Putting a rudder on a new kayak

[kevin nicholls]

Picked up a new kayak this week. A Pelican Catch 100. I wanted to add a rudder to help control drifts down shorelines. I got one off Amazon and had to rig a mount.

[kevin nicholls]

I bent some 1/8" aluminum bar stock and riveted it to the the kayak. Ran the lines to the pedals for steering. If the wind would calm down I'll get it out soon.

[Dspivey]

Looks nice.

[fish4food]

Good job Sir

[4-fletch]

Thanks I've got the catch 120 and
been thinking bout doing this.
Thanks for posting.

[kevin nicholls]

The 120 has a rear hatch I believe. It would be easier, you could bolt it on.

[kevin nicholls]

A better picture of the mount. I used rivets because I had no access to put a nut on the back.

[kevin nicholls]

I'm using paracord for now but might switch to coated cable. I attached it to the foot peddles and removed the locking tabs so they move freely.

[rolylane6]

Spectra spearfishing line works really well. Small diameter, really strong, and doesn't kink or corrode.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[4-fletch]

They make a 6inch hatch to put in the back
But you have to cut a hole in yak and not sure
Bout that.

[tminc]

Rudders make all of the difference in the world,especially in the wind.

[kevin nicholls]

They make a 6inch hatch to put in the back
But you have to cut a hole in yak and not sure
Bout that.

I've put them in before but I wanted to try the rivets. I drilled the rivet holes close together so if they're not holding well I can cut that area out for the hatch and bolt it on. It seems very sturdy though. My last couple of kayaks didn't have rudders and I missed them so now that they're cheap ($35 on Amazon) I gave it a go.

[kevin nicholls]

I changed out the paracord that I used for the rudder lines. I used weed eater string (.080) instead. The paracord had too much stretch. I like the weed eater string much better.

[4-fletch]

How's the rudder working?I'm still thinking bout putting one
on my pelican just wondering if it's worth it.
Thanks JAMES

[kevin nicholls]

It has helped with the tracking but the real improvement is controlling my drifts. Yes, it was worth it for around $50. I hope this helps.