Rudder för Fenn Spark

Hi,

Has anyone here tried a more eliptical rudder on the Spark then the orgiginal Fenn rudder? Would be very intresting to hear your comments about this.

Cheers! /Johan

I asked Pete Cole (Orka Paddles) who makes a huge number of rudders for other boats.

He said that he doesn't get asked to make many rudders for the Spark, but that it might be because most Spark paddlers are expert and don't need the extra bite of an elliptical rudder...

He commented for example that personally he prefers the sharkfin rudder on his Elite because he uses his body and tilting the boat to steer and finds the elliptical rudder over-effective.

(For myself, being not so expert, I much preferred the handling of the boat with an elliptical rudder!)

What he did say though was that the elliptical rudder is clearly more effective, so if you're having problems with broaching in downwind conditions, it will help.

I've got a Spark and I thought the standard rudder was eliptical! Am I wrong in my interpretation of eliptical?

AndyN wrote: I've got a Spark and I thought the standard rudder was eliptical! Am I wrong in my interpretation of eliptical?

No, you're quite correct... I'd forgotten that Fenn are supplying them with their "new" rudders, not the shark fin rudder.

The rudders that we're talking about are the big surfing ellipticals, bigger and fatter than the standard ones.

So in summary:

- Johan's (and your) Spark has the standard Fenn elliptical rudder.
- You can get a bigger "surfing" elliptical that has more bite.
- In Pete Cole's experience, there hasn't been much call for them.

I've used the Fenn elliptical and the bigger elliptical on a Swordfish (and used to use the bigger elliptical on Mako6 - where it transformed the boat - and on the Fenn Elite - where for me it reduced my likelihood of broaching). I thought the Fenn elliptical only a slight improvement on the sharkfin rudder and preferred the bigger version.

But it seems that most Spark users find the standard rudder fine.

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your reply and that you contacted Pete Cole! My conclussion is that I will keep the original rudder and train more... If I still feel that I need more "grip" in the end of the season then I will get a bigger rudder next season.

Cheers from Sweden! /Johan

I have tried the shark rudder on the XT and Swordfish. They are both original rudders that came with the boat, and while they are fine for big waters, neither boats can be compared with the Elliptical rudder on the Spark.

Perhaps there's more to it that "just the rudder" as I find the Spark very agile no matter what the conditions.

Honestly, I am very pleased with what Fenn has done with the Spark, and the stock rudder (elliptical) just adds to the great feeling of the boat. In fact, the rudder is such a perfect balance that I couldn't even imagine changing it.

On a different note, the Spark's rudder has a huge tendency for "salad-build-up". Our area is algae prone, but I will have to invest in a guard (against my will).

Perhaps there's more to it that "just the rudder" as I find the Spark very agile no matter what the conditions.

Definitely! For example, the Fenn Mako6 was very prone (in our conditions and in my less than expert hands) to broaching, and the elliptical rudder just transformed it.

I found the Mako Elite much less prone to broach but that the elliptical rudder still helped me to manoeuvre and avoid broaching.

I think the SF falls somewhere in between the two in terms of broaching, but most people who try it prefer a larger elliptical rudder to the original sharkfin.

With some other skis I've paddled, the rudder didn't seem to make any appreciable difference and I broached wildly unless I really concentrated. (No names, no pack drill, the boats aren't around any more.)

So yes, IMO, you're completely correct, the propensity of a surfski to broach is indeed "much more than the rudder"; it depends on the conditions (we have short, steep wind-induced runs more often than not), the skill, strength and fitness of the paddler (elite paddlers don't really seem to rely on the rudder but magically turn the ski by tilting it!) and the hull shape.