Originally Posted by
tkamd73
Thanks for the info, would never consider a boat over 16ft without a rudder or skeg, as I do live on big water, and rough and windy is quite common. I’ve paddled boats with neither device, and can track with them just fine, to me just less enjoyable over a 4 to five hour paddle especially with any wind over 10kts, quite common on my lake.
I paddled, and spent many hours in lessons, and it was roughly 5 years, before purchasing my first boats, tried everything I could fit in, before deciding on the QCC 700X, and Seda Ikuma. My primary goal is fitness, and covering miles, if I want maneuverability, or to play around, I’ll jump in my neighbors white water kayak.
Thanks for the info on the Stellars, still want to try one. Below is my latest acquisition.
Tim
Wow beautiful. Looks VERY fast. Yes I also have a Stellar ST-17 double for the wife and kid that is even faster and very stable. Problem w/ skeg or rudder though is moving parts are not reliable. It only took a year and a half to break the skeg on my G2 it just separated and fell out never to be found again. Once a year we have a rudder problem on that or my inlaws Wilderness Polaris double as well. Buy very helpful as the G2 wouldn't be controllable even in flat conditions without the skeg all the way down, otherwise it cavorts this way or that. You do maybe 2-3 strokes and it starts turning in whatever direction it wants no matter how much you edge it the boat almost wants to flip in that direction and there's nothing you can do. You have to stick your blade in the water, brake, then restart, only for it to get unsettled again. So its skeg fully down 100% of the time for me. My inlaws have a Tsunami plastic boat as well from Wilderness that one without skeg seems to track OK. The G2 with its skeg tracks better in wind than does the Tsunami, but with skeg up the Tsunami is still useable, the S14 is not at all it won't go straight even in flat conditions no matter what you do. It also loses a lot of stability as well without skeg. When my skeg broke last year I stopped paddling it until I could get it replaced it was that bad.