On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 02:52:23 GMT, "Mike Hackett"
posted:

No, this is not another skeg vs. rudder thread, promise... I'm a recent
owner of a CD Caribou-S, which at least many find benefits from having a
skeg (though that is also a somewhat controversial subject). Personally,
with my level of experience and where I paddle (on the Hudson, which can get
pretty windy), I'm finding it quite useful to keep the boat from turning
upwind so eagerly.

My question actually concerns the adjustability of the thing, whether to put
it all the way down or not. I've read comments suggesting a mid-deploy might
be good for balancing things if full-deploy makes the boat want to turn
downwind, due to presumably really extreme hull sideslip. I haven't been out
there when it's been that windy, yet. I've also read that you only use
enough to keep you pointing in the direction you want. What bothers me about
this advice is what it must imply, which is that the boat and skeg are not
going through the water straight in these partially-deployed scenarios,
crabbing, in other words. I'm assuming this because it would seem a
full-deploy would be the most likely to make the boat go straight, or in any
case have the water flow most parallel to the keel axis, even of the boat
does want to arc downwind. If partial-deploy alters the direction the boat
naturally goes in to be less wanting to arc downwind, it seems it can only
be due to allowing side-slipping.

This seems less efficient, both due to turbulence from the side-slipping
skeg and just from the hull itself not going through the water optimally.
Seems like it would be better to fully-deploy the skeg, if you are gong to
use it at all, and use paddling technique to keep you going straight.
Corrective strokes on the downwind side would tend to minimize sideslip,
whereas corrective strokes on the upwind side (for those who like this boat
without the skeg) would seem to increase sideslip.

Yes? No? Maybe?

All three! Well, no, it depends on your boat, the load in the boat
at any given time, the wind direction, tide or current, all the
usual variables.

Your boat is gonna side slip even if you keep the skeg down. The
skeg may minimize the crabwise action, but not much. All it really
does is affect the way the stern responds to wind. The bow of the
boat will still happily blow where it will. The ideal
configuration, to my way of thinking, is for the boat to want to
head (gently) into the wind when no skeg is deployed. I rented a
boat a little over a month ago, though, and without the skeg there
was no way to keep that thing from turning on a dime in the
relatively light wind I was in. I digress. With the skeg fully
deployed, a nice boat will slightly turn from the wind, and,
presumably, sliding the skeg into any of the intermediate positions
will give an infinitely variable response between the two extremes,
which ought to come in handy, or be somewhat satisfactory, in almost
any situation.

I use minimum skeg, too, because the damn thing slows me down.

Mike Soja