Using a rudder in rivers for turning

[Andrew Haga]

I have a Ride 135 and do a lot of fishing on river and such but have
found that turning the thing is like driving a barge down the
water...would a rudder be any benefit in navigating rapids/currents and
what sort of damage could/would the rudder undergo...Have learned to
turn the boat without one but was wondering if the rudder would make
life easier...thank you for your time and consideration.

[Michael Daugherty]

Having a rudder hanging down in rapids sounds like a bad idea but I have seen people try. There's too much risk of bending/breaking the rudder since it's bound to contact many rocks along the way. The Ride like many sit on tops tends to handle like a barge but that's the price of having such a stable boat. Rudders are designed for use in deep water and have little value on shallow rocky rivers in my opinion.

[Michael J Young]

A rudder is very helpful on a Ride 135. Not only does it help with turning in tight places but helps with the wind cock you can get with crate and cooler in the tank well. The rudder is great when your paddling needs to be concentrated on propulsion. No problem with the rudder going forward over obstacles, it just kicks up, just put it up when going backward in very skinny water.