DIY Rudder Pedals

Designed and made by Alex (Sandy) Ferguson

Fitting a commercial footrest and pedal system may sound easy but in most instances will involve extra modifications to suit your hull angle. Like all mass produced products they are made to fit what the manufacturer considers the most common body shape and may not fit you as well as you would like. With a bit of imagination and innovative thinking home made systems can add an extra degree of comfort when paddling, without much more work then fitting a commercial model. They are also cheaper :-)

Sandy has offered his design for kayak builders. The diagram and text below is self explantory, but if you have any questions please feel free to post on the NZ Kayak Builders E-group.

For pedals/foot braces, I use a central bar which goes from just in front of the seat to the bulkhead. On the bar, the foot pedals or brace (one piece of wood instead of two) slides. It is positioned by a webbing strap to a camlock fitting at the aft end of the bar. The fastest adjustment system possible, faster than the drop-in-pin as used on Paddling Perfection and Dobbe boats. The bar is held in by a toilet seat bolt epoxied to the bottom of the boat and a slotted bit of wood at the front of the cockpit (against the bulkhead). I used to use 2 toilet seat bolts but the front one isn’t necessary if a suitable wooden holder is made.

The pedals are BIG, fill the cockpit so they take the entire foot. I mount my hinges off the floor, about level with the ankle which means the bottom comes back as the top goes forward, just as your foot does. The brace instead of pedals can be fixed i.e. not have a hinge and can easily be replaced at a later date by pedals.

The rudder lines should be auto-adjusting i.e. as you change the position of the pedals you don’t need to adjust the rudderlines. The secret is taking the line (on each side) through a hole in the top of the pedal and ROUND THE HINGE PIN and then to the fore-bulkhead.

The following animation is a NZ designed rudder which has been used on many locally made kayaks. This one is made by a company in Finland. By seeing it in action can easily visualise how it was constructed.

If you have any questions e-mail Sandy here:- Alex Ferguson