3 month ago I bought a Pakboat Saranac. It is my first boat and I like it a lot, apart from one thing - tracking. I used it mostly on the fjord nearby, and often have cross winds and waves. I bought with the boat with a skeg. While looking on the many row boats around, I got an idea to make a better keel to my boat that will help me to keep it going where I want. I bought two pieces of a T shape elastic band, about 2 meters long each. It is made for gluing on the floor of shower’s corners to keep the water in. It is about 3.5cm wide and 5cm high. First I attached the bands to the keel with rubber strings through small holes I made and carbines hooked to the D rings on the boat. With 2 bands (4m) on the improvement of the tracking was amazing, I used much less effort and attention to keep the boat on track. Using one band (2m) improved the manoeuvrability, but since it was so easy to put on and off, I always use the long version in the fjord. Lately I had a better idea and bought a long Velcro band with adhesive layer on both part, glued the band with tiny plastic hooks on the boat’s keel and the other band glued to the T bands. It works just as well, looks better and add another protecting layer to the deepest area of the keel. Bad tracking is one of the main disadvantages of kayaks and canoes with smooth bottom, especially foldable and inflatable. I find this keel improvement very cheap and effective, very easy to make and easy to remove if one wants better manoeuvring. Try and enjoy.
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