kick-up rudder options

As I ponder what I want to do after my cut-down rudder is out for the count, was thinking about replacing an understern rudder with a kick-up one for many of my flatwater/calmwater races so I don't have to worry about shallow water.

Anybody use the Epic kit? Listed for $225 on their site. Has anybody pieced together a system independently?

Looks like a rudder/mount assembly (epoxy to stern?) and then lines running to rudder access area.

Fairly simple, but the devil is in the details I'm sure. Curious to see what folks have done...

I did check out the one example of the Van Dusen overstern option here as well, and that's on the list as a slightly cheaper, lower-profile option.

Thanks!

-B

I have an ONNO carbon fiber kick up rudder on my v12. I am familiar with the van dusen and the one that epic sells. I am not fully satisfied with my setup. The rudder is beautiful and well made, but the kick up is just not ideal on that boat. For one, there is very little steering ability. My weekly race is mostly canoes (the north american variety), and in a pack at the start the make some turbulent water. The v12 gets spun off their wake with a kick up. By comparison, my K1 with a kick up of similar size has plenty of control. Also, it's difficult the get a smooth feeling connection between the original steering lines and the kick up. If you want a set up that is easy to switch back to understern, then you want to leave the metal clamp attached the original lines. This clamp knocks and catches when the kick up lines are also attached. What some people around here do is put a shaft down the rudder tube, clamp the original clamp to this, then another clamp several inches higher to go out to the kick up. This is not that easy. Unless the clamps are superman tight, they will spin on the bare post and then you've lost your steering. Where i live the main reason for a kick up is not rocks or logs, but dense matts of weeds. For this, the epic weedless rudder actually does a fine job. The advantage is that steering is 10 times as responsive with the weedless understern. And its only $80 US.

Thanks for reminding me about this thread!

Epic actually warrantied my old rudder, and I asked for a weedless!

Latest race through freshwater weeds that had always left some weeds stuck between the hull and rudder shaft came out perfectly clean, so it appears at least after a few outings amongst freshwater weeds, the system (weedless rudder and deflector) works well.

I set up my Thunderbolt with the Onno Rudder, and installed Van Dusen overstern rudders on my wife's Think Fit and my V10L. All seem to work well, and should be quite a bit lighter than the Epic option. Normally, with my Epic V10L, I do what the others have done here - I use the weedless rudder, which seems to be truly "weedless", and which is far more responsive than the overstern. I use an overstern rudder (usually with the exceptionally rugged T-bolt) when I'm in rock/log strewn rivers.