niget2002
Well-known member
I hate to say this, but I'm adding a rudder to my kayak. I'm sure it's not the kayak's fault and it's me, but I'm still having issues with it turning into the wind when there's a decent breeze (which is most days where I live). I also think that this being my first kayak, that the bottom of the boat is slightly banana shaped.
Ideally, I would have installed a kick-up skeg when I built the kayak, but I didn't. I don't want to cut the top of the kayak and install a hatch in order to add a skeg after the fact, so the rudder is the next option.
I don't plan on adding foot controls on the first iteration of this. I picked up some 3" bell cranks for RC cars and plan on fixing the rudder. The bell cranks will allow me to adjust the angle so the boat floats straight. I will be running a line to the cockpit so I can pop the rudder up when not needed.
I initially picked up a rudder mount off of Chesapeake light craft, but it's not going to work. The top mount isn't long enough, but it gives me ideas.
The next step is I'll machine my own. I ordered a steel tube that should come in today. The plan is to possibly try my hand at electroplating and doing a nickel-copper plating on the final part. If this all works out, I'm going to disassemble the plastic rudder and cut a solid one out of Mahogany. The plastic rudder will get me through the end of this season, though.
This winter the boat will be going under the knife for other reasons. The foam bulkheads I installed aren't doing a good job. I'm going to replace them with fiberglassed in panels, but that will be a different thread. I may look at adding the linkages to make the rudder steerable then.
Ideally, I would have installed a kick-up skeg when I built the kayak, but I didn't. I don't want to cut the top of the kayak and install a hatch in order to add a skeg after the fact, so the rudder is the next option.
I don't plan on adding foot controls on the first iteration of this. I picked up some 3" bell cranks for RC cars and plan on fixing the rudder. The bell cranks will allow me to adjust the angle so the boat floats straight. I will be running a line to the cockpit so I can pop the rudder up when not needed.
I initially picked up a rudder mount off of Chesapeake light craft, but it's not going to work. The top mount isn't long enough, but it gives me ideas.
The next step is I'll machine my own. I ordered a steel tube that should come in today. The plan is to possibly try my hand at electroplating and doing a nickel-copper plating on the final part. If this all works out, I'm going to disassemble the plastic rudder and cut a solid one out of Mahogany. The plastic rudder will get me through the end of this season, though.
This winter the boat will be going under the knife for other reasons. The foam bulkheads I installed aren't doing a good job. I'm going to replace them with fiberglassed in panels, but that will be a different thread. I may look at adding the linkages to make the rudder steerable then.