rudder question

[Punchshot]

Hello gents, was on my way to the Sakonnet Boathouse to pick up my pungo 140, and left with the Tarpon 120 angler - I think all the reading and opinions and comments about sit in and sit on top, I felt that was the way to go for me. The question I have is that the Angler comes with a rudder - do you think it's an asset to have a rudder, and do they make a great deal of difference in the control and handling of the yak - thx Punch:)

[FLYRODER]

All I can tell you is the people that do have a rudder on there kayak really love it. All of them say they would never go rudderless again. As for me I don't have a rudder on my kayak. After paddling 1 that did I wish I did have a rudder. And any future kayaks I might buy will have a rudder.

[bluewatr]

Rudders are awesome. I would never go without.

Careful though.... As Sam stated a while back... "Pull it up before trying to do a surf landing. If the rudder is in the water it will give the waves more purchase on your tail end, swing and roll you. Learned this the fun and wet way :)"

You don't have to be doing a surf landing for this to happen either... If you get sideways in the rough stuff, watch out!... Pull the rudder up...

[JonS]

Here's something I recently wrote about rudders. I copied and pasted it here. We get a lot of questions concerning rudders. Are they a necessary accessory on a kayak? They’re not necessary, as the only items you have to have are a kayak and a paddle however like many items they make a kayak a more productive fishing tool. The first item that I add is a rod holder, as it will do more for the fish ability of a kayak then anything else. Rudders aren’t necessary however I won’t own a kayak over 14 feet without one. I spent 2 years fishing a Cobra Tourer without a rudder and then I added one. I felt like the point in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” when it went from black and white to color. The rudder changed my perspective and how I could use the kayak. I’m not alone as most people I know who have added a rudder feel the same. Here are some of the things you can expect from one.

Steering: This is obvious. A rudder is used to steer the kayak. The longer the kayak the more important it is. There’s a phenomenon called wind cocking. It’s when the wind blows at an angle to the direction you want to go. If the wind is blowing it’s most likely going to come from an angle. Rarely will it be directly behind or in front of you. The longer the kayak the more the wind will affect it when it does come from the side. That’s simply because there is more surface area to push on so more kayak will be influenced to head that way. It affects you when paddling as you’ll have to compensate by making more paddle strokes on the windward side of the kayak. You may have to take ten or more strokes on the windward side compared to the lee side. It gets annoying and greatly impinges on the efficiency of your paddling. By utilizing a rudder you can stroke normally and steer the kayak where you want to go. The 120 having a relatively high profile is going to be affected by wind so the rudder is a plus.

Maneuvering: A rudder will help a long kayak maneuver in tight places. It’s similar to power steering in a vehicle. When it gets tight it’s a nice feature to have.

Fish Fighting: Another way a rudder becomes handy is fighting fish. Without a rudder the kayak will tend to follow the fish. This isn’t always the direction you want to go. Consider the following. You’ve just hooked a large fish and it decides to head in a direction you don’t want it too. There might be a rip, dock, rocks, any manner of places you and your kayak would rather not be. A kayak has a tendency to follow a fish as it pulls you. You can brace against the yak and lean to influence it’s taking a different path or you can use a rudder. Imagine that the fish heads towards some rocks that are 3 o’clock to your initial alignment. If you turn your kayak, via the rudder, so it heads towards 9 o’clock, the fish is now forced to pull the kayak sideways. The fish is perpendicular to the kayak and the resistance will be at its greatest. More often then not the fish will change its direction and I find that it will probably head closer to 12 o’clock.

Drifting: Fishing is a sport that requires the use of your hands. Having a rudder allows you to eliminate the need to adjust your drift using the paddle. You may be casting towards shore, a weed line, drop off, or any manner of structure where you want to maintain a certain distance. You feather the rudder and precisely control your drift.

A rudder is a great accessory to have but don’t keep it in the water all the time. Its great when you need it however when its not needed keep it out of the water. The reason being it will slow you down as it produces drag. So use a rudder when it makes sense to do so but like any accessory learn how to use it to maximize its benefits.

Hope this helps.