Hi Doug,

Just remember a rudder is designed to help a boat go straight, it is
not designed to make the boat turn faster. It will actually hamper
fast turning.

I'd suggest paddling some boats with rudders first, so you can see
what the rudder really does (and paddle them on rivers, not on a
lake). The rudder catches undercurrents that your boat scoots over. I
have watched beginners get flipped around and disoriented when they
dropped their rudder on one of my river trips. I now tell trip
participants that they need to keep the rudders up while on the river.
In my experience, it causes more problems than it solves.

On the other hand, drop the rudder while surfing in whitewater and you
can take the paddle out of the water. As long as the wave has a long
enough face, you can sit there, steer with your feet, and look like
you have some telekenetic powers that keep you on the sweet spot.

- Eric