I'm considering purchasing a canoe sailing rig along the lines of the one linked below:

SailboatsToGo Canoe Rig

Anyone have experience with canoe sailing?

I do not have the tools needed to build a rig myself. Discussion of that is welcome but not relevant to my question.

This rig certainly looks stable given the design. I used a Grumman sailing rig while in the Scouts many years ago and there was a definite learning curve because those rigs did not have outriggers, just leeboards. On trips we now use a tarp/paddles to rig a sail for downwind runs.

I don't have canoe sailing experience (other than a tent fly held by a spare paddle) but had a lot of small rig sailing experience with a Sunfish back in the day. This looks cool with the right set-up to be controllable and functional with one or two possible caveats, below. This set is good because it has both the leeboards and the pontoon stabilizers. You need the leeboard with any sail boat to control direction and the pontoons for stability with a canoe (the shape of which is not designed have power transferred from a sail to forward motion without tipping) . Also, this kit has the sail/boom rigged up high enough to allow for an upright adult in the bow.

One caveat you can ask about with this set-up is if you can sail one-handed by fixing the main sheet. The set-up's weak link, from what I can see, is that there's no obvious system for running the sheet through a pulley or guide (a little chock or "fairlead") right in front of you with a block or cleat to hold it where you want it. This means you can't set the sail and run without always holding the sheet in one hand (while needing to hold the rudder in the other). You'll often want to hold the sheet but not all of the time. It's tiring holding it at all times and you want/need a free hand for lots of reasons. You need the sheet hand free because you can't let go of the rudder while moving with this set-up. Maybe I'm missing something; ignore this if there's more to the set than I can see.

Also, the two-rudder system is a little clunky in and of itself. It's less maneuverable than one rudder off the back with 180 degrees of swing and requires taking one rudder/oar out of the water and putting the other in as you come about. However, it looks like it works and like it works for rowing too.

I'd just want to know I can set the main sheet and not have to hold it. Ideally, you want to have the sheet reachable in one predictable place it in front of you (through a pulley or guide). Even if you you have to hold it and can't set it (fix it into a cleat/block), you want to always know where it is in front of you. You also need to be able to let go of the sheet (or pop it off a block or cleat) in an emergency so the sail swings to slack and you stop or slow enough to not capsize. The pulley/guide allows you to tie a knot in the sheet end so the sheet end won't go overboard if you let go (pop) and the sail swings wide to slack. If the sheet end goes over, you are dead in the water and have to swing the whole boat around until until you are parallel enough to the boom to retrieve the sheet.

You may well be a sailor and I don't mean to lecture. I'm no expert by any stretch. I just got a little boat in college because I lived less than a block from a lake and thought I might attract dates in swimwear (alas, not nearly as well as hoped).

I have this setup, which was given to me by a friend who was moving. It works well and is relatively easy to setup, I am not an experienced at sailing, but it moves me across the water pretty well. As Kawnipikid mentioned, you do have to hold the sheet, but it would be pretty easy to rig up a quick release system. It does get a little awkward managing the rudder and sheet at times, but it’s not too bad.

Thanks for the input.

There is some kind of mainsheet block about 2/3 the way down the length of the boom. Hard to tell in the photos on the website how the mainsheet is attached to the thwart. I'd plan to attach a cam cleat to the thwart in front of the stern seat for easy adjustment of the sheet.

I worry about lift without a boom vang but that's probably overthinking things on a rig this small.

The biggest challenge I have is that I would prefer to mount the rig behind the bow seat. My bow paddler is apprehensious about mounting the mast anywhere farther forward in case the sail has to be dropped in a hurry. She doesn't want the spars hitting her. I have a 19' Wenonah Itasca, so mounting the rig behind the bow seat is not out of the question, however, I worry about excessive weather helm in that layout.

All in all I'd prefer a lug rig but there are no premade options available online that I can find.

A lot to ponder...

I have a 70's era grumman with full sailing kit. I am actually selling it (in the Twin Cities) if anyone is interested.

I think the general consensus is NOT to use cleats on the mainsheet d/t the inherent propensity to capsize in a canoe. Folks still do it, but I haven't myself. At times I've wrapped the sheet around one of the thwarts to serve as a kind of hold. I'm looking into putting a ratchet block or a ratchet block w cam on the sheet to help with longer sailing days.

All in all its a lot of fun! I'd love to meet up with other canoe sailers if anyone is interested. I'm usually on the St. Croix in the summer...but planning to hit up some TC lakes too.

My only experience "sailing" a canoe was when we lashed 3 canoes together on Agnes in Quetico. We tied a tarp between three paddles with a couple of lines at the top going to the back of the canoe. We had a stiff wind out of the south and cruised to the north end. It was a blast.

When you start using terms like boom vang and weather helm, it becomes pretty clear that you know how to sail.

While it doesn’t solve the problem of having to hold the main sheet all the time, for techniques to swap hands between the sheet and rudder while moving, look at how laser sailers do it when tacking and jibing. There’s no main sheet cleat on a laser either.

I’ve also thought about setting up for canoe sailing but have enhances to sailboats that I haven’t done it.

I got this sail rig from the UK. Endless river.co.uk

Paired it with Sailboats to go leeboard.

Canoe paddle for steerage

bwcamjh: "


I got this sail rig from the UK. Endless river.co.uk


Paired it with Sailboats to go leeboard.


Canoe paddle for steerage "

This looks promising. How long is the foot of the sail? Have you had any problems with the yard falling out of its pocket?

I think the foot is just under 2m. I can measure tomorrow. Check out the Endless River UK website. The yard has a strap and pouch to hold it in tight. I have more photos of the set up on an other devise as well.

As hinted at above, the Brits are maniacs for this sort of thing:

Types of Sailing Canoe

DIY rig plan:

Drop-in Sail Rig for Canoes & Kayaks Plans PDF

I sail a Folbot Greenland II kayak with a Folbot rig. Stabilizers and a reefing mechanism came in handy on an occasion when the weather forecast missed the maximum wind speed by 15 knots …

My father sailed an OTCA on Gitche Gumee with a lateen rig. That was handy as well. My mother would have preferred that he used stabilizers.

Lug rig:


Really Simple Sails

The foot is 55 inches. The luff about 66 inches. The diagonal about 79 inches. Not a large sail by any means but manageable with the old town pack. With the leeboards I can tack

I hold the line on the foot, sometimes looping it around the seat. Have though about installing some cleats on the seat.

Simple and fun, easy to pull the mast if the wind gets to big for me to handle.

gravelroad: "As hinted at above, the Brits are maniacs for this sort of thing:


Types of Sailing Canoe


DIY rig plan:


Drop-in Sail Rig for Canoes & Kayaks Plans PDF


I sail a Folbot Greenland II kayak with a Folbot rig. Stabilizers and a reefing mechanism came in handy on an occasion when the weather forecast missed the maximum wind speed by 15 knots …


My father sailed an OTCA on Gitche Gumee with a lateen rig. That was handy as well. My mother would have preferred that he used stabilizers.


Lug rig:



Really Simple Sails "

As I stated in my original post, I don't have the tools to create any spars or other mounting hardware. I have previously seen the items you linked and I would like to give them a try, but doing so is beyond my reach.

bwcamjh: "



With the leeboards I can tack

"

Thanks for letting me know the dimensions. How high do you think this rig allows you to point? Meaning what is the smallest angle to the direction the wind is coming from that you can sail?

bwcamjh: "



With the leeboards I can tack

"

Thanks for letting me know the dimensions. How high do you think this rig allows you to point? Meaning what is the smallest angle to the direction the wind is coming from that you can sail?

Certainly no more than 45 degrees. I didn't get out last summer to sail so my memory is suspect. The summer before I was doing triangles in the lake in the photos. Not the best consistent winds due to topography but enough to sail a small rig. On another lake the winds were too strong for me to comfortably come around so I just stepped the mast rolled the sail and paddle back to the landing. I've sailed on and off over the years but lack of consistency certainly doesn't build skills to be comfortable in higher wind settings. Life's a work in progress but a sail canoe is one way to at least sail. I rigged our tandem canoe to use the same set up but have not yet had it on the water.

Kendis: "

gravelroad: "As hinted at above, the Brits are maniacs for this sort of thing:



Types of Sailing Canoe



DIY rig plan:



Drop-in Sail Rig for Canoes & Kayaks Plans PDF



I sail a Folbot Greenland II kayak with a Folbot rig. Stabilizers and a reefing mechanism came in handy on an occasion when the weather forecast missed the maximum wind speed by 15 knots …



My father sailed an OTCA on Gitche Gumee with a lateen rig. That was handy as well. My mother would have preferred that he used stabilizers.



Lug rig:



Really Simple Sails "

As I stated in my original post, I don't have the tools to create any spars or other mounting hardware. I have previously seen the items you linked and I would like to give them a try, but doing so is beyond my reach."

“I do not have the tools needed to build a rig myself. Discussion of that is welcome but not relevant to my question.”