My kayak turned way too easily. It would turn just as easily when not tipped as it did when tipped. Whenever I went kayaking I spent a lot of time concentrating on where I was going and continuously adding little correction strokes to keep me on track. If I was going sideways to the wind it would turn a little bit into the wind. When going with the waves it would broach sideways without the front end even burying into the wave.

I had thought about adding a skeg, but I didn't want to have to mess with it when I wanted to use it and I didn't want to cut into my hatch and lose valuable cargo space. I also didn't want something sticking below the bottom of the kayak. I could have added a rudder, but again it would be sticking below the bottom of the kayak and I didn't want to have to rig it and change the foot pegs with sliding ones.

I listened to Joe Greenley, Pete Rudie, and others and decided to make it a better paddling kayak by adding a fin.

I sanded down the bottom of my kayak and added the fin by bonding on many thin strips of ash. The first one was bonded with epoxy to seal the boat separately from the fin. The rest were glued on with wood glue. Then I went wild with the dremel and carved my fin.

I fiberglassed the fillet transition with the hull, and I added a piece of glass roving on the bottom edge for protection like I did on my paddles.

THE RESULTS:
Prior to adding the fin, my kayak was looser than my friend Cid's Guillemot 18. Since adding the fin, I went paddling several times and now it tracks GREAT. The wind and waves now have NO effect on where I want to go. When Cid and I were on Spada Lake a few weeks ago (after fin) I would point the kayak at a spot across the lake and it would just go that direction. I would be looking sideways at Cid talking about whatever and when I would look forward again I would still be right on track. The kayak is a lot more fun to paddle now. Cid's kayak is now looser than mine!

So now when I do want to turn all I have to do is tip it on the edge and it turns great (not quite like a guillemot, but not far off either).

Cid is going to add a fin too, but since he doesn't need as much fin as I did, he isn't going to make it as big.

I can't say it enough, my kayak is a lot more fun to paddle now.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1549289&a=11752745&p=54353507&f=0