Which rudder?

I have talked some recently about my process of getting comfortable in my new V10. After quite a bit of swimming early I decided to try a surf rudder thinking it may add some side to side stability. Had some recent discussion where another local paddler shared a conversation he had with Oscar where he stated that he felt the surf rudder actually affected stability negatively. Anybody have any experience with this? By the way....love, love the new V10. Fits me like a glove. Just have to find my stability so I can find some more top end speed.

My understanding is that in a straight line, a larger rudder will improve stability, however a larger rudder will move the boat more dramatically when steering, which can cause instability

I would agree a surf rudder could negatively affect stability, especially since many less experienced will tend to over-steer.

The advantage of a surf rudder is on larger waves (1.5 meters +), where it will help keep the ski from broaching. If one is only paddling in smaller waves, a smaller rudder will likely perform better and also have less drag allowing a bit more speed.

Bill L

I just unintentionally reinvented the recentering rudder Gizmo. This is helping me with my first surf ski stability issues (V10S 2nd gen). No holes drilled, thanks to zip ties. Using the big surf rudder. I hope the photo comes through. Here goes....

I have both a surf and a Weedless rudder for my V10L.

My experience is that the surf rudder gives a better stability. It can especially be noticed when you are going strait and try to shift your weight for side to side. The bigger rudder is placed more firm in the water and gives more resistance to your movements.

However the smaller weedless rudder feels faster on flat water.

A larger rudder will give greater resistance to rolling movement (where you generally feel your instability) than a smaller rudder. Adding the weed blocker in front of the rudder helps as well (it is surprisingly noticeable). I have a small 3" rudder for my V12 I use for flat water racing, the standard rudder, and the weedless rudder. There's a definite difference in rolling resistance between the rudders.

Apparently I have RE invented the rudder centering device for epic surf skis. Mine requires no drilling, thanks to small zip ties. See photo. This is for a V10S 2ng gen with the big surf rudder. For a rank beginner on smooth water, this is reducing surprising rudder inputs and is helping.

Apparently I have reinvented a rudder centering device for surf skis. This is helping me, a rank beginner on a V10S in smooth water. See Photo.

[attachment:1]IMG_1322_2.jpg[/attachment]

If you're surfing in waves, I couldn't recommend a surf rudder any higher, especially if your boat is turning into the waves frequently. I picked up a 9" elliptical rudder from Think and it completely changed my boat (an old XT).

That said, if I turn hard it will make my boat lurch to that side, which could affect stability, but you get used to it. And the V10 should be pretty stable anyway, so my $.02 would be that if it still feels unstable to you, just put in some more hours and it'll feel really stable soon enough.