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Tell me if this is possible? 17 years 2 weeks ago #21996

JimT
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Here's my situation. I own a Walden Sport 'Passage' kayak w/ a movable skeg. What I am trying to do (though I've been told other wise is not do able) is attach a rudder kit w/ foot controls that would attach to my existing foot pegs. The reason I want to do this is because I recently purchased a Wind Paddle sail (adventurer II) and want the option of using a rudder when sailing. The design of this sail is such that I don't have to use my hands to work it but I would also like to not have to use my paddle to steer my boat so I can free up my hands to do other tasks such as working my GPS, looking over maps or getting a quick bite to eat while on the go.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

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Re:Tell me if this is possible? 17 years 2 weeks ago #21998

AdrianTregoning
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I paddle mainly whitewater boats but here's my humble opinion. The boat was designed for best performance with that existing configuration of the underslung rudder in mind.....but considering you are going to add a sail and add a lot of different forces onto the boat, it doesn't really matter now! You probably could seal up the system at the bottom and buy some spares and rig up your own system:

www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles/Inst...derInstallation.html

and

www.kayakfishingstuff.com/Merchant2/merc...TGY&Category_Code=RD

and

oceankayak.stores.yahoo.net/rudderkits1.html

Hopefully that helps a little. I don't know.. :grin:

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Re:Tell me if this is possible? 17 years 2 weeks ago #22002

JimT
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Thank you Adrian! I've come to the conclusion that this effort will require some jury rigging to say the least. As for my skeg, it's re-tractable so I can leave it up when not using it. The challenge that lays ahead of me is finding a rudder kit that will conform to my rear deck design then finding a way to route my steering cables to the pedals while trying to minimize any intrusive work done on the boat.

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