Chop Shop for Kayaks
Epic 18 X looks really comfortable.
One of the reasons I mostly paddle a sit on top is that they are far more comfortable for me. When I sit in a confining boat like my Solstice GTS I get pretty stiff in just an hour or two and in a whole day of paddling I become a little crippled and hobble around for a day or two afterwards. When I sit on a Sit on top I can move all around even while paddling and can easily paddle three or more hours between stops without having to get out and stretch. I knew that flat water race kayaks had cockpits that could accommodate a skirt and that they had very long cockpits that allowed the knees to be very high. But these flatwater racers are way too tippy and specialized for the paddling I do so they were not for me.
Last weekend at my first race I noticed something about one of the sea kayaks. It was an Epic 18x:
Last weekend at my first race I noticed something about one of the sea kayaks. It was an Epic 18x:
Do you notice something in the picture? It's the cockpit! It's 34 inched long! You could not hit your knees if you wanted too. I don't know how you'd brace to roll it, but I did see in person that there is a lot of room in a normal sized boat. So if you have one of these boats please bring it out sometime so I can try it.
I'm now even more sad that I had to miss the Eastern Festival in Charleston.
Kayak Racing instead of Tripping
We had a blast at the French Broad Classique Canoe and Kayak Race! At first I was hesitant to join a race with so many fast paddlers, but it seemed like a great way to see the French Broad and I would get a shuttle, a T shirt, and a Great picnic dinner all for a great price. I called Tom and he said not to worry about being slow they would wait for me, so I entered. It was great paddling down the river and I was less than an hour behind the course record! That did not seem like a bad time for a first time racer and the picnic was great.
The paddling was great and I want to go back to the Asheville Outdoor Center and paddle some more. The scenery was wonderful and it is a beautiful river. The river was really fast so if you go soon you can paddle 18 miles in less than 3 hours!
It seems these races are happy to have people at any level and it is a really good time even if you are not competitive. For me it was the first time I've paddled that far without getting out and stretching at least once.
Flat earth Kayak sailing Directions for Kayakers
I was looking for a way to better explain sailing to a person with a paddling background and I found the most wonderful directions and explanations here at: Sea Kayak Photo.
It seems to me that kayakers want to edge there boats when they are sailing and most of the time they shouldn't. Also it seems they trim the sheet too close when sailing upwind. The post on Sea Kayak Photo has pictures that actually show the maximum you'd want to sheet in a FEKS.
It seems to me that kayakers want to edge there boats when they are sailing and most of the time they shouldn't. Also it seems they trim the sheet too close when sailing upwind. The post on Sea Kayak Photo has pictures that actually show the maximum you'd want to sheet in a FEKS.
Choosing the Right Sails for your Kayak
Most have more than one paddle and I predict many sailors will have more than one sail. Consider what type of sailing you are going to do. Are you going to fly in set up your rig on rented boats? In that case an easy to install system is very important. Are you going to take your sail on long distance expeditions far from civilization? If so you’ll want the most simple robust and easy to repair system. Are the winds steady where you sail or variable so you’ll want a reefing sail? A beginning sailor will most enjoy a simple system that is easy to use. An experienced sailor will enjoy a system that allows him to adjust every aspect of the sail for maximum performance.
Sail size plays a big role in enjoyment. Most kayak sailors use a sail of one meter square or slightly less. WaterTribe races put sails of one meter or less in the same category as all regular sea kayaks as they have decided a one meter rig is basic gear for expedition cruising when 50 miles a day is the required distance. Beginning sailors with sea kayaks less than 24 inches wide should begin with a sail no larger than one meter square. When the wind is gusting just up to a fresh breeze of 15 knots or so even balancing the small sail can be difficult.
If you are learning to sail in the summer when the water is warm and the winds are light a sail of 1.5 meters square might be great. If you really have light winds in your area or you just want to go as fast as possible in a sea kayak 2 meters of sail can be a lot of fun. If you are paddling a heavily loaded tandem, then a single 2 meter sail can make the miles go by while one of you rests, sleeps or does other boat chores.
The ACA standard canoe sailing rig is a 44 square foot (4 meter) lateen sail. This has been the ideal summer rig for standard open canoes for over 100 years. Canoe sailing was much more popular in the past. Four meters is a lot of sail for a kayak. Even a 28 inch wide rec boat is quite a bit less stable than a typical 36 inch wide canoe. A canoe has room to shift all of your weight to one side of the centerline. In a kayak the entire seat is 14 to 16 inches wide so there is no room to shift to the side to balance the rig.
You would need to sit on the back deck and be ready to move quickly to balance a 4 meter sail. If you want to get wet this summer try out a big sail. For practical purposes that involve more than just sailing back and forth on the lake, I never use more than 3 meter of sail. And quite often I’m doing this kind of sailing in the worlds most comfortable small cruiser the 28 inch wide Wilderness Systems Tarpon.
One of the best ways to have more sail area is to have more sails. If you are just starting out and you get the least expensive and smallest Flat Earth Kayak Sail to learn, you will be able to add a larger sail next summer when the winds are light and your skills are better. This system will easily fit inside your boat and you’ll be able to increase your daily mileage on most trips in winds from 5 to 35. In the lowest winds you can put the large sail in front and the small behind you. As the wind increases you’ll want to have it set up so you can drop the small sail and stow it on the deck without going ashore. As the wind increases further, you might drop the large sail and raise the smaller sail.
With most sail boats the second sail is a jib and it is easy enough to add one to most kayak sailing rigs. If your kayak is a downwind boat without a lee board or centerboard, you might be best serve by adding a spinnaker. Spinnakers can add a lot of sail area but they are not the most stable of sails. If you spend time watching racing you’ll see that spinnaker handling offers the best chance for viewing sail crashes and dramatic changes in the race positions. So spinnakers are best for light winds, wide awake crews, and sailing for sailings sake.
Kayaks Can Sail
Lug rig in front of a sprit rig
Kayak Sail types
Sprit rigs
Flat Earth Kayak Sail – Square top with flexible batten like a sprit and a flexible boom. Professionally made and foil shaped by designed panels. Stepped on deck for ease of lowering and raising. Requires stays, but is set far forward on the hull so no interference with paddling strokes. Refined from sail made by Norm Sanders who made the first deck stepped kayak sail with an easily lowered mast I can find.
Jeff Jennings Design – Very Square top with batten going from peak to lower part of mast like a traditional sprit sail. Set free standing close to the paddler
Laurie Ford Design – “Sprit batten” goes from peak to upper third of mast like a square top catamaran sail. Set free standing close to the paddler.
Lug rigs
Matt Layden – reefable balanced lug rig set free standing in reach of paddler.
Solway Dory Rig – Made in England, standard cruising canoe rig that is almost as popular as the ACA lateen rig for canoes. In many ways it is better because it is reefable and better balanced.
Bermuda Rigs
Many free standing homemade rigs that look like a traditional sail boat with a jib
Kayaksailor –Fully lugged reefable Bermuda rig set with stays and a mast track on the boat and dual lee board foils
Hobie kayaks – freestanding roller reefing, mast hard to remove on the water.
Hugh Hortan – fully battened reefing rig
Down wind only rigs
Pacific action sail
Umbrellas
Advanced elements
Wind paddle
Spinnaker sails
Spirit sail
I've covered all types I know. Please leave a comment if I left something out.
Adding a sail to a kayak is a lot like learning to surf a kayak. The paddle it still the primary motive and controlling force, but another aspect of the wind and water is used to ad variety. A sea kayak with a sail is not a sailboat, but it is a great paddle sailor.
I often hear short wave ski surfers say that sea kayaks can’t surf, and I understand what they mean. For them, surfing means being able to truly ride the wave and do quick cutbacks and aerial moves. However, anyone can see that sea kayak surfing has become very popular. Nigel Dennis made the Romany Surf in polyethylene and P&H has come out with the Delphin. These boats meet the definition of sea kayaks and they are designed specifically for the surf environment. So not only are we seeing sea kayaks, but we are seeing it as the best way to get to the remote breaks play on them.
I used to make a similar argument that a kayak was not a good sail boat. After all, the fattest kayak is usually narrower than the average canoe! So it is hard for a kayak to stand up to a beam wind with a decent size sail and not tip over. When you increase the beam of the kayak by adding outriggers or hydro foils to increase stability, you make the boat complicated, expensive and hard to paddle. You could buy a decent sailboat for less! However, a small sail can help propel a kayak at normal paddling speeds with ease. You’ll go slower than a Hobie cat, but often you’ll go faster than you can paddle! And here is the big secret: Paddlers hate the wind, but sailors love it. You can paddle when it’s calm and take pleasure in sailing when it’s not!
Adding a sail to a kayak is a lot like learning to surf a kayak. The paddle it still the primary motive and controlling force, but another aspect of the wind and water is used to ad variety. A sea kayak with a sail is not a sailboat, but it is a great paddle sailor.
Sailing took me about an hour to learn, but it is taking the rest of my life to become better. There is always something new to learn. Old methods used thousands of years ago are refined and made better, because modern material science improves what is possible for us to manufacture.
Today I’m working on a deck stepped mast mount that only needs a forestay and no side stays.
Kayaks can Sail
Consider a simple rig where all the pieces can be stored inside your hull. Keep it there, even on non-sailing days. If the weather changes you can pull off the water and rig your sail in a minute or two. Make your rig strong because the winds will always be stronger. Make certain you can always drop your sail in an instant, because big winds come fast.
Practice self rescue. Very few people can roll a boat with a sail. More often a paddle float or cowboy rescue is involved. Less often sailors lower their rig the reenter and roll. I often leave the sail up and use its pull to help balance my boat as I enter from the windward side. Make certain you practice rescue procedures on calm days with friends at hand. Will the radio or knife catch on your boat as you try to pull yourself aboard? Will the sheet or the other lines be likely to ensnare you? How long can you hold your breath and work underwater? If you have friends practicing assisted rescue, please be mindful of your hands, never ever get your hands between the boats. In windy weather the chop will smash your hands and make for a long day towing your friend to the Hospital. Sailing is extreme kayaking and you will capsize.
When I first started kayaking it took me about a year to figure out how to get in and out of the boat at the steep slippery launches I used without capsizing, but I never capsized while paddling. As I became a better paddler I practiced capsizing, but I still never turned over in the ocean or even in the little bit of white water I paddled. Lately I started paddling in the surf and I capsize at least twice every time I go surfing. While sailing is not as likely to spill you over as surfing I promise that you’ll benefit from planning to swim a lot in the beginning. Planning for swimming and recues will give you the confidence to push your skills and try new things that will make your boat go faster.
A sail can add safety to any cruise. It makes it easier to tow in difficult conditions. It could allow you to continue travelling if you become injured. A bright colored sail is far more visible than any kayak at a distance. A kayak sail adds initial stability to any rig. For long cruises the added rest and easy miles will help you save your strength for days when it is really rough. It seems to me that when I have a sail it becomes very easy to do longer days. When I do not have the sail I really start to suffer a little at about the 22 mile mark.
Yesterday I did not get to sail, but the rain brought the water up in the river, so I got to practice playing in some current. I’ve got my first race ever on Easter weekend.
Below is a picture from Kayakfishingstuff.com a great site if you are interested in fishing.
Is it a kayak or a canoe? In the past the English referred to most paddle craft as canoes. They called sea kayaks sea canoes. They formed the British Canoe Union to teach sea kayaking skills. And they used the name Canadian canoe for what we normally think of as a canoe in the states. There are decked canoes, open cockpit kayaks, sit on tops and so many varieties of boats that I’d venture to say that it’s better to learn to use your boat well than to worry about whether it is a kayak or a canoe. I have noticed that you can kneel in canoes and no one seems to kneel in kayaks. So maybe that is the distinction. Now they have stand up paddle craft called SUP’s that look very similar to a surf board and a sit on top combined but they come with long paddles so you can stand and paddle them like you stand and paddle a canoe. The important thing is to make certain you have outfitted your boat for proper use of the sail. A stowable windsurfer rig would be ideal for a SUP. For a rec boat like a Wilderness Systems Pungo 140 you’d want an electric pump for ocean sailing. If your boat has no bulkheads you’ll need to rig it like a whitewater canoe with float bags, a bailer, and a pump. Remember this is sailing and you should plan to swim.
Kayaks Can Sail
Below is a picture from Kayakfishingstuff.com a great site if you are interested in fishing.
Is it a kayak or a canoe? In the past the English referred to most paddle craft as canoes. They called sea kayaks sea canoes. They formed the British Canoe Union to teach sea kayaking skills. And they used the name Canadian canoe for what we normally think of as a canoe in the states. There are decked canoes, open cockpit kayaks, sit on tops and so many varieties of boats that I’d venture to say that it’s better to learn to use your boat well than to worry about whether it is a kayak or a canoe. I have noticed that you can kneel in canoes and no one seems to kneel in kayaks. So maybe that is the distinction. Now they have stand up paddle craft called SUP’s that look very similar to a surf board and a sit on top combined but they come with long paddles so you can stand and paddle them like you stand and paddle a canoe. The important thing is to make certain you have outfitted your boat for proper use of the sail. A stowable windsurfer rig would be ideal for a SUP. For a rec boat like a Wilderness Systems Pungo 140 you’d want an electric pump for ocean sailing. If your boat has no bulkheads you’ll need to rig it like a whitewater canoe with float bags, a bailer, and a pump. Remember this is sailing and you should plan to swim.
Kayaks can Sail
Consider a simple rig where all the pieces can be stored inside your hull. Keep it there, even on non-sailing days. If the weather changes you can pull off the water and rig your sail in a minute or two. Make your rig strong because the winds will always be stronger. Make certain you can always drop your sail in an instant, because big winds come fast.
Practice self rescue. Very few people can roll a boat with a sail. More often a paddle float or cowboy rescue is involved. Less often sailors lower their rig the reenter and roll. I often leave the sail up and use its pull to help balance my boat as I enter from the windward side. Make certain you practice rescue procedures on calm days with friends at hand. Will the radio or knife catch on your boat as you try to pull yourself aboard? Will the sheet or the other lines be likely to ensnare you? How long can you hold your breath and work underwater? If you have friends practicing assisted rescue, please be mindful of your hands, never ever get your hands between the boats. In windy weather the chop will smash your hands and make for a long day towing your friend to the Hospital. Sailing is extreme kayaking and you will capsize.
When I first started kayaking it took me about a year to figure out how to get in and out of the boat at the steep slippery launches I used without capsizing, but I never capsized while paddling. As I became a better paddler I practiced capsizing, but I still never turned over in the ocean or even in the little bit of white water I paddled. Lately I started paddling in the surf and I capsize at least twice every time I go surfing. While sailing is not as likely to spill you over as surfing I promise that you’ll benefit from planning to swim a lot in the beginning. Planning for swimming and recues will give you the confidence to push your skills and try new things that will make your boat go faster.
A sail can add safety to any cruise. It makes it easier to tow in difficult conditions. It could allow you to continue travelling if you become injured. A bright colored sail is far more visible than any kayak at a distance. A kayak sail adds initial stability to any rig. For long cruises the added rest and easy miles will help you save your strength for days when it is really rough. It seems to me that when I have a sail it becomes very easy to do longer days. When I do not have the sail I really start to suffer a little at about the 22 mile mark.
Yesterday I did not get to sail, but the rain brought the water up in the river, so I got to practice playing in some current. I’ve got my first race ever on Easter weekend.
Planning for Summer
Summers have really light winds here in North Carolina so I'm putting together my sailing plans. Two sails are better than one! Even now in the heart of spring the high today will be 5 miles per hour.
Mick form Flat Earth Kayak sails sent me this picture of his sails in use. I'd really like to get another of his sails for my boat. I think the largest size in the front and the current one I have in the back would be great. I'm hoping to have the chance to try that combination this summer.
Kayaks Can Sail
I often hear short wave ski surfers say that sea kayaks can’t surf, and I understand what they mean. For them, surfing means being able to truly ride the wave and do quick cutbacks and aerial moves. However, anyone can see that sea kayak surfing has become very popular. Nigel Dennis made the Romany Surf in polyethylene and P&H has come out with the Delphin. These boats meet the definition of sea kayaks and they are designed specifically for the surf environment. So not only are we seeing sea kayaks, but we are seeing it as the best way to get to the remote breaks play on them.
I used to make a similar argument that a kayak was not a good sail boat. After all, the fattest kayak is usually narrower than the average canoe! So it is hard for a kayak to stand up to a beam wind with a decent size sail and not tip over. When you increase the beam of the kayak by adding outriggers or hydro foils to increase stability, you make the boat complicated, expensive and hard to paddle. You could buy a decent sailboat for less! However, a small sail can help propel a kayak at normal paddling speeds with ease. You’ll go slower than a Hobie cat, but often you’ll go faster than you can paddle! And here is the big secret: Paddlers hate the wind, but sailors love it. You can paddle when it’s calm and take pleasure in sailing when it’s not!
Adding a sail to a kayak is a lot like learning to surf a kayak. The paddle it still the primary motive and controlling force, but another aspect of the wind and water is used to ad variety. A sea kayak with a sail is not a sailboat, but it is a great paddle sailor.
Sailing took me about an hour to learn, but it is taking the rest of my life to become better. There is always something new to learn. Old methods used thousands of years ago are refined and made better, because modern material science improves what is possible for us to manufacture.
Today I’m working on a deck stepped mast mount that only needs a forestay and no side stays.
Thanks for the map Tommy
http://classic.mapmyrun.com/route/united-states/nc/hobucken/877130187703930685
Click on the Map above to see our route for Saturday. Please be patient it takes the map a minute to load.
Click on the Map above to see our route for Saturday. Please be patient it takes the map a minute to load.
Goose Creek Island
I found a new favorite place! Pate Boat yard at Goose Creek Island.
We had great paddling, great camping, great seafood and wonderful people. I learned about Pate boat yard from Don Meece of the Lumber River Canoe Club. The trip he organized this year was fun for everyone.
The winds were great for sailing at 20 mph the first day with gust to about 35 mph. On the second day we had winds of about 10 to 15 with gusts to 20.
Just look at Alan and Dawn below!
Here they come!
Here they are!
And there they go! It was so fast!
I got to sail my favorite rig as well.
I didn't know my rig would hold up to the big winds we had but I was surprised by how robust it was. In a moment of inattention I gibed while taking a picture in too much wind and still knowing broke. Downwind was a hoot and as usually upwind was a challenging slog.
Each night we had fabulous food. I'm not the type to post pictures of food, but we had homemade clam chowder and an oyster roast one night and a low country boil with sausage and shrimp the other night.
I cannot wait to go back. It's only three hours away. Oyster season is over, but I think crab season starts in a month!
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