: I take exception to this statement. There are plenty of well designed boats
: that incorportate rudders or skegs. Doubles and triples pretty much
: require rudders.

: A well designed single with a skeg can be trimmed to handle many wind/wave
: conditions by varying the depth of the skeg. It can still track well and
: be responsive to leaned turns and corrective strokes. Such a boat is a
: very intelligent design, in my opinion. I think of a skeg as a "trim
: tab" and use it as such.

: Therein lies the problem. Most of the people I see paddling rudder equipped
: boats have the rudders down all the time. Rather than using the rudder for
: course corrections only under difficult conditions (as they are intended
: to be used), they use them for steering. They are substituting the rudder
: for learning proper paddle strokes and leaning/edging techniques. This is
: bad, as it puts the paddler in the situation of being dependent on the
: rudder. If it fails under difficult conditions, they're screwed. This is
: probably why people who consider themselves "serious" paddlers
: often eschew rudders.

: On the other hand, there are a lot of people who just want to get into a boat
: and paddle for a while. They don't care about learning advanced strokes
: and don't paddle in difficult conditions, they just want to have fun and
: get a bit of exercise. If you get in a boat and go out in perfect conditions often enough the day will come when the perfect day becomes a nightmare beyond anything you've imagined. at this point you had better have your boat handling skills togeather LEARN TO PADDLE and handle your boat then consider a rudder and use a boat that does not need one, regardless of conditions..

I see it as similar to the debate over manual vs.
: automatic cameras. I prefer a manual camera, as I like the control it
: gives me. It also forced me to learn to understand lighting and exposure.
: However, most people simply want to take pictures and really don't care
: how the camera works or why. Perhaps their results are not as good, but
: they're good enough to meet their expectations, which is really the bottom
: line. On the other hand, a skilled photographer can produce stunning
: images with either type of camera. The same is true of paddlers and
: kayaks.

: My camera does have a built in meter and the lenses have automatic diaphrams.
: These are conveniences that don't take anything away from the creative
: process. I view a skeg in much the same terms. It's a convenience under
: certain conditions, but it doesn't prevent me from learning advanced
: paddle strokes, leans and other boat control techniques, or make them
: unnecessary. There is no significant downside to a skeg, as the boat
: handles fine with it up or down. People speculate about jams, but has
: anyone ever actually experienced one?

: I don't see any need for the added complexity of a rudder on a single kayak
: since a skeg is sufficient, so I don't use them and won't buy a boat that
: has one. Perhaps some people have a real need for a rudder. If so, that
: doesn't automatically mean that their boat is poorly designed or that
: they're lazy; it just means that their needs are different than mine.