: No rudder, Bill. The kayak tracks straight and the swivelling seat helps keep
: the strokes tight. Technique is everything, eh! I did well during the
: river marathon event when I used this kayak to compete during the Masters
: Games back in 2005. My only regret is that I didn't use the Raven during
: the sprint races. I came in dead last for those because I used a plastic
: TK-1 rental that had a rudder. I had never used a rudder before and it
: caused me to fish tail all over the place. Had I used the Raven, I am sure
: I would have posted a much better time even if I might have finished off
: in last place. I tend to be able to paddle a kayak in a straight line
: regardless of how fast I am trying to get it move by adjusting my strokes
: as I go. I guess I can only focus on one activity at a time...paddling.
: Toss using a rudder into that and I am all over the board. The roots of my
: dark brown graying hair must be blonde.

: Robert N Pruden

Rudders do take a bit of time to get used to, once done though then you don't need to adjust the stroke to keep the boat straight and can instead use the full stroke to propel the boat. Course you knew that already.

The T bar rudder generally is easier to use, for me at least, specially for a sprint boat that tends to go straight all by itself, like your TK-1.

Bill H.