Hi all, I am building a sail rig for my strip built kayak. I had a bunch of strips left over so I thought I would build the amas hybrid style. Here is a photo of the first time the outrigger assembly was laid on to the kayak. More pics soon...
Very nice, can''t wait to see the other pics. Would love to hear how it performs too.
Jerry S
I have the rig sanded and the first coats of varnish have been applied. Photos coming soon.
Looks good. That should scoot right along.
Laszlo
Now it is complete!
WOW!!!
Beautiful boat! That’s going to turn a few heads on the water. I’ve got a SailRig also and was thinking about adding a jib. The sails on your rig are obviously not CLC standard issue. Did you design and make them yourself? If so, can you elaborate on the process? I’m starting to dabble in sailmaking and would love to hear about it. Be sure to report back on how it performs when you get that piece of kinetic sculpture out where it belongs.
I am using a Klepper S4 sail rig on this boat. I thought about trying to make my own, but when I saw the engineering on Klepper rig, I knew I wouldn't be able to top it. The clincher is that the boom rotates, which allows you to "roller" reef the mainsail. The sqft on this rig are around 54, so just a little less than the sail CLC makes for their double/triple rig.
In case anyone is wondering, the kayak is a Redfish Spring Run Kenai. It is 18ft long with a 25 inch beam. Tons more photos of the rig and the building of the rig on my website at: http://www.keakayaks.com/sailrig/sailrig.html
I will post some more photos and a trip report once I get her launched!
I went out today for the first time in 15 to 20 knot winds. The performance was incredible. I was only using the main sail today but I really felt like I was flying along. At about 15 degrees off the wind I had to check to see if I was getting towed by a speed boat! Photos didnt happen today but I will try to get some later.
Casey,
Sounds like fun. Take a GPS with you next time and let us know how fast it was. In the meantime, did you get any feel for how close to the wind it would point?
Dusty,
Here's everything you ever wanted to know about making your own sails:
Laszlo
Casey, that boat is going to be a blast. Where did you sail it?
Laszlo,
Thanks for the heads up. I already own Marino's excellent but weighty tome. I want the Ciff Notes version!
Dusty
After taking out my kayak and sail rig a couple of times I realized that I need some way to carry everything without looking like a rolling boat yard. So I just finished building a saddle system for car topping.
To answer Camper's question, I will be sailing my boat in the Puget Sound, as I live in the Seattle area. Hopefully photos of my rig under sail will be coming soon. A disgusting lack of wind kept me from going out today!
Nicely done!
I'm kinda wishing I stuck with the original plans.
I would have been in the water a LONG time ago!
I finally have a couple of photos of my rig in action. The only problem was that there was almost no wind. It was still nice to get out though!
First pic is me just getting started. The rudder and leeboard are still up.
Next pic is under full sail with rudder and leeboard down. I was moving along at about half a knot in very light variable wind. Not bad I guess, but not the most exciting either!
In case anyone is wondering, the photos were taken at Marina Beach in Edmonds, WA. The mountains in the background are the Olympic range.
The rudder I was using just wasn't enough to keep the boat from swinging downwind, so I built a new, bigger rudder that is steered by a tiller. It works like a dream and I now have a good up and down wind sailor!
Beautiful job, Casey. Enjoy.
I just thought I would update you all with my continuing sea trials. My main problem has been finding a rudder bracket that is strong enough. I finally found one that is almost strong enough, so I was able to do some good sailing this past weekend.
I went out in 10 to 15 knot winds and had a blast. With the Klepper S4 rig I really got going fast. At one point I was pacing a 35 ft. yacht with her main and jib up, I got a couple of jealous stares from the skipper! I found that the ride was much drier than I thought, even with whitecaps here and there. The amas rarely dove under the surface and I can only recall a couple of times when the akas were hit by the water.
One interesting thing I found was that the boat seemed to track without any noticeable leeway with the leeboard both in and out of the water. I think the v shape of the amas act as a downwind keel of sorts.
Here's a photo of the view from my cockpit. (Note: just after I took the pic, I trimmed the jib correctly, just in case any of you sailors noticed!) Also, I took a short video of my sail which you can see at http://www.keakayaks.com/trips/tripmovies/tripmovies.html
have been thinking about the idea of putting rudders on the amas and linking them with the main rudder. I wonder if this would make the boat easier to turn and in doing so taking some of the pressure off the main rudder. I am considering this because I have been having lots of problems with having to have an oversized rudder to get the boat to turn, but the force on the rudder is ripping it off the boat.
While this is common on catamarans, I have not seen it on trimarans, so I don't know how well it would work.
Anyone have any thoughts?