Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: canoe rudder
By:Mark Kanzler
Date: 6/24/1998, 10:59 am
In Response To: canoe rudder (Jim Loudon)

Try it with a piece of ovc tubing and a C-clapm to hold it in place. You can even use an old paddle as a rudder, or just make a crude plywood rudder attached to a piece of broom handle or other scrap dowel that will rotate inside the pvc pipe bracket. Once you're convinced, start making something nicer.

BTW, for sailing you'll want a bigger rudder than a typical kayak rudder. Put the dowel so it pivots along a line about 1/4 to 1/3 back from the leading edge of the rudder blade, this will reduce the amount of torque required to turn the rudder.

Have fun with it, and try as many experiments as you can. You can use plywood pads with rubber glued to them to protect the finish of the boat from the clamps.

> Wondering if any of the kayakers out there have hac any experience
> with rudders mounded on canoes. Its been suggested to me that I could
> mount the rudder off to one side of the boat. Will it matter? Will
> the canoe still track the same? Thanks for the help!

Messages In This Thread

canoe rudder
Jim Loudon -- 6/24/1998, 2:18 am
Re: canoe rudder
NPenney -- 6/24/1998, 11:13 am
Re: canoe rudder
Jim Loudon -- 6/25/1998, 3:32 am
Re: canoe rudder
Paul Jacobson -- 6/26/1998, 2:27 am
Re: canoe rudder
NPenney -- 6/25/1998, 6:40 am
Re: canoe rudder
Jim Loudon -- 6/26/1998, 2:27 am
Re: canoe rudder
Jim Loudon -- 6/26/1998, 2:20 am
Re: that book link I promised
npenney@erols.com -- 6/26/1998, 6:33 pm
Re: canoe rudder
NPenney -- 6/26/1998, 6:37 am
Re: canoe rudder
NPenney -- 6/26/1998, 6:37 am
Re: canoe rudder
Mark Kanzler -- 6/27/1998, 12:53 am
Re: canoe rudder
Mark Kanzler -- 6/24/1998, 10:59 am