Valley Sea Kayak Skeg Cable 3mm original Valley Kayak skeg cable. Choice of standard replacement part which is over sized and must be cut to length when installing or custom cable cut to match your old one.
To install a skeg cable, the ends must be cut cleanly and square. In order to cut the skeg cable yourself, you will need a cable cutting tool designed for cutting stainless steel cable up to at least 1/8" diameter. Wire cutters, Lineman's pliers, etc. will not work for this type of cable. Even to work just one time the cutting tool must be rated for cutting stainless steel cable. The cable cutters that work you may find in ( bike shops, marine hardware stores, or a good hardware store ).
No two kayaks have exactly the same length cable even if they are the same model kayak. So the standard replacement part is over-sized (9' long), and must be cut to fit when installing. However, you may choose to mail us your old cable so we can pre-cut a new cable the same length for you at no extra charge (Note, measuring the length of your old cable is not accurate enough. We need to lay your old cable side by side with the new one while cutting it.). If you want to have a spare cable, now is the time to get one - ordering two of the same sized custom cut cables at the same time will save you money for shipping. Your choice of the above options will indicate whether you want a standard over-sized cable shipped now or you will be sending us your old cable so we can custom cut a cable matched to your old one.
Note, about 90% of the time a bent skeg cable can be straightened well enough by hand or with two pairs of pliers that replacement isn't necessary. A slight waviness in the cable after straightening is okay as long as the cable slides through the poly tube sheath without sticking Waves that are shorter than an inch or still have a tight kink will likely stick and bend again, but a cable with long gentle waves usually works as good as new.
On Valley kayaks new enough to have the skeg cable inside a tube at the cockpit control end, the only place the skeg cable is likely to bend is in the first few inches above the skeg blade. Often this can be straightened without completely removing the cable from the kayak, and if this works it will save a lot of time. However, it is easier to straighten the cable if you take it all the way out so the choice depends on where and how badly the cable is bent. The steps start out the same regardless of whether you to attempt to straighten the cable or replace it.
We have written instructions for replacing a skeg cable on pre-2011 WS Tempest model kayaks, but Valley skeg systems are similar. |
