Rudder or not?
 

I have been debating on trying a rudder on my newest kayak (X-13) and wanted opinions from those with them. I have always felt it far from a necessity, although paddling my Extreme in with a following wind and seas made it wander and cross winds can make for doubling up on the one side of paddle strokes. My apprehensions come from lines tangling when dealing with one line and having the other foul on all that stuff back there.

In wanting to paddle further and cover more area, I am looking at trying to be the most efficient I can be. So what are all the pros and cons for you?

I absolutely love my rudder. The Trident is the first boat I have put a rudder on and I would never give it a second thought on future boats.

The rudder makes paddling in heavy wind and current much easier. Also the ability to control your drift with it is absolutely awesome.

As for cons, The weight factor of course. Also I have bent my bracket a few times loading the boat on my truck (because I slide it onto the saddles causing the bracket to dig into the ground. Many people think that the extra wiring and lines would cause problems with hooks and such however I have yet to catch a line on the rudder rigging or the blade itself.

I currently have a have a rudder, and so far it is 50/50 decision... I was out in chop, and it was waaaaay easier to control tracking your boat. However, it is does take away some simplicity of kayak fishing.

Thus far, the my legs are too high up, but I think longer cables will work better, which are currently on order. There was some concern of wrapping up my lines in the rudder system, but thus far nothing that couple be popped off, but I feel one day I will get tangled up badly. I know rudders are for tracking :D, but they aslo allow you to turn around in a hurry for boils, etc... :kayak-surfer:

It is kinda wierd at first, because you are constantly using your feet, if not slightly, at least that has been my experience, again taking away from the simplicity of kayak fishing... or maybe I have it wrong, making it more simple... :p

I am definately going to buy surf board foam pads, or something similar for my footwells, my feet constantly get chaffed on the heels rubbing against the footwells, using the rudder pegs... So far, I am going to leave the rudder on... but the jury is still out...

chris

Chris, good idea on the pads. I always wear dive boots however the 2 or 3 times I forgot them it was slightly uncomfortable.

Definitely easier like Chris says to get to the boil on your flank.

Never had any tangles with lines.

I've had rudders on all of my kayaks and I would never go back. My first kayak was a Drifter and without the rudder it didn't track very well. Adding the rudder made an instant, noticeable difference. The X-Factor also benefits greatly from the rudder. Any kayak will track better and be more controllable with a rudder.

The most important benefit of having a rudder is that it evens out your paddle strokes. Regardless of the wind, you can maintain a steady, even paddle stroke. This just seems like the most logical arrangement for me. after all; you don't see many twin screw boats that regularly steer by adjusting prop RPM. As far as I'm concerned, that is far more important than any negative factors that might be associated with rudders. I have some serious back problems and also some issues with my right shoulder. Anything that can make my paddle stroke more symmetrical only increases the amount of time I can spend on the water.

I don't think that a rudder system is overly complicated. It is simple mechanically and operationally. Maybe I'm just used to it, but I hardly even think about the rudder when I'm paddling.

You will occasionally get a line hung up on the rudder. I've never had a line get caught in the pulley or the cable attachments, but a couple of times I've managed to snag the cotter pin on the rudder shaft. I think I can eliminate that problem with a little electrical tape and Goop. I wouldn't consider this to be a major problem. I've only had three tangles that I couldn't clear from the seat in several years of use.

Here's an installation tip. Most rudders come with SS cables that have to be crimped in place. If you don't adjust the rudder cable length properly you will have to cut and replace the cable. After I had a cable break, I switched to a small diameter Dyneema line. I used 1.8mm Spyder Line made by New England Ropes. You can buy this line by the foot at West Marine. There are a couple of benefits to using this Dyneema line: it won't corrode or rot; it is strong (350lb tensile strength); there is no stretch; and you can adjust the rudder throw easily by repositioning the knot.

to Andy and Chris
 

Andy, in rough and windy weather a rudder makes a big difference and once in a while you will get your line caught in it. but I have always gotten my line out of it I seem to to do it when I not paying attention. Go for it! Chris, if your legs are a couple of inches above the bottom while in the pegs try a boat cushion under you legs so your legs can rest on it. you also have another life saving device. Good luck you guys. Jim

I paddle four kayaks, two without rudders (ok, one is a surf kayak...), and I can tell you that paddling is DEFINITELY more efficient with a rudder. As Doug mentions, you track better, and you can compensate for an uneven paddle stroke due to injury, misplacement of the hands on the paddle, bad technique, etc. :D

I would not consider a fishing kayak without a rudder unless I was just looking to piddle around in a small bay or pond.

-Brent

Not so fun occasionally untangling spectra, performance/convenience makes the trade off worth it IMHO. Also make sure your crimps, twists, or whatever holds your cables are sound. Breaking one on the water sucks and may have you paddling in circles.

sound like a great addition to the x/f. any recommendations on which rudder systems work best? ary they easy to install?

OEX sells the Crack of Dawn rudder for the X-Factor.
http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/...ounting/Detail

I've got a FeatherCraft on my X-Factor and I'm very happy with it.
http://kayakfishingstuff.com/Merchan...oduct_Code=FCR

On the times when the pedals have failed or the pedals were in the shop. Paddling I always keep the rudder down.
Definitely agree that it tracks way better which obviously results in less course corrections.

Backing in landings
 

I often back the Extreme in when landing in surf, as it is much easier to control, the flat bow has the boyancy of a log, so it goes into waves with more control. I wonder if the rudder is going to survive, as the tail of the yac occasionally strikes bottom.

You should definitely pull up the rudder if you back in through the surf. The last thing you want to do is jam the rudder and strip out the threads for the mounting bolts. The Feather Craft rudder is aluminum and it can handle scraping the sand on a forward landing. I don't think I'd try that with a plastic rudder.

You don't really need the rudder once the wave starts lifting your stern. At that point the wave overcomes whatever rudder control you might have. If you leave the rudder down, the best thing to do is just center the rudder and control by bracing.