Pono House

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 mid [...]

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