The most common of these is a term called "weathercocking". For many, this becomes a lifelong routine that never enables them to enhance their paddling strokes to a point that steering is a function of correct paddling strokes and not the constant use of a long, narrow fin swishing through the water off the back end of one’s boat.Įven the most perfectly-designed, straight-tracking kayak can go off course when the dynamics of wind, wave and weight distribution come into play. It's not uncommon to see kayakers launching for an afternoon paddle quickly deploy their rudders immediately upon leaving shore and then spending the entire trip sloshing the rudder from side to side as they "steer" their kayak along. Indeed, for as defined by the International Maritime Dictionary, a rudder is a "device for steering and maneuvering." For sea kayakers, however, that definition would better serve if it were modified to read "a device to aid in maneuvering" – and let it go at that. Ask someone not yet savvy to all the nuances of handling a touring/recreational kayak what a rudder is used for and you will probably hear " for steering" as the most common response.
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