Rudder Systems - Which would you choose?

I went back to the dark side and purchased a Trident 15 that I'm going to be rigging this weekend.

I'd like to put a rudder on it, but I've never actually had a boat with a rudder, so I'm afraid I'm a bit of a newbie in this regard.

I've heard issues with the stock Ocean Kayak rudder system and that there are better ones out there. 

For you experienced rudder guys... if you could choose any rudder system to put on a new Trident 15, which one would you choose and why?  Which systems would you avoid and why?

EK

I went back to the dark side and purchased a Trident 15 that I'm going to be rigging this weekend.

I'd like to put a rudder on it, but I've never actually had a boat with a rudder, so I'm afraid I'm a bit of a newbie in this regard.

I've heard issues with the stock Ocean Kayak rudder system and that there are better ones out there. 

For you experienced rudder guys... if you could choose any rudder system to put on a new Trident 15, which one would you choose and why?  Which systems would you avoid and why?

EK

EK - I have a new prowler 13 with the OK rudder and it seems to be fine. The only issue that I see with it is raising and lowering the rudder. It's a pain in the ass but other than that, it works great.

The rudder on my Zest get a little sticky on the up and down as well. Other than that it works fine.

I had a stock wilderness rudder on a tarpon 160i and on other sites I had heard it wasnt very good.  With nothing to compare it to, it seems to work just fine.  Every couple of months it would get a little sticky, so opened it up, wiped out the sand and put a very thin coat of a dry lube on it and it was fine.

Im toying with the idea of putting it on my trident 15

The only issue that I see with it is raising and lowering the rudder

I have a Wilderness Systems rudder on my Tarpon 140 and an stock OK rudder on my P15.  I think the WS rudder is better designed and allows for easier repositioning of the rudder.  The alignment of the cord coming off the rotor is poor and the roller is inadequate on the OK. The WS foot braces are also more substantial then the OKs.  You'd have to make an adaptor, say out of an aluminum block to accomodate a WS rudder on OK mounting holes though it looks like they sell an adaptor "A" on the KFS site.

I know the Kayak Fishing Stuff site promotes Feathercraft rudders as an improvement over the OK rudders, so you might email them to see why they favor it.  They also sell the KFS Toe Pilots for those who need maximen leg room or who don't like the sloshy feeling you get from slidding foot braces, especially when you are trying to accelerate hard, say to catch a boil.

I ended up getting the Toe Pilot Foot Controls cuz I preferred the stationary foot pedal.

I was looking at the toe pilots... how do you like them?  Think they'd work with size 13's?

I am curious to see how you rig it EK...sure it will be a beauty.  I used my rudder a lot on the Klamath...very helpful.

I have a rudder on my scupper pro. it is ancient and bent but works fine. I got the boat well used and it had the rudder.

Interestingly, I often fish with it up. when up it still has a couple inches or so in the water and that couple inches is often enough to act more or less like a rudder so I just keep it up.

If you hang a shark shield off it while it is up, the shark shield acts somewhat like a rudder too.

In fact, some sort of simple "soft rudder" that is basically a short length of cord makes a rudder that is less likely to break given the kind of treatment we give our boats.

You might find that you don't need a full length rudder.  just enough to stop it weather cocking all over the place is fine.

You might find that you could hang "something" back there, that moves left and right with the foot controls, but is not exactly a real "rudder" and you might prefer it.

I hope you put your EK mind to it, cause we might end up with something better than the rudders out there now.

John

EK-I was looking around at pedals and remembered these from the MK days.  While MK never used them, they were developed by their previous OEM foot brace supplier.  The foot braces were strong and comfy, and this design is ingenius...I may try these myself.  The only negative of this design, at least on an X-Factor, was the "adjustment flag" used to dig into my calf a little...so I cut it off.

Check em out...

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/canoe-kayak/rudder-fb/index.htm

Thanks Sean... those look pretty sweet.  Even simpler design than the Toe Pilots.  I likey.

I was looking at this rudder... not sure if it can be fit to the Trident... anyone familiar with it? 

http://www.coloradokayak.com/Prijon-Balanced-Wing-Rudder

EK

Man, I had never heard of those Toe Pilots or those Sea Dog pedals. What a great idea!
My number 1 complaint about rudders is the fact I can't alternate pressure with my feet while paddling hard (AKA you have to maintain an equal amount of pressure with each foot while paddling or the rudder will be pivoting back and forth and you won't paddle straight...which is kinda ironic). This is a problem mainly for boats have flat footwells...so the only thing to brace against are the actual footpedals (no corrugated OK footwells).
I only use my rudder in freshwater or when fighting a cross-wind/current in the ocean.

I've got a nearly 3 year old p15 with the stock OK rudder. The raising/lowering was sticky until i re-ran the cords (they had both going through one guy-point), now its smooth as silk.  The rudder mount does loosen up every now and then (mainly cause i'm slamming the thing on the asphalt every time i load).

It does interfere a bit with my rear mounted anchor trolley...i've been using the anchor in front for sturgies since, and casting rearward. I just finished (this weekend) re-rigging it, so will try next weekend to see if it works.

I've got a nearly 3 year old p15 with the stock OK rudder. The raising/lowering was sticky until i re-ran the cords (they had both going through one guy-point), now its smooth as silk.  The rudder mount does loosen up every now and then (mainly cause i'm slamming the thing on the asphalt every time i load).

It does interfere a bit with my rear mounted anchor trolley...i've been using the anchor in front for sturgies since, and casting rearward. I just finished (this weekend) re-rigging it, so will try next weekend to see if it works.

Steve I was wondering why you were facing the other way at China Camp. I thought it was some "secret, stealthy" approach at sturgeon fishing.

Funny yah its a secret stealthy approach-- actually, in really heavy current i like facing forward anyway if its light then rearward.  I find that current at your backside means the rear digs a bit, and i seem to get more water pumping through my scuppers onto my backside....

Funny yah its a secret stealthy approach-- actually, in really heavy current i like facing forward anyway if its light then rearward.  I find that current at your backside means the rear digs a bit, and i seem to get more water pumping through my scuppers onto my backside....

I'm with you on that.  It's only been the last couple of years that I've been anchoring stern first. 

I went and bought a pair of those Sea Dogs... now I need to focus on the business end. 

Wind Toys has a box of old Wildnerness Systems rudder components that he said I could dig through to piece together the rudder assembly... that might be how I go to save a few bucks since they don't sell WS there anymore.  We'll see.

Those pedals look like the shnizzle though.

EK