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Too Much Skeg
By:Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks
Date: 7/5/2017, 9:52 am
In Response To: Re: Why Through-deck skeg (JayBabina)

If its for surfing, usually a strong skeg is great but to correct a tiny bit of weather cocking, sometimes a tiny bit of skeg power corrects the problem and too much causes the boat to go the other way.

I have more than once had to suggest to someone struggling with their kayak to raise their skeg. Once raised they immediately had better control. I've found that some paddlers assume that when they are having difficulty controlling their kayak that the solution is to lower their skeg, when often no skeg or just a little bit is better.

I also feel that most skegs are much bigger than necessary which exacerbates the problem because fine tuning the control to have just a small amount of skeg deployed can be very difficult. A very small change in the control often results in a very big change in how much skeg is exposed.

A huge fin sticking down in back doesn't guarantee that the kayak will track straight, but it does make if very resistant to steering strokes. You end up going where the wind and waves dictate without much ability to influence the course.

Messages In This Thread

Other: Through-deck skeg experiences? *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/18/2017, 1:07 pm
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences?
Paul D -- 6/18/2017, 2:53 pm
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences?
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/18/2017, 5:59 pm
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences?
Paul D -- 6/18/2017, 9:06 pm
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences?
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 6/18/2017, 8:29 pm
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences?
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/18/2017, 9:37 pm
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences? *PIC*
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 6/19/2017, 7:51 am
Re: Other: Through-deck skeg experiences?
Paul Sylvester -- 6/19/2017, 4:47 am
Why Through-deck skeg
JayBabina -- 6/20/2017, 8:12 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/20/2017, 11:35 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/20/2017, 12:26 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/20/2017, 6:22 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/20/2017, 12:19 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/20/2017, 6:13 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/21/2017, 11:44 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/21/2017, 12:21 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Bill Hamm -- 6/22/2017, 3:10 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/22/2017, 11:17 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Bill Hamm -- 6/23/2017, 12:34 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/23/2017, 10:24 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/23/2017, 11:24 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 6/23/2017, 11:52 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/23/2017, 11:59 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 6/23/2017, 12:49 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Bill Hamm -- 6/24/2017, 1:02 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/23/2017, 1:20 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Steve Solomon -- 6/23/2017, 2:56 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Bill Hamm -- 6/24/2017, 1:05 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Bill Hamm -- 6/24/2017, 12:59 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/24/2017, 10:19 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/24/2017, 3:28 am
Skudder *PIC*
Dan Caouette (CSCWC) -- 6/24/2017, 9:35 am
Re: Skudder
Etienne Muller -- 6/24/2017, 9:40 am
Re: Skudder
Bill Hamm -- 6/24/2017, 8:35 pm
Re: Skudder
Bill Hamm -- 6/26/2017, 1:36 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/22/2017, 11:22 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/22/2017, 8:17 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Etienne Muller -- 6/23/2017, 5:23 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 6/23/2017, 10:32 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 6/20/2017, 1:33 pm
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Paul D -- 7/5/2017, 4:57 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
JayBabina -- 7/5/2017, 8:17 am
Too Much Skeg
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 7/5/2017, 9:52 am
Re: Too Much Skeg *PIC*
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/5/2017, 11:30 am
Re: Too Much Skeg
JohnAbercrombie -- 7/5/2017, 11:34 am
Re: Why Through-deck skeg
Paul D -- 7/5/2017, 2:58 pm