Smart Track Kayak Rudder

Product Description

This footbrace and rudder control assembly includes ergonomically designed, two-part foot pedals that offer significant advantages over anything else on the market. Unlike other systems, your feet don't slide back and forth to steer. The lower half of the pedals is locked in position so you remain in a solid brace at all times. Steering is accomplished by minute pressure from your toes to the top half of the pedals. Even while seated, pedal position is easily adjusted for different users. Pedals cannot be accidentally dislodged and the track design prevents sand build-up.

The Smart Track rudder is foil-shaped to prevent stalling and decrease drag. A spring in the base of the blade, where it fits inside the housing, holds the blade down in the water and allows it to kick up to prevent damage when the rudder hits a submerged rock.

The long and short rudder blades are interchangeable. The short rudder blade (340 mm) is intended for a solo kayak and the long blade (420 mm) is intended for a tandem kayak, but some solo kayaks with high sterns may be better with the long blade.

The Smart Track rudder housing is available with four types of housing which attach to the boat in different ways:

Long pin

For kayaks without a transom. We recommend you attach a kayak rudder mount to your boat for use with the long-pin rudder system.

Bayonet fitting

For kayaks fitted with a bayonet sleeve or designed for one. The bayonet pin sleeve is not included with the housing or the complete rudder system but is available separately.

Stern mount

For kayaks with a transom (a flat stern). The included bracket is screwed or bolted to the transom.

Surfski fitting

The surfski housing is designed to be closer to the water on a low stern and extends further back from the boat for better steering on a surfski. It uses a bayonet fitting, so it requires a bayonet sleeve to be fitted. The bayonet pin sleeve is not included with the housing or the complete rudder system but is available separately.

As well as the complete rudder system, we also supply replacement rudder blades and the other system components separately. We also have some extra components, including cable tubing and the trim tab, that are not included in the standard system.

Smart Track rudder system

The complete Smart Track system includes the rudder housing, cool rudder wedgie, rudder blade, footbraces, cables and instructions. You will probably also want the cable tubing kit if you need to pass the cables through airtight buoyancy chambers.

Rudder housing

This includes the rudder housing, cool rudder wedgie and instructions. The control cables are not included: they come with the Toe Pilot control footbraces.

Performance Toe Pilot rudder control footbraces

Each pair of rudder control footbraces includes a pair of 5.2 m (17′) control cables.

The distance between mounting holes (from centre to centre) is 367 mm.

Rudder cable tubing kit

This cable tubing kit allows rudder control cables to pass through airtight buoyancy chambers without compromising the buoyancy of your kayak.

It includes 6 m (20′) of tubing, which should be enough to reach from the back deck to beside your seat for each control cable. The cable tubing kit also includes 6 p-clamps to secure the tubing where it passes through the deck.

Bayonet pin sleeve

To mount the rudder housing with a bayonet fitting you will need to fit a bayonet pin sleeve into the stern of your kayak, if it doesn't already have one. The length of the pin sleeve is 46 mm and the external diameter is 12 mm.

Pair of cool rudder wedgies (CRW)

Compatible with SmartTrack systems or kayaks already outfitted with a rudder, the patented Cool Rudder Wedgie (CRW) was designed for easy rudder control cable set-up. After installation, fine adjustments can easily be performed without the aid of tools to keep your rudder centred.

Trim tab

The unique Smart Track Trim Tab helps you stay on track in difficult quartering wind and seas with less effort. Mounted on the deck for quick and easy access, it allows you to simply lock in your course so that you don't need to maintain continuous and uncomfortable rudder deflection with your feet while paddling.

Performance Toe Pilot pedal conversion kit

This pedal conversion kit enables you to convert your Smart Track Performance foot braces into Toe Pilot rudder control footbraces. They use the same track, but replace the fixed pedals with the rotating Toe Pilot pedals. The kit contains parts to upgrade one pair of footbraces. Rudder control cables are not included. This conversion kit is not needed if you have the Toe Pilot footbraces we sell.

Barrel adjuster

These barrel adjusters (sold individually) can be installed on your rudder control cables to let you easily adjust the cable tension.

Spare parts kit

A comprehensive set of spare parts designed to service all components of the Smart Track rudder system. It includes the following spare parts:

Parts for Toe Pilot foot controls:

• 1 × Cable adjustment bolt
• 4 × Neoprene washer
• 1 × Rudder control cable, 15 ft.
• 2 × Toe Pilot spring
• 2 × Mounting screw for foot control/foot brace

Parts for all blade housings:

• 1 × Ball stop for rudder line
• 1 × Fairlead for rudder line
• 1 × Tension knob for blade housing
• 1 × Wear washer for tiller pins
• 1 × Rudder retraction line, 11 ft
• 2 × Shrink tubing for rudder control cable
• 2 × O-ring
• 2 × End cap for rudder control cable
• 1 × CRW (body and wedge)
• 1 × Hitchpin for blade housing tension knob
• 2 × Cotter pin for CRW
• 1 × Spring for foil blade
• 1 × Clevis pin for CRW
• 1 × Split ring for CRW, ⅜″
• 2 × Screw #8/32
• 2 × Flat washer #3
• 2 × Nylock nut #8/32

Parts for top mount long pin blade housing:

• 1 × Split ring for long pin, ⅝″

Parts for stern mount blade housing:

• 1 × Hinge pin for blade housing bracket