With great anticipation on Friday, April 17th, 2009, I took delivery of my International Orange Van Dusen Mohican. The Mohican would quickly become my flatwater training and racing platform of choice since I mostly paddle on two local rivers - the Sudbury and the Charles. During my search for the perfect boat, one of my top priorities was the ability to train during the summer months when the weeds are at there peak. Milfoil happens to grow rampant in the Sudbury during this time, where any rudder, bump or deep scratch seems to pick up the invasive weed and slows you to a crawl. The Charles also has its fair share of lily pads, summer weeds, as well a variety of submerged obstacles that can become an issue as the water level lowers.

Ted's ingenious kick up rudder design was up to the task of dealing with all these deterrents with a simple, yet elegant design. Most notably as I paddle though thick patches of weeds, the rudder would slowly rise and glide over the obstacles. That reassuring sound of the rudder thump having moved back to its resting position after shedding the unwanted weeds is a clear signal to me that everything is “All Clear and Resume Full Speed Ahead”. Another big benefit of this design, is never having to worry during a race that you have to alter your course based on a fast approaching patch of weeds knowing you can paddle through them WEEDLESS!

Based on many requests from other paddlers, Ted has come up with a new attachment mechanism that allows a clean upgrade to an existing K1 or surfski. Below is Ted's description of his new kit
~ Chris

Ted's write-up of his upgraded rudder:

On the right side of the ruler in the picture are the 4 rudder sizes of blades that we currently stock stacked on top of each other. The smallest one we use on racing K-1's and each of the other blades is about 20% larger than the previous one. The stainless steel torsion spring is tuned to allow the rudder to kick up as soon as weeds start to build up. The system is designed to be light weight, rigid, strong, corrosion resistant, and easy to disassemble. The cost with one blade of your choice is $250.

The blades are made from hard anodized 1/8" 6061T6 aluminum with a milled radius on the leading edge and a bevel on the trailing edge for good lift and low drag. The rudder cheeks and hinge bracket are heat cured carbon/epoxy with nylon bushings imbedded in both parts for the hinge pin to ride in. The parts are CNC milled for accuracy and interchangeability. The hinge bracket is 2 mm thick and can be bonded into a slot cut in the stern of the hull of nearly all kayaks and surfskis. There is a small point on the bracket that fits closely under the bottom of the cheeks to minimize weeds getting caught in the hinge. A 4 mm or 5/32" Allen wrench removes the hinge pin for easy removal of the rudder and the blades can be interchanged by removing the spring with the use of a Phillips screwdriver holding the spring retainer.

Ted Van Dusen
Composite Engineering
277 Baker Avenue Concord, MA 01742 USA
Phone 978 371-3132 x27,
VanDusen@surfskiracing.com

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