Product Description
Retractable skegs allow you to tune your sea kayak's tracking. Most of our kayaks track so well that you only need the skeg in very strong crosswinds or in surfing conditions. In gentler waters, you can retract the skeg – or just leave a little of it down – to save drag.
Our kit is meant to be retrofitted to an existing kayak, but it can be installed towards the end of a kayak build instead. You'll need a rear hatch for access to the skeg box. The ideal location for the skeg is about halfway between the stern and the aft hatch.
This kit will fit most stitch-and-glue kayaks. The skeg and case may be trimmed to fit a variety of deck heights.
The retractable skeg kit may be fitted in fibreglass or Kevlar kayaks, but would be tricky to install in a rotomoulded kayak. We recommend a rudder for rotomoulded kayaks.
The kit includes a marine-grade plastic skeg (slightly flexible, for safety in beaching), case parts in BS1088 okoume plywood, hardware, line, plans and instructions. The plans include full-sized patterns for all of the parts.
Retractable skeg kits are standard in Pax 18 and Pax 20 kits.