When last I addressed the canoe sailing issue I flagged my intention of building a "quick canoe'. But time and tide being what there are -- I have not proceeded in all these months because I don't trust my carpentry aptitide. I know my limitations...
Consequently I haven't messed about in boats.
I've thought about my canoe sailing options many times but have been crippled by hesitancy. This week I was considering purchasing a reconditioned fiberglas shell canoe for $300 but the thing was so big and heavy I got a shock and my little, light weight, easily lifted paddleski suddenly seemed appealing.
So I decided: "Stuff it. Time to go back to where I started," I told myself.Sample comparisonFibreglas Canoe under consideration: 4.8 metres = 16 ft [maybe 30 kgm]
Quick Canoe: 4.7 metres = 15.5 ft [23kg]
Paddleski: 2.4 metres = 7.8 ft [18 kg]
"Fiddle with what I had and see what happens."
The main problem I had with my original rig was the amount of stuff I had to drag behind the craft. I used two rudders and oared them to turn and hold a course. It worked... in a fashion, but rear drag was significant.
This time around my thinking is being formatted by what a 'skeg' and a 'keel' does. So I've attached a simple drop 'oar' off the back to see if 'position: position' works best. It's easily removed and with any bouncing along a sandy bottom the blade and stem will pivot up. This skeg may drop and fall but it holds itself in place against environmental forces that may shift it (and the craft attached) to port or starboard.
A skeg is an extension of the keel of a boat. The name also refers to a fin on a surfboard which improves directional stability and to a moveable fin on a kayak which adjusts the boat's centre of lateral resistance.
The hypothesis is that the 'skeg' should hold the craft in place so that it tracks in a straight line. Kayaks are designed to easily come about and turn into the prevailing conditions but that is a major handicap if you are sailing before the wind. If this rig works, I'll tweak it through experimentation.
With that in mind I also have to consider the conditions in which I sail: a shallow bay with many shoals. So I need to ensure that anything the hangs off and below the craft is engineered not to run me aground or break. That means that any skeg device I attach needs to be able to bounce along the ocean bottom.
With that in mind I also have to consider the conditions in which I sail: a shallow bay with many shoals. So I need to ensure that anything the hangs off and below the craft is engineered not to run me aground or break. That means that any skeg device I attach needs to be able to bounce along the ocean bottom.
For steering I'll rely on a single blade canoe paddle by dipping it either side as required. (I have a nice wooden one I picked up second hand for $10).
A double blade paddle is too cumbersome to handle on my small paddleski when the sail is up. Storing it also takes up a lot of space and it always got in the way of other activities on board. So single blade/short stem works best.
The sail, on the other hand, performs extremely well. It's what underneath that has let me down in the past.
