Stand Up Paddle Racing, Downwinders and Distance Chapter 11

Rudder or no Rudder

It’s immediately obvious when paddling behind a long board like the Penetrator that rudders are a necessary evil. Tap the rudder and the board slews a little sideways. That can’t be good. So the plan generally is to minimize use, at least in flatwater. In swells, the rudder is necessary on a really big board to keep the board under control. You generally can’t gather the board up and change it’s direction with the paddle once the board catches a swell–not enough leverage to counter the large forces being applied along the length of the board. The rudder is the key, and it doesn’t harm speed in any noticeable way because you’re accelerating like a scorched ape anyway. If you don’t use it you’ll be sideways and then swimming–hard to go fast when you’re under the water. The only other control strategy is running to the tail of the board both to increase your leverage and to get as much of the board out of the water as possible. Shorter board, less counter force–unless the wind is blowing from a unhelpful direction in which case the nose is now a sail

The other time you love your rudder is in offshore winds, or equally useful but not as emotionally charged, in onshore. On a downwinder or even just cruising, the wind is your friend except when it wants to send you to Tahiti. Again, you can actually gain speed with the rudder since you can paddle hard instead of trying to steer with your paddle strokes.

Rudder control systems
The best rudder control system for a SUP is yet to be made–all the ones we’ve tried have strengths and weaknesses.

Tillers: Some boards use a tiller–a long, usually flat bar that runs along the deck from the rudder to somewhere on the nose. Tillers are usually centered by a bungee cord or a springy batten. You turn by pushing the tiller sideways with your foot, and you can sometimes set a little rudder offset (to counter prevailing wind) by adjusting the centering device. Since the tiller is generally in the middle of the board you either need sideways extension pieces to control it from a forward position or you need to move your foot inwards, decreasing stability. When you are in a rearward position the center location of the steering arm isn’t such a problem since the deck is usually narrower and you are likely to be in somewhat of a surfing stance. Having any steering control at all from the rear of the board is a big plus. The pluses of a tiller are:

The downsides are:

A.S.S. Cable System: Mark Raaphorst designed the A.S.S. (Active Steering System) for the breakthrough F16 and has implemented it throughout the F series. The Starboard Point 14′ also comes with the A.S.S. system installed. It’s a foot-operated lever that you push sideways with your toe which operates through cables to turn the rudder bellcrank. The steering is centered by an adjustable batten. The steering can be controled over a limited range of deck positions, depending on how long the control arm is made. A new telescoping control arm adds about six inches of adjustment for control further aft. The system can be set up for control from either side.
Pluses:

• lots of rudder control
• precise adjustment of centering/offset and cable tension
• easy to adapt to

minuses

• No control from the aft position
• cable slack makes for imprecise control
• complex

Toe Turn: Stuey Campbell designed the Toe Turn system for his Penetrator series of boards. The toe turn is a pedal that tilts sideways on the board, like a rocker switch. You can place your foot in the valley btween the rocker pedals and pivot your foot to press on the outside rocker to go left, inside to go right. The rocker is centered by battens inside the housing, and pulls on cables to turn the rudder bellcrank.

Pluses:

• Uncluttered deck
• mechanism hidden under covers
• precise control when cables are tight
• adequate rudder movement

Minuses:

• cables get slack easily
• you have to place weight towards the inside of the board to turn right, which upsets balance
• complex system
• can only be operated from one position

The No Rudder Choice
In general it’s wise to have a fin box installed along with the rudder. Three reasons. First it gives you flexibility in your choices for a given run. Second, many racing organizations split categories between rudder and no rudder. This is particularly important for 14 foot boards which can often be run in a Stock category if they don’t have a rudder. Third, the fin box can protect the board if the rudder post is bent in a rock strike or other accident. Since the rudder is usually pointing straight, a fin box right behind the rudder prevents rudder dig through the thin glass of the bottom deck.