: I've tried a skeg close to the center (closer to the rear of the
: cockpit than the end of the stern) and it worked exactly as in
: the referenced video - I could easily zig-zag the kayak with
: edging, something that was not possible without the skeg.
: Tracking was also improved. Mine was a simple piece of plastic
: glued with marine goop semi-permanently. That was on a short
: kayak that was maneuverable to begin with and with a lose stern
: and relatively planted bow.

: I have a similar setup on my current SOF and the effect is similar
: though not quite as pronounced as I have the skeg a little
: farther back and the kayak is longer and not nearly as
: maneuverable by design as the first one.

: Got to try it on my plastic WS Zephyr - will tape a plastic piece
: somewhere between the current skeg and the seat to see if the
: effect is similar there or not...

: The downside would be (my thinking, have not experimented) is that
: a skeg like that would not combat weathercocking nearly as
: effectively as when it is in the rear of the stern. That is,
: without edging.

: Curious to learn more about the concept if you can share...

Hi Kocho,

Thanks for actually testing this out. Think about sail boats instead of kayaks for a moment. They are an exaggeration of our situation with strong wind forces above the waterline and the water forces below. They put much more thought into balancing out the forces for optimum control.

A hard tracking kayak may feel good in flat conditions but once it is veering off course you will find it much more difficult to correct. The loosest kayak and the most easily to correct would have the lowest point under the center of balance. This requires more attention to keep it going straight. To get the best of both worlds one needs to move the pivot point back a bit. This is most often done with hull shape.

I am reposting part of my reply to Bill H. here...
At speed the bow pressure increases and the pressure in the stern decreases. This makes the most effective part of a turning or correcting stroke in the rear quadrant. The last thing you want to do is lock up the stern adding resistance to your turning or correcting stroke.

I like to think of pulling the stern in behind the bow when making course corrections because the stern moves most easily.

Your thinking and Bills is valid for rudders but not for skegs. You can use a rudder to put the stern behind the bow but putting a skeg or built-in aft keel is not going to make corrections easier.

I struggle for the words on this stuff and get frustrated with the misinformation being frequently repeated.

As an instructor I often feel that I am trying to explain the water. The truth is the water will always be the better teacher, and it is always there. Thanks for trying this experientally.

Hope this is helpful.

Best,

Reg