> My G has been seaworthy for 2 weeks now, and I've had it out in high wind,
> variable wind and no wind at all. It weathercocks in any puff of breeze.
> It also has some interesting turning habits. It seems to rotate around a
> point about 4 feet behind the bow, and about 20 feet abeam the boat. Once
> the turn begins, it feels like the bow tracks but the stern
> "skids". It feels like a car oversteering, with the radius of
> the turn decreasing and the back end all hung out. It doesn't seem to
> matter much whether it's a flat turn or a carved one. Is this common? It
> seems like this could be a real problem in following seas or when surfing.
> It's hard to carry any speed when every second or third stoke has to be a
> sweep. Intuition says it needs a skeg, but I'd like to hear from other G
> paddlers before chopping holes in the hull. TIA, Pete.

You just described how my Guillemot feels to me. However, I'm a brand new paddler and had nothing to compare it against and have chalked it up to my inexperience.

I've taken it out 7 times in the last month and a half. Each time I get a little more control, but what made the biggest difference for me was switching to a greenland style paddle. I felt I was overpowering my strokes and hoped the greenland would allow me to keep a high cadence with less power. Whatever the reason, it helped me a lot, and in a following wind and small waves it's a lot of fun. Even with the greenland, if the boat starts getting out of hand, forcing myself to stop and then go slower fixes the problem.

Having said that, I'm afraid what might happen if I took it out in open water and a big wind came up. I think it would be beyond my abilities to track any direction but into the wind. This summer I'll introduce my wife to the kayak, and I know she is not willing to spend as much time as I in learning to control the boat. I ordered a rudder from Seaward kayak for it this week. Considering the above, and because of the percieved difficulty of adding a skeg after the deck is attached, I think the rudder will be a better choice in my case.

Woody