Skeg Modification

OK, one of the reasons my kayak didn’t track very well was due to the small size of the “Skeg” on the hull.  I had read several articles and reviews on this kayak where the owners had modified their skegs to improve tracking. as many of you know, I like to tinker.  So, with a rainy day, nothing to do and the thought stuck in my head, I decided to tinker!

I had a few “Rules” I wanted to keep in mind:
-I didn’t want to do DAMAGE to the original skeg.  Whatever I did, had to be reversible.
-I didn’t want to make i so large that I lost the ability to go through shallow waters without it snagging.
-It had to be something I could modify further (Evolve) as I tested it.
-It had to be CHEAP!

My solution:  I took a $1 plastic cutting board from the dollar store, shaped it, and mounted to the skeg with a single brass bolt that would allow it to swivel!

The cutting board was cheap, and I had everything else I needed.  The single bolt allows it to swing up if it drags on the bottom in shallow water.  If I need to take it off, all I have to do it take the one bolt out. The only “Damage” to the skeg is a small hole drilled through it for the bolt that should not affect it without the extension.  And, I could possibly add a rope system to it that would allow me to pull it up to allow the boat to weathercock (Turn into the wind).

All I really had to do was trace out the pattern on the cutting board, cut it, chamfer the leading edge, smooth it, figure out where to bolt it, drill the hole and put it on.   I did add a weight to the bottom of it to help ensure it hangs down in the water.