Repairing the Skeg on the 17.3 Étaín

I don't like boats with rudders, nor even with skegs - although I prefer the latter for aesthetic reasons. Why the dislike when these devices can improve the paddling performance? These devices are mechanical, they can break/malfunction, and I am not handy (so, the onus is on me). Unfortunately, the Étaín skeg wire got bent just behind the control knob at the cockpit. There is a sleeve extending aft from the control knob that encloses the wire to protect it from getting bent at that location, but that plastic sleeve was already broken when I purchased the kayak and no longer did its assigned task and eventually the wire got bent. The control knob was now bent outward and in my way for paddling. Lastly, the end of the skeg tube was damaged - maybe still usable, maybe not.

Possible solution: Remove the control knob, straighten the bent wire, replace the sleeve, and reassemble. However, some prior owner had made the hex screw (for removing the control knob) inaccessible - covering it with some molten metal which hardened in place. Heating that metal and trying to pry it out failed. Yikes!

Next solution: Cut the skeg cable at the control knob, remove the (now too short) skeg wire, cut off the damaged end of the skeg tube, order the necessary parts, and reassemble. The necessary parts were

• control knob
• the plastic sleeve to fit over the end of the skeg wire
• a splice to replace the end of the skeg tube

I already had a candidate skeg wire in my tool kit and a cable cutter.

Where do I get the parts? The two sources I typically use are the Kayak Academy and Topkayaker. The latter listed the parts, but they were 'out of stock'. Well, the Kayak Academy actually had the necessary parts and reasonably clear instructions! The Kayak Academy is a Valley dealer, so that makes sense. Now, on to the repair which for me is fraught with danger and bouts of depression.

Despite my angst faced with this mechanical repair, it was successful. The skeg tube splice required that I remove the seat, getting it out of the way. Replacing the seat was actually the hardest part. I complained about this in an earlier blog entry: "Although it is feasible to move the seat, it is certainly a very awkward operation. The main problem is resecuring the seat bolts, best done by tiny elves who can crawl into small spaces."

So how did it turn out? Everything works. The skeg operates smoothly ... in fact, too smoothly. The skeg, when retracted, merely redeploys just under the weight of the skeg blade. Evidently I applied lubricant (parafin based) to the skeg cable too ambitiously! Actually using the kayak in the water does improve this behavior. Hopefully, the improvement will eventually suffice. Otherwise, I'll pull the skeg cable and remove most of the lubricant or, in a worst case, buy a new skeg cable. Note that reinstalling a skeg cable is the easiest part.

The other benefit of this repair job is that I am more at home with my kayak. I know I can repair the only mechanical part! It's looking more and more like I'll keep this kayak until the authorities confiscate all my paddles. But I do wish the kayak was a bit lighter ... hmmm.