Does a canoe make a sailor?

[ttex]

Thanks, John.

A lot of great info there. I honestly kept imagining I would have to bolt some kind of keel to my canoe. I just looked up the leeboards and that makes a lot more sense.

The canoe is aluminum. Really wish it was wood or fiberglass right now. Aluminum is a pain in the ass to try and weld anything to.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Ttex,

As an alternative to converting your aluminum canoe, I suggest you carefully look at the following site and read what others are having a lot of fun building and sailing.

The boats are small, easy to make with common tools, car top able and plans are free, and people have fun in them. Some are in Texas too.

Puddle Duck Racer

Puddle Duck Racer - Easiest Sailboat to Build and Race

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For something more for cruising, sailing AND rowing, there is an interesting home built of wood and fiberglass that is somewhat like a canoe, but different. Read this page to see about this one and how fast it went on a reach.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/13/...m#.VUwmW3A8KrU

[Schooner Chandlery]

We take our 16' Prospector canoe with us everywhere (on our cruising boat). Get in touch with the ACA (America Canoe Association, I think) ad get their plans. Aluminum mast and boom, lateen rig, can buy a sail from them or make one. Only thing to do differently than their plans is consider two leeboards (one on each side) because in bigger winds, when the leeboard is on the weatherside, the design isn't sufficient and you'll break fasteners...ask how we know... Paddle for a rudder works fine if you like. No reason to bother with a purpose-built sailing dinghy if you've got a canoe that you use for other things anyway and if you're short on space. Best of luck. Canoe sailing can be really fast -- enjoy.

[Canibul]

I built a lanteen type rig with boards for an old Coleman canoe many years ago. That thing would really move on the lakes of New England. Cheap and easy sailing.

[SkiprJohn]

Watch this video for ideas. You don't need to weld anything. Most leeboard attachments are done with wing nuts and bolts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP98_NBj66g

Keep coming with questions and comments. This one in the video has a lateen sail rig much like a Sunfish.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

We take our 16' Prospector canoe with us everywhere (on our cruising boat). Get in touch with the ACA (America Canoe Association, I think) ad get their plans. Aluminum mast and boom, lateen rig, can buy a sail from them or make one. Only thing to do differently than their plans is consider two leeboards (one on each side) because in bigger winds, when the leeboard is on the weatherside, the design isn't sufficient and you'll break fasteners...ask how we know... Paddle for a rudder works fine if you like. No reason to bother with a purpose-built sailing dinghy if you've got a canoe that you use for other things anyway and if you're short on space. Best of luck. Canoe sailing can be really fast -- enjoy.

Most leeboard boat sailors lift what will be the windward board before falling off on the new tack.

[SkiprJohn]

Don't use a Sunfish sail in that it has about 76 sq ft and you need more like 40 to 50 on your canoe. You don't want to be overpowered or you'll be swimming more than sailing.

In the video I sent the fellow is doing a good job surviving in winds that you won't want to learn in. It's much more comfortable getting used to your rig in lighter wind conditions.

[ttex]

Gotcha. I can be a clever bugger sometimes so I think I can use these references to get something going.

We have had a lot of weather in town so I had to schedule work all through the weekend (my wife keeps telling me that sailboats don't buy themselves). Not going to have time until next week I think.

I can almost guarantee I will have a hilarious video of me trying to sail when I make my first attempt. For all your help we will share it so you all can laugh at me.

[SkiprJohn]

There are many fun videos of folks sailing their canoes or just plain showing their sailing canoes off. You'll have fun just watching them.

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Most leeboard boat sailors lift what will be the windward board before falling off on the new tack.

yeah-- but the original ACA plans only have a single (1) leeboard. I thought I said that? You choose a side to put the single leeboard on and you cannot lift it when it's on the windward side or you'll have NO leeboard down. Thus, modify the plans to put two leeboards on the canoe. Then you get to LIFT the one on the windward side, yup, because you've always got one on the leeward side to count on.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

yeah-- but the original ACA plans only have a single (1) leeboard. I thought I said that? You choose a side to put the single leeboard on and you cannot lift it when it's on the windward side or you'll have NO leeboard down. Thus, modify the plans to put two leeboards on the canoe. Then you get to LIFT the one on the windward side, yup, because you've always got one on the leeward side to count on.

Sorry. I caught that only after I posted. Yes to two leeboards but I have seen a rig where you transfer the leeboard from one side to the other while tacking thereby having only one leeboard but having a slot for it on each side of the canoe.

[Schooner Chandlery]

That sounds like a tack that would take a while--and more hands than the single sailor might have too. Remove the leeboard and put it on the weather side when? In the middle of the tack? It's loaded before then.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

That sounds like a tack that would take a while--and more hands than the single sailor might have too. Remove the leeboard and put it on the weather side when? In the middle of the tack? It's loaded before then.

It did look like an exercise and something I wouldn't recommend. It was on a You Tube video that I happened to see while looking at sailing canoes. Of course the video was shot on a very light wind day. If I can find it again I'll post a link.

My old Naples Sabot 8 foot dinghy had a single leeboard. It had some pretty strong hardware to keep it from duck winging on windward side and was more efficient on one tack than the other but it did work. I gave it another leeboard to make it more efficient.

[SkiprJohn]

Photo of single leeboard that you move from side to side.

http://www.solwaydory.co.uk/images/u...s/IMG_1520.JPG

[Schooner Chandlery]

I think these use-a-single-leeboard canoeing sailors are more agile and dextrous and strong than me. It's pretty much all I/we can do (in a decent wind) to tack or gibe. Just swinging the weather one up is enough to do and it's well constrained. Lord help you if you're running with the canoe. The stern wave following along can be enough to swamp you if you've got to come up into the wind at all (says she who was in such a canoe running in 20 kts one day and wondering how she was going to get off that run before hitting shore.)