: Jepp

: But the alternative is a rudder that is not flush with the deck when it is in
: use. Sometimes when you are towing a kayak the line somtimes messes with
: the rudder if it is not flush. Also the blade hade to be 50-70mm longer
: and heavyer.

: And the total rudder area above the waterline is less compared to a trad
: rudder even with the blade straight up

: the short and light blade is also very easy to fould .

: Hans

both approaches have compromises.

in comparison to say the feather craft, the sealine rudder is at the very back low down - lousy for sandy beaches and dragging- i bet sand infiltration is a prob. being more low down it is more susceptible to boat and rudder damage from rocks and obstructions and a bit more susceptible to rear enders. on a feathercraft on a drop the rudder might just pop off whereas real damage would occur w/ the seal.

the sealine approach has advantages too. w/ the ruddr pointing in the back, rolling on the beach in surf could cause way less damage. windage is probably a tossup. i think self rescue would also be easier.

but the other rudder types -folding, concealed, retractable, flex, racing, one pc- all have their own problems as well. some are low so that sand infiltration is a problem, some are in skeg type boxes - sand again. because the setups are not as straight forward or exposed as the regulars, the compromise means there is no one rudder that i can see.

-mick