For all of you who were worried that I might not be back after my foray into the Atlantic Ocean - you can breath easily again ;-)

I went to a local beach and found only ~3 foot waves breaking over a sand bar. I paddled out only to find that a 3 foot wave leaves 2 full feet of water above my bow and deck - needless to saw I was soon very wet! I turned around to surf back in, on ~ my third ride I discovered that a larger wave, lifting my stern, actually forced my bow underwater ~6 inches - I was able to pull it back up but I spun sideways and dumped (my newly learned high brace only works if your actually leaning towards the brace!)

My questions - do I need a rudder to surf waves? - I was often able maintain a forward direction while starting surfing but many times the kayak broached sideways (still a fun ride but not as good as surfing). Would a skeg provide too much directional stability? (If I broached the skeg would be sideways and might flip me)

Given the risk of pitching over (burying the bow in the sand and doing a cartwheel) - should I be looking at a totally different boat? Are there any plans for an S&G white water play boat? I assume ~10-12 ft long kayak with a large high volume bow might be a better setup than my 17 foot Cheasapeake for surfing.

BTW - boat came out without a scratch (mind you I didn't hit any rocks)

Thanks for the help, Mark