10 Do I need a rudder?
Description
This article is from the Sea Kayaking FAQ, by Todd Leigh with numerous contributions by others.
10 Do I need a rudder?
This is one of sea kayaking's religious debates.
You might need a rudder to go straight, or the boat might need a
rudder to go straight, or you might just want a rudder so you don't
have to worry about steering. Look for a design that is durable,
easily stowed, and which has a footbrace design you can live
with. Like rigging, this is something you can modify if you are
willing to do the work. An alternative to a rudder is a skeg, either
permanent or retractable, which is basically a fixed rudder. It will
not help steer, but it will help go straight. Both rudders and skegs
are subject to breakage/jamming. In many rudder systems, a failure may
result in losing support from your foot braces. A properly designed
rudder should be able to stand up to a lot of abuse including resting
the kayak on end on it.
A rudder should not be necessary for you to control your kayak, and
you should learn proper kayaking technique without the rudder becoming
a crutch.
Two boat characteristics that a rudder or skeg can help with are the
boat's tendency to weathercock, and the boat's tendency to broach.
Weathercocking occurs when there is a wind in the front quarter or
beam of the boat. Because of their aerodynamics/hydrodynamics, many
boats will tend to try to turn into a wind when they are moving
forward because the bow of the boat is held in place by the bow wave
generated by the boat's forward movement, while the stern is free to
pivot. A boat that weathercocks is safer than one in which the bow is
blown downwind as it is very difficult to turn a boat with this
characteristic into the wind.
Broaching is the boat's tendency to turn sideways to a wave coming
from the stern or rear quarter of the boat. This happens because the
water in waves is moving more slowly in the trough of the wave than at
the crest, making the stern of the boat try to 'catch up' to the bow.
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