Self centering rudder for Epic boats

No matter the amount of preventative inspection and maintenance, bad things still can and do happen at sea. The point is to have some sort of redundant system of steering in place that will allow the surf ski paddler, with ski, to make it home.

I've seen the foam insert idea before, personally I wouldn't want to fiddle around with a piece of foam when it is rough and windy. The bungee idea is a good one, mainly for its simplicity and ease of use. Luckily, my surf ski has a preexisting fitting installed so no drilling of a hole was required. If you don't want to drill a hole, I think there are a number of adhesive type fittings available that may be strong enough.

Sponginess is not an inherent property of dyneema.
If it is spongy, it is the way the system is engineered.
You cannot ever say that Epic steering is spongy.


If I had steel cables, I would change them if the fittings allowed it to be done.

Just remember, that just because dyneema is mega strong, it is cord and can be cut by stupid engineering.

'No matter the amount of preventative inspection and maintenance, bad things still can and do happen at sea. The point is to have some sort of redundant system of steering in place that will allow the surf ski paddler, with ski, to make it home.'

I drive my car with no thought of whether my steering will work or not.
Basic maintenance will see me safely home.

I rock climb and employ redundant systems when possible, but in the end, I generally trust my life to a single rope to catch me if I fall.

I drive across bridges that are engineered to last many decades without concern for it failing under me.

A system engineered properly is inherently safe.
No backup is required.
Steering really is a primary safety system on a surf ski.

It should not have a possibility of breaking cords or pedals in even quite extreme circumstances.

A proper system will not have a chance for breaking as long as general maintenance and inspections are performed.

There is no weight/performance or even any real economic penalty to engineering a system to be inherently safe.

Steering systems that can fail should simply not be tolerated.

Having your boat smashed by a freak wave cannot really be designed for, it would be like telling cyclists to wear full leathers and heavy full face bike helmets.

There are safety/ performance trade offs to be made.

There is no reason for this trade off in steering, apart from a lazy manufacturer that neglects to do their job properly.

Rightarmbad,

First, let me say that I come from a career at sea operating everything from boats as small as 21' to as large as 378'. On every vessel preventative maintance was of the highest priority, but on rare occasion something would fail. But, we had training, spare parts, and redundancy to assist in getting home. For example most ships had two steering pumps, if one fails you switch to the second while repairs are made to the first. When operating thousands of miles from land don't you want to be able to make it back to port? For me the same mindset applies when paddling at sea, without any outside assistance available I want the option to be able to get back. Help is not always an option!

Your car, climbing, and bridge analogies are off point. Your car breaks down you call for assistance or walk home. That is not an option when too far from shore to swim in or help cannot be contacted. Climbing ropes are constructed to a fall standard are they not? Can't say that about surf skis! And for bridges, here in the US we recently had an interstate highway bridge collapse in Minnesota killing and wounding many drivers. Need I say more?

"Steering systems that can fail should simply not be tolerated." Your writing gives me the impression that it is the manufacturers responsibility to make a failsafe steering systems. I would not disagree, but until such time comes paddlers will have to fend for themselves. If you want to make the choice not to have a back up safety steering system on your own boat then that's fine. But that is your choice. You probably SHOULD NOT try to persuade others not to do so based on the guise of faulty engineering or manufacturing, it is better to err on the side of safety. Remember, each paddler is ultimately responsible for there own safety. If it takes a simple foam insert, a short section of bungee, or any other possible method to get someone home safe then I'm all for it.

We can hope that better and safer steering is in the future but until then I'll keep my little bungee back up right where it is.

If my car breaks down I can get it towed?

Not if the steering breaks and I careen off the road into a tree!
This is a must not fail system.

I don't see the requirement for a backup on my particular boat, because it can easily be inspected, it can easily be maintained by myself.

Some boats though are not.
This needs to change.

So, if your car careens off the road into a tree you can't get it towed? Assuming you are not incapicated, why not? Even still your car will most likely eventually be towed. Are we getting ridiculous enough with these nonsensical analogies?

Ever ask yourself this simple question? What if? Alot can be learned by doing that.

I say the same thing about my ski. I consider my steering simple, bomber, and easily maintained, but it does not hurt to plan for the unforeseen. Is a short section of bungee or small piece of foam really that offensive? I've rescued and recovered too many people from the water who wouldn't have been in their dire position if they had just prepared a little better. Often one simple thing would have saved their life. If you haven't seen them, there are some stories on the yahoogroups surf ski forums detailing rudder mishaps.

By your own words you say some boats are not easily inspected or maintained and that "this needs to change." Agreed, so in the mean time what do you recommend?

I know what you and I've done but what about others? Those who don't have what is considered safe/reliable steering. Seems like some simple solutions are available.

The idea of self aligning pedals has also another life-saving factor: the other day in rough, choppy conditions, about six miles from shore, I was thrown. After getting my butt into the bucket, I swung my leg over to straddle the cockpit... only to have a bigger than average wave thrust the bow into the air, and in mid swing, the boat went up and my heal went down, and I *think* my heal grazed the pedal (both pedals typically lay down toward the stern because of no return mechanism). In the commotion, I heard a faint "crack." Taking a quick look around, everything appeared to be in order. “Must’ve been a wave slap” I told myself. After returning home from a resounding romp of a paddle with no further incidences, I put the ski on cradles and began washing her down while still juiced from the ride. While inspecting her, I found the source of the cracking sound. The downward force of my heal while reboarding the ski had cracked the carbon fiber pedal hinge at two structural locations. Had this occurred once more, the pedal may well have been sheared off, completely incapacitating the steering system. A system designed to keep the pedals more upright would probably have prevented the pedal from being in a position that would compromise its integrity and ultimately over-stressed. This ski is an Epic V12. I’ve implemented a simple system that is not affected by foot plate location, and puts just enough elasticity into the pedal system to keep them upright while in a no-load condition. It also helps to align the rudder to center, though not as positively as the one described earlier in this thread. I will post pictures if anyone is interested.

Go ahead post em, more ways the merrier.