If you own a Slayer and you are worried about your rudder

[green commander]

If you own a Slayer and you have concerns about fishing in rivers or other places where your rudder is going to get abused you have to watch this video.
I fish on the New River in Blacksburg VA every year and had concerns about using my boat there. I was afraid that I might mess up my rudder on a couple of the small rapids if it hit a rock. Now I have no worries. It is funny to see the guys abuse this boat to try and get the rudder to break. You gotta watch this video here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfrPeJ1rb0E

[Pc4sun]

I did similar nasty things, not intentionally, to my slayer and every time I dropped it or dragged it against something I shouldn't have, I thought "this is it. This is when my rudder breaks". But it is still in perfect working order. I hope I didn't jinx myself!
Thanks for posting this. It was funny.

[BeyondTheBounds]

Cool video. Thanks for sharing. Definitely not something I was gonna try.....I've also always been less concerned with breaking the rudder, versus snapping the internal wires. I know a fellow SP13 owner who broke the wires just by going in reverse and hitting a piling.

I've was wondering about the SP13 in river conditions...so I just bought a wilderness Tarpon 120. Good to know the plastic rudders on the SP will hold up. If I use it, I'll take the boonedox off.


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[J.A. Veil]

I saw the same video on another forum and added the following reply:

"Most of us would agree that the degree of bouncing, banging, and other abuse was far greater than should be done on our own boats. Yet the standard Native black plastic rudder, mounting system, and cable held up to that abuse. That is rather remarkable.

That does not mean that the system is indestructible (the video correctly notes that use of any after-market rudder invalidates the warranty). I have firsthand experience with the pros and the cons of an after-market rudder on my Slayer Propel 13. I was not completely happy with either the turning capabilities or the ability to move in a straight line without touching the rudder handle when using the standard rudder. After reading about the BooneDox aluminum rudder, I bought and installed one -- it is much more rigid than the Native plastic rudder, plus it sticks out farther, thereby increasing leverage and pressure on the mounting plate). I was very pleased with the improvement in handling when on the water.


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However, I had some issues loading the SP 13 into my vehicle and hyperextended the new rudder (bent it beyond the normal range of motion). This is similar to the actions taken at 1:45 in the video (although my hyperextension was not intentional). Afterwards, I found very sluggish turning response when I pushed the lever to the side. After that trip, I removed the black cover plate and discovered that I had broken several strands on the rudder cable, and had pulled the cable a short distance through the locking bolt.

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I clipped off the loose cable strands, loosened the locking nuts, and pulled the cable tight. After re-tightening the locking nuts, I was able to restore normal rudder lever performance. I continue to operate with the damaged rudder cable, but I did order a spare from Native that I have on hand if and when a repair is needed.

The take-home lesson of this story is that the standard plastic Native rudder bends and is very durable. It is forgiving under most normal circumstances and even some that are well beyond normal. Other equipment that may optimize performance (after-market products or homemade customizations) can place additional stresses on the overall rudder control system and can potentially lead to damage or failure."

[BeyondTheBounds]

John,

How much pressure should be applied when using the rudder control? I've noticed mine being a little stubborn at times.


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[Skidsteer]

Note to self: Don't buy a yellow slayer demo kayak ...

[J.A. Veil]

John,

How much pressure should be applied when using the rudder control? I've noticed mine being a little stubborn at times.


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Without getting into psi levels, the pressure should feel reasonable to your hand. If you have to push really hard, something may not be right. If you feel a bit of slop in the rudder lever, consider tightening the cable slightly. You can also loosen the screw that holds the black plate to the rudder just a bit and see if that makes a difference. That should make the rudder lever move more easily.

[Pc4sun]

Note to self: Don't buy a yellow slayer demo kayak ...

What happened?

[Skidsteer]

What happened?

Just wouldn't want to end up with the boat from the video

(ps - don't take me too seriously)

[Pc4sun]

Just wouldn't want to end up with the boat from the video

(ps - don't take me too seriously)

Oh! Haahahhaaaa.....I should have caught that. Where is the smiley for clueless

[PigPen]

I've taken my rudder apart to clean out the sand under the plate and also apply some marine grease and the rudder moves freely. If I have to make a tight turn I'll grab the handle and lean into the turn a bunch and that will spin me around pretty well. Otherwise, I think the bow/front hull will prevent it from ever turning tightly but on the other hand it tacks pretty well.

[J.A. Veil]

When the Slayer Propel 13 first came out, the management at Native suggested that if you lean away from the turn (not into it) you could turn faster. I tried it, and it works. Supposedly the chines bite in better that way.

I cannot offer any opinion on how it would work for the Mariner.