instructables

Kayak Rudder

by yakhack

I set out to make a simple rudder that did not cost thetypical $250 but at the same time was a bit moreeffective than a plank on a stick. This was designedfor my Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 but could be adaptedfor any kayak. The focus is more on the rudder designthan the various different steering methods that could

be used. The rudder is easily removable for transportor when not needed and has a simple single cord toraise and lower it and is sprung to prevent damage inthe shallows.

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Step 1: Tools and Materials

Materials needed approx 2ft x 3 ft sheet of ~ 1/4"thick ABS plastic or similar to make the rudder, yokeand side plates, some plastic or wooden blocks tomake the rudder hinge, some fairly rigid plastic tubing(I used 6mm OD 4mm ID pneumatic tubing), 2 ft of1/4" shock cord and some non stretch cable or kevlarkite string (I used McMasterCarr 8912T314 VinylCoated Wire Rope - Stainless Steel, Flexible 7X7,1/16" Diameter,Yellow, 25 ft. Length $8). Fastenersand hardware to suit your yak (four 10-32 screwsminimum to bolt to the back of the Ocean Kayak ). Isuggest reading through this instructable and tailoring

your design to use what materials and hardware youhave available.

Tools required: jigsaw or scroll saw, bench saw orhack saw, files or sand paper, drill and drill bits,measuring, scribing and marking tools, pliers, allenwrench, screwdriver and wrenches to suit yourfasteners. Long wire or fiberglass rods or dowels,string, masking tape to thread the tube through yourkayak. Cardboard or paper to mark out your patternson or make templates before cutting.

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Step 2: The Rudder Hinge

These two components and the pin are the basis ofthe rudder. One mounts to the yak permanently andthe other is to mount the pivoting rudder assembly onto. The drawings are what I made to suit the OKProwler 13. The height above water and hole patterncan be adapted to suit your yaks mounting holes andshape. The width of the rudder mount needs to matchthe thickness of your rudder material plus a bit! Imade my blocks from UHMWP plastic but thesecould be wood and varnished. Mark out, drill and

shape using what tools you have available. A millingmachine makes life very accurate and easy,hacksaw, drill and files takes more time and care. Thevertical hole through the two blocks should be sizedto suit a long pin you have chosen. I have used anallen cap head screw, nickel plated and have drilled 2holes in it for a keep pin. The hole I drilled will rust inthe sea so plan to replace with a cotter pin and hitchpin in the near future.

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Step 3: The Rudder, Side Plates and Steering Yoke

The diagrams provided are the dimensions I used.You might be able to improve upon the design andappearance and you can make the rudder the depthand shape you desire. The only requirement is thatthe raise and lower cord needs to be attached withinthe width of the rudder and needs to clear the hingeas it rotates. Make cardboard templates and mock-upon you yak before transferring to the ABS sheet andcutting out. Drilling the holes first allows you to boltthe two side plates together when cutting andfinishing the profile as a pair. The drilled hole in theyoke needs to be a close fit to your hinge pin and theopen slot needs to suit the thickness of your rudderand two side plates. A jigsaw makes life easy andthen finish the profile with a file and lastly after it hasbeen fitted up and tested you can disassemble and

radius the leading edge and taper the trailing edge ofthe rudder blade and break the sharp corners wherethe shock cord rubs. Drill the hole in the edge of therudder for the raise lower cord, thread the cord in andtie a knot. The knot must sit within the width of therudder.I used 550 paracord and melted the end toconform. Bolt the assembly up to the hinge block.Make sure the rudder pivots freely between the twoside cheeks. Using nyloc nuts allows you to set theclamping pressure at the pivot. You might need to filea lead in on the inside of the cheek pates where theknot enters between them if your knot is a little widerthan your rudder. Mount the rudder assembly to thehinge block mounted on the yak by removing andreinserting the hinge pin.

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Step 4: Congratulations, That's the Rudder Done!

You should have the completed rudder assemblymounted to the end of your yak. Thread the raiselower paracord though the padeye on the rear deckand forward down one side. I spliced a loop on theend since a knot was too fat to run it though theexisting boat hardware. Thread the 1/4" bungeethrough the hole in the hinge block, through the sideslot in the yoke and through the hole in the rudder.Tie knots in the ends and experiment with the amountof spring force you get. It should be enough to holdthe rudder down but light enough to a: spring out the

way if you hit an underwater object and b: allow youto raise and lower the rudder. Note that to raise andlower you need to give a swift pull to get the rudder tochange states but hold on to the tension so that oncethe rudder passes dead center on the shock cord youcan lower the rudder in a controlled manner. Since Ihave yet to find an effective and compact shock cordknot so once I knew how long the shock cord neededto be, I used a plastic 1/4" shock cord ends. You canfile the hooks or loops off.

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Step 5: Steering Cable Tubes.

The official OK Prowler rudder kit requires you to cuta big hole in your boat to be able to access where thecables will run and then installing and sealing a coverplate. Granted this makes the job easier, I managedwithout needing to drill the big hole and then makinga hatch to seal it up again. The steering cables willrun from the rudders steering yoke through tubes toyour steering assembly. You can run the cablesabove deck in which case leave this step out but thisis much cleaner. Drill entry and exit holes in your yakjust smaller than the OD of the tubes you are using.Having a tight fit will make these naturally waterproof.Experiment pulling your tube through holes made withdifferent sized drills. To get the tube in place with theonly in hull access available being the front hatch ofthe yak (this is not a Trident with the middle cockpitaccess) these are the steps I took. Threaded a pieceof string into the hull from the outside into the cockpithole. Pushed a long fiberglass rod into the hull fromthe rear hole. Leaning into the hatch use a rod withmasking tape on the end to get the end of the string.Tape the end of the string to the end of the rod and

withdraw the rod back out the rear hole of the yak.You now have a string going in one hole and out theother on one side. Important. Check that the stringruns cleanly between one hole and the other anddoes not loop around any internal feature (in my casethe rod holders). Cut the end of your plastic tube intoa taper and punch a hole and tie the end of the stringto the tube through the hole. Push the string and thetube into the rear hole bit by bit keeping the string tautby pulling its other end. The tighter you made the holethe harder it will be. Keep going until the tip of thetube exits the other hole. Check again that the tuberuns straight between the holes and doesn't looparound any rod holders etc. Use pliers to pull the endof the tube through the hole and cut the string. I usedstainless nuts to act as keepers for the tube. Thesewere tight and needed the tapered end to screw thenut on and to hold while tightening to prevent the tubetwisting. Do this at both ends and then trim off theends. Then repeat on the other side!

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Step 6: Steering Mechanism - First Attempt!

This bit is up to you to make as elaborate (adjustable pedals on rails) or something simpler. I started withsomething adjustable using a continuous cable run that looped through the forward deck inside a 3rd tube but thefriction was too great so I simplified it to two cables and a bungee cord but still did not like the clutter it caused.This would work but I opted to try something simpler. See my second attempt.

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Step 7: Steering Mechanism - Second Attempt.

This version uses a simple cross bar pivoting about arod holder that I had installed in the center of thecockpit. (This rod holder position with the extension isideal for trolling and reducing the amount you need tolean forward to grab the rod. I have my depth findermounted in the one further forward.) This design isnot adjustable for different users leg lengths but fitsme and is removable so only the cable remains inplace. Cut a pivot plate and install it in a central slotcut into the side of the 1/2" PVC plastic tube retainingit with a tie wrap. Glue an end cap on each end of thetube having made the tubes length to suit the cockpitwidth so the ends rest on the ledge. Make a saw cutacross the corner of the end caps to fit the cable.

Countersink two 1/2" end caps for a 10-32 screw anddrill a hole off center in the middle to fit a piece of6mm tube to act as a cable guide. These screw intothe footrest nuts already molded in the side of theyak. Thread your steering cables through the tubes inthe cable steadies on both sides and and loop itaround the saw cuts in the ends of the tube. Join, tie,connect, adjust the steering. I used oval clampsleeves to create loops in the cable ($0.19 each atAce Hardware) around fasteners I had. I made thecable slightly short so the cables remain in tensiondue to a bit of bend in the pipe.

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Step 8: Steering Mechanism. Third Time a Charm.

After testing I wanted to tidy up the design for when Iwas using the kayak without the rudder. Minorchanges were made. Firstly rather than leaving theyoke on the yak all the time with the steering cablesbolted to the yoke I removed the screws and attachedthe cable to the yoke using small S-biner from Niteize. A key chain for about $8 gives you lockablestainless steel attachments. Small carabiners or

hooks would also be suitable. Secondly the steeringcables were cut and a single loop crimped on eachend to hook onto the screws. This prevents the cableslip and allow the cables on each side to be pulledforward and clipped to the side cord whentransporting or not using the rudder.

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Step 9: Rudder Complete

This shows the rudder components removed andready to stow. To attach the rudder, place shock cordin to the notch while sliding the yoke onto the rudder.Position rudder on mounting block and insert pin andinsert hitch pin. Attach the cable to the S-biners at therear. Attach the loops of the steering cable onto thescrews on the steering bar, fit cables into the slits onthe ends of the bar and hold tension as the rod holder

is inserted. The pvc tube bends slightly to maintaintension. Once the rudder is installed attach thesteering bar and stretch the cable over the ends.

Congratulations - hit the water and test andremember to be safe!

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@cloinc Great. Rudder is sound. Let everyone know what you end up doing for the steeringcontrol.

thanks thats exactly what I was about to design - no need now your design is excellent ,build willtake place next weekend

Love this DIY! I will try it myself.

Here's my take on having a kayak rudder:

http://www.kayakfishingguy.com/how-to-use-rudders-...

Feedback is appreciated.

I am almost done, I have it built and mounted and I will be building the steering part of it tomorrow.Hopefully all goes a lot smoother this time. It took awhile to figure out the dimensions but I thinkI've got it as close as it will get. I wil upload pics tomorrow and I'll give dimensions if anyone needthem to make life 1000 times easier.

Great to hear and sorry you struggled! I'd like to see your project and how it worked out. It's abalance as to how much effort and detail you put into an instructable since many users want toincorporate their own ideas, customizations/adaptations and improvements based on whatmaterials they have available and to be honest, I expected the chances of an Ocean Kayak userdoing this were slim. I'm interested to see how you ended up doing the steering. I am looking tosimplify it because in use, you don't have to be actively steering all the time, only set it for wind ortide or when you want to turn.

I am in the process of making this, well trying to. I am having an issue because a majority of thekey measurements are not listed so I am resorting to using a ruler and your pic with a ruler presentand breaking it down to centimeters to try to convert to inches and that's just ridiculous.. It'sworking but taking way to long and way to many attempts. Great job and great idea just next timemaybe list your measurements not just a handful of them so people like me can put it all togetherquickly and then waste our time adjusting accordingly to our kayak. Thanks

I have the exact same kayak. I was really only looking at screw thread size but was amazed at howwell made this instructable is!!! Strong work.

A Masterful Instructable! Most excellent--thank you! Will make it some time this fall for my F&SEagle Run 12.

???? nice

those where thumbs up idk what happened nice job

what were the costs (not inc. tools) for this project? We need to make 3.

The fun with instructables in adapting to the materials you have on hand. I suggest firstly makingcardboard templates of the rudder and cheek plates, 3 sets, and see how small a sheet you cannest them into and then check out plastic supply companies. A quick look on the web gave meinterstateplastics.com which you can cost a sheet of abs 1/4" or .236" for about $25 for 1 anduhmw 1.5" sheet cut to size for about $40 but you can get real bargains on ebay, abs comp black=$5. That's the main cost, cable was $8, fasteners and pin say $5, shock cord and tubing and tube$10 and $8 for the s-biner key ring so I estimate around $100 if you paid top for everything but lessthan $50 if you repurpose some or redesign to suit what you have. Good luck.

Step 10: Some Dxf Files

Some have asked for drawings. I have placed some here.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bxyjd2bf3ag6ddt/AAAbftcHXKhXMLpp1Yn3AzbTa?dl=0

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Wow. Excellent!

Nicely done!

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