Retractable Sea Kayak Skeg: Plans and Building Instructions

This retractable kayak skeg was designed by Nick Schade and is the result of years of experimentation and testing. It has proved to be reliable and effective after almost 10 years of hard use.Features: - Efficient Surf-Board Fin Design- Positive Low Profile Control- Fits Under Low Back Decks- No External Lines - No Tangling or Snagging- Virtually Jam and Kink Proof.- Professional AppearanceMost production skegs are notorious for jamming and kinking and generally proving unreliable. This design has several design ideas that contribute to its reliability. The skeg is offset from the keel line to keep it out of the sand and gravel when landing and launching. The control cable is supported so if the skeg is forced up, the cable will not buckle and kink. The tight places where sand or gravel may get stuck are either high up in the skeg box so sand rarely gets there or close enough to the pivot point that the control cable has plenty of leverage to overcome any friction.Including full size drawings of all the parts and complete instructions for how to make it. The plans are intended for construction from marine plywood reinforced with fiberglass and epoxy, but any thin flat material such as fiberglass or carbon fiber panels may be used