Is a rudder very helpful?

What are the pros and cons of a rudder?


Is it a lot of help?

The above question is from a fishing/camping point of view.

I have a 15 foot kevlar kayak with a rudder, and I love it. The only con I can think of is you could have a mechanical failure at some point.  They have a much better rudder system now that I would like to install on my yak one of these days.  The only problem with the one I have now is the rails have gotten jammed up with sand and it got stuck. Of course it helps not to have major crash landings on the beach in the surf, which was usually the cause for the sand jammed into every nook and cranny of my kayak AND my person. I took the rudder all apart and took my Dremel tool to it, filed it down a bit so it had a lot more play in it and now its fine.
As for the pro's, rudders are great when you're dog tired, been paddling all day long and are fighting the wind trying to stay straight. They're great when you're not tired.  The rudder has really been a lifesaver on several occasions when conditions have turned nasty. A lot of kayakers say it takes away from your paddling skills. POOHBAH, who cares. A lot of times when drifting it is nice to to sort of angle your way along without having to grab the paddle to steer. Anyway, I find it to be very helpful and I wouldnt buy a kayak without one.

I have a rudder on my OK Drifter and I totally love it.  Here are some of the reasons why.

1.  Much easier to paddle in a cross-wind and maintain your track.

2.  Helps control orientation of the kayak during drifts.

3.  Much tighter turning radius.

Some of the reasons that I don't like it:

1.  Allows you to get lazy with paddling technique.

2.  Expensive.

All in all I highly recommend one.  I am not a stickler for technique and I got my system (and yak) for free in a raffle so the cost didn't bother me.

I think the best part is the ability to orient your yak during a drift.

MolBasser

i find a rudder very useful when paddling far, i can use my paddle for speed not steering. also i can make a much sharper turn with it, to get back on top of a rockfish filled reef. most importantly, when drifting the bay in the usual wind, i can stay pointed at fish holding structure longer and therefore make more casts to it.

Yeah, a rudder is always a nice asset to a touring kayak. I have one on my dagger Cayman & am contemplating adding one to my tarpon. They shine most when paddling with a following sea, as they allow you to paddle forward without having to make corrective paddle stokes every other second.
The only caveat I have is this: Kayak rudders are mechanical systems that usually operate with slender cables that get turned often. Cables wear out over time, often right at the point they connect to the rudder assembly. Salt & sand accelerate this. So check your rudder system regularly for wear, as a sudden breakdown of the rudder can be really scary if you are not used to paddling a 16 foot boat without one. The cables break, the foot peg flys forward out of its track, and you are left with a rudder that only turns one way. Of course the rudder only breaks down when you really need it, like in confused seas or gusty winds.
That's my only con point. Overall I recommend rudders, but I always mention that one should learn to paddle without one first.  That way I dodge liability

-Sean

Overall I recommend rudders, but I always mention that one should learn to paddle without one first. That way I dodge liability  

I agree with Sean - well said!

I've never used one and don't feel like I've missed much.  I know ethan broke his pretty good in the surf at bean hollow once (backwards endo) so I wouldn't reccomend it for a yak that's doing much surfing.  The holes into the hull kind of concern me too...

Surf is no big deal, you just retract the rudder before attempting it.

I have had zero issues with my rudder, and I like it, but it is a personal preference thing.

Honestly though, the ability to control the yak orientation (at some level) during the drift is quite helpful.

MolBasser

Just my opinion as both a sea kayaker and a kayak fisher. The purist point of view (which has substantial merit for sea kayaking and not kayak fishing) is that is fosters poor technique by avoiding learning skills like linking stokes  (forward with sweep to keep from weather cocking--the tendency for a boat to turn into the wind) and poor paddling and boat handling skills which increase risk in adverse conditions. True enough for sea kayaking where you use closed-deck boats with spray deck and lean and edge your kayak in waves and to turn or even brace and roll when you have to.  But even experts appreciate a rudder or skeg on a large expedition touring boat with 200 pounds of gear in a high wind in choppy seas. More and more sea kayakers are turning to skegs rather than rudders anyway--a skeg is a fixed drop-down blade-it doesn't turn so it only increases the keel force to prevent weathercocking. A skeg is useless in turning and, in fact, works against it in my experience.

As for fishing, the fisher uses a kayak very differently that the tourer so a skeg has little use and the rudder much more--the tourer never drifts in the wind without paddling trying to maintain a heading with a drift chute or without--fishers do that often. I am finding the rudder helps make subtle course corrections to counter wind forces while drifting. I don't use it to turn (sweep stokes turn me plenty fast) and I link strokes to counter weathercocking though the day my come when I'll use the rudder to track in high wind. I am not a 'purist'-I use what works and keep the 'fun meter' pegged and me out fishing as often as I can 24X7X52X365.

The bottom line is this: use what works for you for fishing because your objective is different than the touring kayaker's. But it cannot hurt to improve your paddling skills and strokes--safety is closely linked with skill and judgment. Try to improve both and you'll increase your odds substantially. Learn what a brace is, learn to link strokes, to surf so you can handle steep following seas or tidal races.  Just don't feel guilty or impure using a rudder--you have different objectives than the sea kayak tourer and the rudder is a tool to help you achieve them in a way nothing else (except a trolling motor can. Besides, if it helps more people get off the couch and turn of the tv and get out and enjoy and appreciate nature, then I say "Bravo for rudders".

I never used a rudder, and am not interested in one. Like the guy says you can run into situations when you are trolling where you are doing all your paddling on one side. The solution is to simply keep your pole tip more centered to the kayak. This brings up a problem that hasn't been mention and that is getting you line caught in the rudder.

I'm sure it will happen eventually, I've had my line tangled in the carry strap on the back the kayak. It is a royal pain, there are only three ways to untangle it:

1) your buddy in another kayak untangles it

2) you jump in the water and untangle it.

3) you paddle to shore and untangle it.

This brings up a problem that hasn't been mention and that is getting you line caught in the rudder.

I've had this happen to me several times.  It's a pain in the butt.  If no one's around to help, I just cut the line and re-tie on a new lure or rig.  I just deal with the snagged hook when I get back to shore.

Yes you should lean to paddle without one but as a 10 year kayak-er having one is better.you can control you boat direction when you drift and on the bay in a windy i would smoke anyone without one plus if you need to troll a hot spot you can turn around faster and cover more ground without counter strokes.anyone that puts one on there boat will be glade they did.

I used to have a rudder on my Cobra Tourer and it was helpful to have. I later got a Prowler 15 without a rudder and I honestly did not miss having a rudder. IMO: it's helpful to have but not necessary - for kayak fishing.

I don't have one and can't imagine having one... maybe I'm not sophisticated enough of a paddler for it to make a difference.  I keep thinking it's one more thing to coordinate/think about while I'm out.

I mean geez, I put hooks into my thumbs enough as it is.   The last thing I need is another set of stuff to control.  I'm barely functional now!

(hey, looks like I finally posted enough to stop being "sardine" in my profile.   Which reminds me of the old saying "he who smelt it...")