“For the last four months I have been paddling with the Hydro Skeg that was a retro-fit (by Geoff Turner of Kari-Tek) to my Explorer.

Pleased? - you bet!

The original skeg, as with all wire skegs, had two particular problems: the control knob sat proud of the deck, and if you had the misfortune to park a dropped skeg onto an unexpected rock, the cable would inevitably bend, with all the obvious resultant problems. The Hydro Skeg addresses both of these areas brilliantly. For a retro-fit, the control box is fitted where the original skeg control had been placed. The low (no!) profile of the Hydro Skeg control slider means an end to banged knuckles and no deck clutter. The control is easy to adjust and can be infinitely 'fine tuned' with no effort - a really impressive advance in skeg technology. And, because the control is recessed, there is no chance of an accidental adjustment to the skeg at just the wrong moment! (In a 'new build' kayak, it is generally placed in the seam, alongside the seat - totally unobtrusive!).

However, this is all really just the icing on the cake - the real strength of the Hydro Skeg is that it is utterly bombproof. Drop an extended skeg onto a rock and it just shrugs the impact off! Obviously the skeg retracts, but NO MORE KINKED CABLES! As there is nothing to kink, the Hydro Skeg system just moves the control fluid around and the skeg retracts cleanly. The cabling is neat and clean, and totally un-intrusive. No additional space is taken by the control tubes, the tiny valves or the replacement skeg box.

I drive my boats hard - and so far not a single problem or concern. All round, a big improvement in skeg design and operation - well done Kari-Tek!”

Rowland Woollven, expedition paddler and level 5 coach.

A ringing endorsement from Neil T from Oxon - one of our first customers to fit his own Hydro Skeg®