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Re: Sea Kayaker's Greenland Skin on Frame
By:Greg Stamer
Date: 6/23/2000, 11:31 am
In Response To: Sea Kayaker's Greenland Skin on Frame (Lew Crenshaw)

: kayak plans call for the installation of a small, non-retractable skeg at the
: rear stem. I left it out of mine, but after paddling it yesterday for a
: couple of hours, I think I may add one. (Of course, that's the result of
: my own screw-up in building the boat.)

: Lew

Lew & Dean,

A great many kayaks used today for hunting in Greenland have skegs. Some are external and others are part of the frame that is skinned over. You can't always count on your prey being downwind, so the hunters found that adding a skeg did improve the directional stability significantly enough to prevent the kayak from carving a turn as soon as the paddle was lifted and the harpoon was raised.

Greenland kayaks built in the last 100 years or so differ significantly from earlier designs, being quite wider and often built with a skeg. A large part of these changes may be due to the Inuit adopting the practice of carrying a heavy gun in a bag on the foredeck which significantly altered the center of gravity.

What is my point? Well first, Lew, don't assume that your Greenland inspired kayak is somehow built improperly if it weathercocks and you can add a skeg and still follow tradition, which may or may not be important to you. Also one must consider that the design of the Greenland kayak is not static but was and is, in a constant state of change. There never was a "perfect" kayak and there never will be one. Any design is a bag of compromises tailored to its intended purpose and the abilities of its owner.

As far as rudders and skegs go, I don't care for them, but I have read that even the Aleuts toyed with rudders (after contact with Europeans) and as I have mentioned, skegs are common on kayaks in Greenland.

Greg Stamer

Messages In This Thread

Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 6:26 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 6/26/2000, 10:38 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Tig and Tink -- 6/26/2000, 11:45 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Berkeley C. -- 6/23/2000, 2:26 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Dean Trexel -- 6/23/2000, 3:11 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
RM Dalton -- 6/25/2000, 12:45 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Berkeley C. -- 6/23/2000, 6:05 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Dean Trexel -- 6/26/2000, 9:59 am
Crutches for poor paddlers?
Brian Nystrom -- 6/23/2000, 11:14 am
Re: Crutches for poor paddlers?
bob -- 6/23/2000, 7:44 pm
Re: Crutches for poor paddlers?
Tim Smith -- 6/23/2000, 3:27 pm
Sea Kayaker's Greenland Skin on Frame
Lew Crenshaw -- 6/23/2000, 10:43 am
Re: Sea Kayaker's Greenland Skin on Frame
Greg Stamer -- 6/23/2000, 11:31 am
Re: Sea Kayaker's Greenland s&g
Dean Trexel -- 6/23/2000, 11:23 am
design intent
Vernon Lowery -- 6/23/2000, 9:54 am
Is this leading anywhere?
RM Dalton -- 6/23/2000, 10:18 am
Re: Yes (everybody read this)
Shawn B -- 6/23/2000, 2:19 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Rob Forsell -- 6/23/2000, 9:31 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Shawn B -- 6/23/2000, 2:16 pm
I like my rudder for fishing
davew -- 6/23/2000, 9:07 am
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Edgar Kleindinst -- 6/23/2000, 7:55 am
No Skegs or Rudders, but at what price?
David Dick -- 6/23/2000, 7:26 am
What about my 21' triple?????
Dale Frolander -- 6/23/2000, 3:08 am
Re: That would be a good exception
Shawn B -- 6/23/2000, 2:10 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Richard Boyle -- 6/23/2000, 1:00 am
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Shawn Baker -- 6/23/2000, 1:54 am
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Ian Johnston -- 6/23/2000, 2:50 am
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Tim Smith -- 6/23/2000, 1:59 pm
Re: NA vs. AU Rudders
Ian Johnston -- 6/24/2000, 1:56 am
Re: SO DEAN?
Ian Johnston -- 6/22/2000, 8:17 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
Tony -- 6/22/2000, 7:44 pm
Re: Skegs & Rudders: a very short rant
RM Dalton -- 6/22/2000, 11:59 pm
Re: blasphemy
Ross Leidy -- 6/22/2000, 6:49 pm
Re: rudder=blasphemy to inuit designs *Pic*
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 7:47 pm
Re: rudder=blasphemy to inuit designs
Tig and Tink -- 6/24/2000, 1:48 am
Re: Greenland vs. superior designs???
Mike Hanks -- 6/23/2000, 2:06 am
Re: That's a bit of luddism
Ross Leidy -- 6/22/2000, 10:25 pm
Re: That's a bit of luddism
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 11:22 pm
Model T
Don Bowen -- 6/23/2000, 10:53 am
Re: yep
Ross Leidy -- 6/23/2000, 9:19 am
Re: Advancements.
Ian Johnston -- 6/23/2000, 3:09 am
Re: Advancements.
Tony -- 6/23/2000, 1:57 pm
Patent infringement?
David Dick -- 6/24/2000, 7:51 am
Re: Conspiracy Theories,
Ian Johnston -- 6/24/2000, 2:26 am
Re: Conspiracy Theories,
Tony -- 6/26/2000, 3:13 pm
Way OT, 200 MPG
Don Bowen -- 6/25/2000, 12:05 pm
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Ian Johnston -- 6/26/2000, 4:11 am
Three valve per cyl and 40 to 1 fuel to air!
garth -- 7/2/2000, 7:02 pm
Re: You cant say that!
Don Beale -- 6/26/2000, 5:12 pm
Re: You cant say that!
Julie Kanarr -- 6/26/2000, 9:39 pm
Re: You cant say that!
Ian Johnston -- 6/27/2000, 10:35 am
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Rehd -- 6/26/2000, 8:57 am
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Ian Johnston -- 6/26/2000, 10:45 am
Re: 200 MPG=Alien Abduction
Rehd -- 6/26/2000, 9:50 pm
Re: Conspiracy Theories, ( O.T. )
Rehd -- 6/24/2000, 1:09 pm
Re: Conspiracy Theories, ( O.T. )
Ian Johnston -- 6/25/2000, 2:45 am
Re: That's a bit of luddism
Rehd -- 6/22/2000, 11:44 pm
Re: rudder=blasphemy to inuit designs
Don Price -- 6/22/2000, 8:15 pm
Re: that explains it
lee -- 6/22/2000, 8:10 pm
Re: that explains it
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 8:47 pm
Re: that explains it
Ross Leidy -- 6/23/2000, 9:28 am
Re: that explains it
Dean Trexel -- 6/23/2000, 9:52 am
Re: that explains it
lee -- 6/22/2000, 10:44 pm
Small Rudder?
mike allen ---> -- 6/22/2000, 8:23 pm
Re: Small Rudder?
lee -- 6/22/2000, 10:30 pm
Re: blasphemy
bob -- 6/22/2000, 7:33 pm
Re: blasphemy
Greg -- 6/22/2000, 8:15 pm
Re: blasphemy
Dean Trexel -- 6/22/2000, 9:02 pm
Re: blasphemy
Greg -- 6/23/2000, 12:18 am