Buenos dias mi amigos,

I love sailing but hate towing trailers and setting up complicated rigs.
I want something I can throw on top of my ute, cart off to the water and set up relatively easily.
I had a thought of buying a 14' canoe and adding some sort of sailing kit - sail, outriggers for stability, leeboards and a rudder of some kind.
No-one in Australia makes a conversion kit to sail a canoe. The best I could find comes from the States and costs a bit.
Then I thought about making my own set up and using a windsurfer mast and sail. I've cruised websites and come across people who have done just that.
What do the punters think:
Would a windsurfer sail and mast do the job?
If so. what sort of sail and mast should I look at?
If it won't work, what do you reckon I need to do to make it work?
I did see one website where a guy had a rigid mast about 8' in length and the windsurfer mast was attached to it.
Some insights would be most welcome.
Adios.

How will you prevent the canoe from tipping over?

Maybe have a look at the land sailing section as they modify old wind surfing gear to use on the carts.

Hobie do kayaks with outriggers and sails. Also double up for fishing, punting around and if your game... kiting. Maybe you can adapt some of their gear to your canoe.

Try one of these from Hobie



Great fun in 20 knots of breeze. Impossible to stay dry but thats half the fun.

When we use windsurfer sails on our landyachts, we have to reinforce the lower metre of the mast as that is where the most stress is found.

All we do is glue [silastic] a close fitting piece of timber, aluminium tube or the top of a snapped mast inside the base of the mast.

The mast drops into a piece of steel tube with the top flared out a touch to prevent chafing of the mast.
We tend towards using a conventional boom, but using an unmodofied windsurfer boom is possible.

Masts vary in flex depending on thier intended original use- Ideally [I think] you would be better off with a flexy mast as it might be a bit more forgiving of gusts- mast flexing instead of heeling you over suddenly.

Having said that- run whatever you can find!

2 piece masts are easier to transport and store- they would fit inside your canoe, and so would the storm water or sewer pipe outriggers and thier arms [if it is a traditional Canadian canoe]

Based on our Scouts cobbled up design -

Steel tube running east/west above the timber spreaders of your canoe, with a mast step dropping down from the front tube to the floor.
The steel tube gets used as sockets for the outrigger arms to slide into.

Light steel tube running north/south to connect and brace the east/west tubes. Add a few angled braces where needed to prevent it all self destructing.
Outrigger arms of either timber, aluminium, steel, or salvaged broken windsurfer masts or booms.
Outriggers of plastic pipe with 45 degree upturned ends [less chance of digging in when beaching]

Some windsurfer booms can be pulled apart after releasing spring loaded internal clips- these types of booms could be used for the basis of your outrigger arms- and the clips would make it easy to pack away when not in use.

With a bit of planning, the whole framework could be made to fit the canoe, and be secured with a couple of ratchet straps- no permanent mods to the canoe.

stephen

I'd be interested to see how effective it would be at tacking into the wind. It've wanted to build something similar for a few years now.

How are they into the wind?

Thanks for the info Stephen. Good advice. I found a website - bccanoe.co.za - a South African guy who built a wooden canoe and set it up with a windsurfer sail. His videos show it working quite well.
Yeah Doc, the Hobie rigs are good but a bit pricey.

I have a sailing rig that lashes into my 16' canadian. the right spot is just aft of the front seat. its simply a 2m wooden mast through a hole in a plank across the deck. no stays. the sail is a 2m lug sail using a fishing rod as the spar. it hoists using a single halyard.
the plank across the deck has a swing down dagger board about 100mm wide and 400mm long in the water.
no outriggers. Its suitable for anywhere you would use a low freboard canadian.
the foot od the sail is loose with a sheet rope that you hold in 1 hand.
there is no tiller , just your paddle to steer. usually with your foot on the sheet.
its works really well to windward ,which was a suprise but sails better with a person forward
you really dont need a big sail area in a canoe, AND you need a rig you can drop /furl in a hurry
have a look in google imagesunder sailing canoes, remember keep it simple

Beaglebuddy said..

design flaw!!!

counterweight is fitted to the downwind side.

at least windrider had the right idea in supplying a counterweight that has to crawl over you everytime you tack

stephen

Her first sail in my tender. A simple kids windsurfer sail on a aluminium mast, the boom meets the mast and I wrap the sail around and tie. Sails well and can Make about 45 degrees to wind.

Very nice gear the Hobbies elbeau. And Scotland island is just beautiful to paddle around.