Introduction

Figured I would put my intro here... since I haven't done it yet, and ask a question about what goes where at the same time.

I just picked up my first kayak today... a bunch of you gave me loads of helpful input and made, what could have been very difficult, much easier.  I have kayaked a few time... only once in a SOT for fishing and I LOVED it.  Thanks, Ohbryant!

So, now I have this kayak that has some things on it that the guy didn't tell me about... mainly the rudder.  I am very confused by this and how it impacts the foot rests.  What if I don't want to used the rudder?  Do I attach the rudder and leave it on all the time, for transport, etc - or do I pull it off and only put it on when I want to use it? 

Then - regarding posting... I seem to have posted incorrectly with some of those items being redundant.  If there an FAQ that gives some guidelines on posting?  I am not interested in complicating things... I just wanted to try and keep things clearly separated... so, any help is welcome.

I look forward to meeting you all and enjoy fishing or paddling together.

John

Woohoo!! Welcome aboard!!! The new ride looks slick!

Glad that deal worked out for you.  That's a nice looking boat.

Can't help you much with the rudder question but I imagine you'll want it on there and will figure it out in short order once on the water.  Think I've seen other posts with drift anchors installed on the rudders threaded inserts.

Regarding forum use - search is going to be helpful going forward.  Troll through other peoples post history if you notice something and want to know a bit more.  I don't have any issue with the several threads you made during your shopping and applaud your enthusiasm.  Perhaps one would have sufficed and kept the conversation in one place though.

Very Nice Bro, can I try it?  The rudder is a nice bonus.

Welcome revjcp.

I just installed a rudder on my Tarpon, and will be dealing with the same questions/answers. For now, I will just keep it bungied in "stowed" position when i'm not using it. I'm going to rig up a little "push rod" going back to my rudder bungy, so that I can slip it back over the top of the stowed rudder and keep it secure for when I'm not using it. When bungied down, that helps hold the foot rests in position. I think I'm going to leave it deployed at first, except for launches and landings, and see how much use I can get out of it.
I got it because I installed a sail and will need a rudder for sailing. Haven't tested the sail yet, either.

Your rudder flips up and stows in a V-shaped stay on the rear deck.  The pull cord routes from the rudder to an eye-pad on the left side of the gunwale just behind the seat.  The pull is a loop - pull one side to deploy and pull the other side to retract.  If I get a chance I'll take a photo of my T13 - it's hanging from the ceiling in the garage.

The "foot rests" are the rudder pedals.  The pedals behave just like the rudder pedals in an airplane.  These videos should help your installation: