Hello everyone again.

I tried adding a makeshift sail to my sup. Put a piece of dowell across my paddle and then attached canvas to it and cruised with the tide for about 10kms. **** all wind so wasn't much sailing done except two parts that had some tiny movement. lots of sitting around frustrated wanting to go fast added in with tiny moments of joy when you get going. I am guessing this is what sailing is like for you guys?

I want to do this again but want a decent sized makeshift sail and want try and sail it, not ride it like a windsurfer. Any tips? I pretty much want to do something similar to those hobie cats or smallest sailboats you can get, but don't want to be sitting on one of those boats and want to turn my sup into a sailboat but I can stand. Any ideas about the placement of sails and that? Cheers.

Hi Gibbo.
RE: Want to sail and not windsurf. Any advice?

Cut to the chase and get yourself a ratty old 14 foot Windrush or Hobie Cat.
Then you will be sailing.

gary

Select to expand quote

gibbo000001 said..
Hello everyone again.

I tried adding a makeshift sail to my sup. Put a piece of dowell across my paddle and then attached canvas to it and cruised with the tide for about 10kms. **** all wind so wasn't much sailing done except two parts that had some tiny movement. lots of sitting around frustrated wanting to go fast added in with tiny moments of joy when you get going. I am guessing this is what sailing is like for you guys?

I want to do this again but want a decent sized makeshift sail and want try and sail it, not ride it like a windsurfer. Any tips? I pretty much want to do something similar to those hobie cats or smallest sailboats you can get, but don't want to be sitting on one of those boats and want to turn my sup into a sailboat but I can stand. Any ideas about the placement of sails and that? Cheers.

Nope, very little "sitting around frustrated" and the joy is far from "tiny".

You can't turn a SUP into a sailboat that you can stand on, practically. It's been tried in a variety of ways and it's failed in a variety of ways. Basically a SUP is too narrow so it will fall over under a sail, unless that sail is free to rotate in all directions and is being held by the sailor. Then it's a windsurfer. This has been tried and proven; a fixed sail on a SUP-type board works only with a tiny sail in light winds - and then you have the whole issue of steering with all the complications involved. The only way to get enough leverage to stop it falling over would be to fit wide "wings" and that brings in a whole other level of faffing around.

There's an easy and affective approach - just get a little circular kayak rig, or a small wind wing from Seabreeze's ads for $300 or less, and fit a centre fin to the SUP. It won't be a boat, but the laws of physics don't allow you to have a sailboat as narrow as a SUP. Or refine your current hand-held rig, but that will take a significant level of understanding of the forces involved and what you want to achieve.

I don't understand, can you clarify what standing on a board with a sail and not riding it like a windsurfer means because standing on a board with a sail is what windsurfing is. It just sounds like your trying reinvent something.

Google the history of windsurfing and check out the Newman Darby rudderless sailboard from 1965, it sounds like that what your after.

Windsurfing is sailing

Select to expand quote

jdfoils said..
Windsurfing is sailing

Funny that. I never said I was "going sailing" when going windsurfing. It's always going for "a sail".

Boats has always been "going sailing".

Past tense, both kinds would "went for a sail".

I think one of the challenges you will find doing long down winders on rivers on the north coast is the rivers are not straight so you will need some sort of rig that can perform on all point of sail. holding wings up on a sup not foiling is really not that effective. loads are high and it is quite an uncomfortable position to have you arms.

Wing foiling down wind is awesome when on a foil as loads drop due to little drag from foil and the wing is in a comfortable position as you are sailing apparent wind.

Don't let me discourage you as cruising along rivers is a great thing that I have done heaps of. A simple longboard windsurfer with a centreboard and a soft sail is how I do it. 40km+ one way is easy in spring when seabreezes are predictable. ( yamba to grafton). half a dozen pubs on the river on this trip is a added attraction.

Select to expand quote

nev said..
I think one of the challenges you will find doing long down winders on rivers on the north coast is the rivers are not straight so you will need some sort of rig that can perform on all point of sail. holding wings up on a sup not foiling is really not that effective. loads are high and it is quite an uncomfortable position to have you arms.

Wing foiling down wind is awesome when on a foil as loads drop due to little drag from foil and the wing is in a comfortable position as you are sailing apparent wind.

Don't let me discourage you as cruising along rivers is a great thing that I have done heaps of. A simple longboard windsurfer with a centreboard and a soft sail is how I do it. 40km+ one way is easy in spring when seabreezes are predictable. ( yamba to grafton). half a dozen pubs on the river on this trip is a added attraction.

I'm keen to do the same run but in my Nacra cat so sing out if you go again. You know the rule.. 2 or more sailing boats in close proximity means it's a race.

I can't attest to attempting to use a sail with a SUP, but I learned to wing foil on a SUP. The key thing is the addition of removable fins, to prevent leeway drifting. (I used the Ezywing Fin Kit). Without them, you have no chance of staying up wind.

I keep now keep an inflatable SUP and a wing on board my boat, as they take up little space.