skeg, glue

[Ricardo Caivano]

Any recommendations on how to secure the tube that houses the cable skeg to the kayak? As you can see on the pictures, the original material is some type of compound/ glue (don't think is epoxy).

When I try to deploy the skeg, the plastic tubing moves and curves with the result that half the time the skeg does not deploy. 

Thank you!

[EEL]

Ricardo:

My $.02 is your description suggests the skeg cable is the issue not the housing.  The cable should move through the housing with so little resistance that housing movement is minimal if at all.  A bend in the cable is all that is needed to result in excess force to deploy the skeg (and it may not deploy at all) causing the housing to move.  It takes only a minor bend in cable to cause this.  If you can loosened the cable at the control end and pull out the cable on the skeg end just a foot or two I suspect you would find a point where there is a bend instead of a simple curve.  Just remove the bend using your hands and problem gone.  Bends are easily fixed, but a kink means a cable replacement usually.  If it takes some force to pull the skeg down using pliers or a line attached to it, that is a very good indication it is a bent cable.

Ed Lawson

Edited August 18, 2023 by EEL
correction

[Ricardo Caivano]

Yes, it could be that a bend in the cable was the problem that led to the tube breaking where it attaches to the skeg lever whatchamacallit black vessel you see in the photo. I will inspect the cable. Thank you Ed. But I will need to secure/glue the housing back. 

[EEL]

I would fall back on on the old standbys 3M 4200 or 5200, but others may well have better advice on that part of the repair.  If I understand it correctly, the glob of stuff used to be covering the washer and nut as well as holding the housing in place.  I assume there are clips holding the housing in place on the run back to the skeg box so it is not free to move about in any event.