PA12 rudder mods...

Rory, It sounds like your complaint is the PA12 needs constant rudder input since a longer rudder did not work.....and assuming the rudder lines are adjusted to remove "slack/slop".
Is it possible the kayak needs to be going slightly faster?
My Humminbird 768 has a gps and I know that under 0.8 mph, my PA 14 loses  better steerage control.......so, speed does play a part in the answer.
I normally troll my PA-14 at 1.5 to 2.1 mph without any steering/tracking issues....when the wind kicks up, I need a bit more adjustment as the hull gets blown/pushed by the wind.

I found this to be really the case when trolling in my 18' Jetcraft and using a Yamaha 8 hp, high thrust kicker in windy conditions......with a fixed motor speed, I was constantly adjusting the motors tiller to track where I wanted to go..........then, after seeing a few boats with autopilot steering control, you could hear the autopilot constantly correcting the motor direction.

On the Hobie forum, I suggested  a solution of adapting the Minn Kota  autopilot for kayak use!
What a great solution for hands free steering....as long as the craft is above the minimum speed for answering the tiller input......it only takes $$$ most of us do not have, to try my idea!

Lastly, maybe the PA-12 could benefit from the rudder being located farther aft?

I understand your complaint, but it's also the same complaint of "no or poor rudder control" for the PA-14 and with that craft, I do not agree......do you know if the rudder is the same size for both the 12 and 14?

I think the title of this thread is "PA12 rudder mods...."

If you would like to start a "PA14 rudder works good the way it is" thread go for it.....

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

Come on Bill, its much more related than half the trangents we go on.

-Allen

And when has that stopped me from chiming in before? =)

Just entertaining myself.
I need to go fishing!

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

My Humminbird 768 has a gps and I know that under 0.8 mph, my PA 14 loses  better steerage control.......so, speed does play a part in the answer.

yes, as I posted previously, my PA12 rudder "stalls" at just under 1mph..

I normally troll my PA-14 at 1.5 to 2.1 mph without any steering/tracking issues....when the wind kicks up, I need a bit more adjustment as the hull gets blown/pushed by the wind.

I often troll at 0.7 to 1.2mph so low speed tracking and steering are a goal.

Lastly, maybe the PA-12 could benefit from the rudder being located farther aft?

there is a well documented solution by mounting a twist and stow rudder to the back handle of the PA12 but for me so far, that would be overkill.  I am looking for a slight but noticeable improvement in low speed steering.  I also don't mind having the rudder deeper, I have watched videos of PA12 boats that seem to show the rudder losing water contact going over swells, that seems like a bad thing?      so far, I am not having an issue with tracking but I think a good part of that is I usually have my trolling motor hanging off the side.

great discussion, I have a replacement GoPro arriving today (gave my old one to my niece who is studying Fisheries Science at UW), I plan some rudder testing next week....cheers, roger

rudder testing went fantastic, in the end, I decided to go "old school":

1-  adding to the rudder (extending it deeper) confirmed what Rory found, it helped at low speed but made it too sensitive at over 3mph, required too much input.  steering force required was OK.   I might work on a new rudder that extends about 3" deeper into the water but for now, going back to a stock rudder.

2-  thinking in advance that modifying the rudder might not be the best solution for very low speed maneuvering, and thinking back to my canoe experience as a kid, I decided to also try a quick deploy paddle.  I put the T handle in half my Hobie paddle, left the other half home, and installed a mount for it on my rear rails where I can grab it in an instant.  Steering with well executed back paddling is very efficient and the Mirage drive is like having someone in the bow paddling forward, good old canoe teamwork being done by one person thanks to Hobie...


3-  slow speed in a cross wind, I was definitely tracking better with my trolling motor in the water and turned off.  this is my normal trolling configuration, very easy steady pedaling gets me 1 to 1.3mph.  without the motor in the water, I need to stop and start my pedaling or I go too fast....plus, if I need to stop pedaling to do something on the boat, I just click the motor to "1" and it holds my trolling speed....pulling the motor up is easy and lets me pedal at higher speeds...


4- installing the new rudder gave me a chance to take apart, clean, lubricate, and reassemble the whole rudder/steering assembly (which was on my list of things to do). There was some corrosion on the shaft and it definitely works smoother now, plus I have added a cedar handle to the right side so I have rudder control on both sides of the boat...all good.

I also did some sail testing and will post that to my thread on the sail....cheers, roger

I am ready to start trolling for kings, just need to wait another week or so...cheers, roger

Good research! Thanks for reporting back.