By tapping the foot pedals, you have complete control of your kayak’s course by turning the rudder left and right. Inside the cockpit, the rudder lines are connected to foot pedals. Other boats have levers that play a similar role.Īttached to the rudder are two cables that run the length of the stern and into the cockpit. The most common and basic way is with a line attached to the base of the rudder, which runs along the top of the stern to the side of the cockpit. Steering is simplified and can take away the challenge and frustration of paddling in a straight line.Ī rudder can be raised or lowered from the cockpit. Kayak rudders are user-friendly and easy to master, regardless of your paddling experience. When aligned straight, the rudder creates drag, slowing down the kayak’s stern and helping you maintain course. From its location on the kayak’s stern, the rudder sits vertically in the water. What is a Kayak Rudder?Ī rudder helps combat the effects of weather cocking. Instead, it continues on its inverted V, leaving the stern without this natural version of “hydro-tracking.” This leads to the kayak’s stern moving downwind and zig-zagging, throwing you off course. This band of water creates pressure, hugging the hull and keeping the kayak’s bow pointed straight ahead.īut once it passes the kayak’s widest point, it won’t follow the narrowing keel. Imagine this water forming an inverted V as your kayak slices through the water. That water must go somewhere, so it runs along the side of the hull. What is Kayak Weather Cocking?Īs a kayak moves, it displaces the water in front of the bow. You can also install a rudder or skeg, which will help improve a kayak’s tracking by mitigating some paddling inefficiencies and poor weather. Longer keeled boats also tend to track better, as do those with narrower hulls. Improving your paddling and learning proper techniques can be helpful. Sometimes wind, tide, boat wakes, or your paddling inefficiencies can make a kayak pivot side to side and knock you off course. Very rarely will you have the luxury of paddling in perfect conditions. In general terms, tracking refers to how well a kayak paddles in a straight line. You may find that the interpretation of tracking varies from person to person. Since kayaks aren’t the fastest vessels on the water, keeping a straight course and maintaining the shortest path will cut down on travel time and bump up your paddling efficiency. As the kayak travels forwards, the hull and keel are subject to a wide range of external factors. Using the force generated from the paddle, the hull is pushed through the water. Kayaks move by displacing the water in front of the bow.
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