making it easier to
hold course.
WHAT IS A RUDDER
ON A KAYAK?
By contrast, a rudder has a stern-
mounted blade that pivots side to
PORTION OF SKEG EXTENDING BELOW HULL side, controlled by foot pedals in
the cockpit connected to the rud-
When the skeg is fully When the skeg is When the skeg is fully der blade by cables or line. In this
retracted, the stern will adjusted to counter the deployed, the stern is way, a rudder allows for steering
drift. The effect is the boat effects of the wind, the anchored. The effect is with your feet. How do you steer
turns into the wind. kayak can hold its course the bow tends to turn a kayak with a rudder? It’s pretty
without extra correction. away from the wind. intuitive: push with your right foot,
turn right; push with your left, turn
left. Most kayak rudders can be
flipped up out of the water via haul
lines and tucked against the deck
when not in use.
+ –
PROS CONS

• Simple and effective way to improve kayak • Drop-down skegs are prone to jamming
tracking in wind, current and waves with small stones or shells when launch-
• Less complexity and weight than a rudder ing from a beach. Don’t try to force the RUDDER
• Because a skeg is mounted under the kayak, it slider control before manually cleaning the
doesn’t create any extra wind resistance and is skeg slot, or you may kink the cable creat-
less prone to damage during transport ing a more serious issue
• During self or assisted rescues, a skeg does not • The skeg box for a retractable skeg takes
impede over-the-stern re-entries up space in the rear hatch, reducing stor-
age capacity for multiday trips SKEG

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