Just thought that you might like to see a couple of pics of Patti’s newly redesigned boat.

It weighs about 35 lbs (15.9 Kg) complete with Kayaksailor rig and paddle!

These shots were taken on the winter solstice.  It was unseasonably warm and a beautiful day to be out on the water.

No wind for sailing, but what a sweet setup!

Wishing you all the best this holiday season!

David and Patti

Hi everyone!

As some of you may know, in addition to sail design Patti and I also like to design and build kayaks. 

While waiting for our aluminum Kayaksailor parts to arrive, we decided to take a trip to beautiful Anacortes, Washington to visit our friend Corey at his traditional skin boat shop, The Skin Boat School.   Patti  wanted to reshape her boat by giving it more rocker, adding sheer and taking out some of the volume and I wanted to make mine a little less beamy and also take out some volume.  We originally built these high volume boats for extended paddle-sailing trips but as it turns out, we use them mostly for day sailing.

Building a skin-on-frame kayak or “qajaq” is the original, and some consider best, method of kayak building.    Many think that this form of boat building has likely been practiced for several thousands of years.  Our boats have urethane coated nylon for skin and waxed polyester twine for lashings.  The Inuit peoples used seal skin and sinew, but aside from these differences, the basic building technique is remarkably similar.

Skin boats are really cool.  The Inuit craftsmen were very skilled and developed these incredibly sophisticated boats with limited resources.   Not only was the qajaq  an essential tool for the Inuit hunter, enabling them to bring food home in the extremely harsh environment of the far north, but the boats had a spiritual element to them as well.  A qajaq is more than a boat.  It can be viewed as an animal of sorts with a back bone, ribs and skin.   When the paddler, or paddle-sailor in our case,  enters their boat, they become the spirit of the animal.   Working together as one.

The advantages of skin-on-frame boats are many, but probably one of the most alluring is the weight.  A sixteen to seventeen foot boat can weigh as little as twenty five pounds!  or about 11.3 Kg.   Patti can pick up her boat with one hand.  Try doing that with most modern plastic boat!  On second thought, don’t try it.

During our stay we lived in the school’s lovely skin-on-frame tree house.  It’s a very peaceful and friendly place.

At night we heard Coyotes jibbering  and a pack of wolves howling on the distance.  Corey says that the wolves belong to a neighbor who breeds them in captivity.  He says they all are confined, but I have to say that the sound of a howling wolf pack is a powerful and a hair raising experience.  I now understand the level of respect first peoples gave them.  We think that we are on top of the food chain, Ha.!

The first order of business was to peel off the skin.  We used a heat gun to release the parts of the skin that were stuck to the frame.

Next we cut the lashings and went to work removing and adjusting the ribs, trimming the gunwales, and repositioning the keelson to adjust the rocker.  We shape our boats the traditional way, “by eye” and “feel”.    I had to cut the deck beams on mine to reduce the boat’s beam. 

The frames are pegged and lashed together. No metal fasteners here, just artificial sinew and knots.   Lots and lots of knots!

At night it dropped below freezing a few times and Patti dressed our older companion Charlee-girl in her fleece shirt to stay warm.  Charlee is looking down the stairs of the tree house trying to figure out a game plan to get down.  She can still negotiate those stairs!

Once we finished reshaping the boats, it was time to put on the skin.  Knowing when to stop tweaking the design of the frame is always a problem for me.  I always want it to be perfect.  It’s so easy to make a little adjustment here or there.  I’ll just keep adjusting until Patti tells me to stop.  We give each other balance.Sewing the skin is simultaneously tedious and therapeutic.  It takes some practice to get a nice smooth, tight stitch. The Inuit would wet their seal skins while sewing but luckily we can work our cloth dry. 

Patti uses a beautiful more traditional Maligiaq stitch, while I use a rolled cross stitch.

We put our heart and souls into all our creations, And with skin boats, a little blood at times. 

These are some of Patti’s cells decorating her bow.  It’s always good to keep track of where the pointy end of the needle is.

We chose to remove the rudder and change the stern shape of our boats.  Since she purchased her Squamish, Patti has been getting back into rudderless sailing.  I think that I will join her.  It takes a little more skill, but that’s good, it’s all fun!

Here the cockpit is waiting for attention.

The coaming is the last thing to be sewn in place.  The front rests in the curved masik and the rear rests on the flat deck beam.

After work, we explored some of the shoreline of the Island of Fildago on which Anacortes resides.  A glorious full moon illuminated the evening sky.  This is a spectacular part of the world, and so many beautiful boats in the harbor!  Below are some classic pulling boats we came across.  I can’t resist admiring the sweet lines of a well designed hull.

After the sewing was finished, we dyed and urethaned the skin.  Here Patti shows her skills spreading the two part urethane “goop” with a spatula.  It takes multiple thin coats and a steady hand to get that mirror shine.

Most people use tan color dye to give their boat a traditional skin color.  Patti and I like to take the path less traveled.  We chose different colors for our boats. Paddle-sailing traditional skin-on-frames isn’t the norm either, but it sure is fun!  The mix of the modern with the traditional brings something new.  I painted a wavy blue dye design on my boat.  It won’t be easy to see on the water but it has a cool organic feel to it.

Patti chose a beautiful blue green.  Her boat has feminine curves that are pleasant to the eye.  This shot shows the results of Patti’s remarkably smooth urethane finishing job.

I always like the view from inside the cockpit.  The white cord seen running fore and aft goes through a primitive pulley in the bow and is used to pull the forward float bag into position.  The only metal hardware used in the boat are the stainless screws that hold the adjustable foot pegs in position.

While the urethane cured, we went hiking on a beautiful trail about ten minutes from the shop.  The rain forest is a remarkable place to explore.  Lots of rain and lots of life!  Even in winter the amount and variety of vegetation is warming to the soul.

It’s easy to feel connected to the environment here.    The humidity holds the sweet organic aroma in the air.

We need to come back here and sail this coastline.  There are so many cool places to explore.  Deception pass is just around the corner.  Even though the tidal current rips at times, our sails can definitely help fight it in case we miscalculate a tidal change.

The water is very clear and stays at a nearly constant 8.8 to 11.3 degrees Celsius (48-51 Fahrenheit) year round.  It’s cold but definitely doable with proper thermal protection.

A short distance away is Rosario beach.   A pole sculpture depicts the spirit of Ko-Kwal-alwoot, “The Maiden of Deception Pass”.  If you want to learn her story, e-mail me and I will gladly send it to you.

When we arrived back from the hike, the urethane was cured enough for us to strap the boats to our trusty pickup so we could start the five hour drive south to Hood River.  We love how the light shines through the hulls giving them a stained glass appearance.  In this shot you can see the swedeform shape of my hull with the cockpit positioned aft of center.  Also visible is the center foredeck stringer on which the Kayaksailor main body tube will rest.

Thank you so much for taking time to read this post.  If you haven’t already done so, please consider subscribing to this blog in the right hand column.  Also, please feel free to comment!

Cheers!

In an act of spontaneity, Patti and I took a drive to the coast.  Every now and again we need to get our gills wet in the salt water.  There is something about the sea that helps us feel connected.  Grounded so to speak, except for without the ground. ;D

The Oregon coastline is a notoriously rough place for small craft with few protected bays and harbors to escape the pounding surf.  There are a few though.  This day we decided to explore a protected place called Netarts Bay.  I’s just a few miles south of the town of Tillamook.

What a glorious Autumn day!   We arrived and immediately set out to find a good launching spot.  One was found just inside the mouth of the bay and since the tide was just beginning to ebb and a strong outbound current was building, we decided to work against the current into the bay instead of heading out to the mouth.  Tidal rips can be amazingly strong here in the Pacific Northwest and a thorough respect for them is essential for safe navigation.

We are always hoping for good wind and today looked perfect.  But, as luck would have it, as soon as the boats were slid into the water the breeze died off almost completely,  Oh well..  We always have the paddle.  Actually, we really love paddling, especially when the water is flat calm and has a mirror finish on it.   Paddle-sailing just has a special place in our hearts.

The boats glided silently in the clear water.  Scallops could be seen on the bottom and occasionally small fish spooked from the gently swaying eel grass beds as we passed overhead.  A variety of diving ducks and sea lions performed their disappearing acts around us and all was quiet except for a distant rumble of surf and the occasional call of a gull.

It was truly a delightful afternoon and we are happy to share it with you.  Hope you enjoy the video.

Several savvy  paddle-sailors are utilizing  marine rail mount and accessory mount hardware to attach their Kayaksailors.

Some of the notable features of these mounts are that they can be found in many marine stores, offer a convenient quick release option, and are designed to withstand the rigors of the marine environment.

Here is an example of a Rail/Bimini mount:

Ron Waclawik  shares these photos of his Prion touring kayak outfitted with stainless steel rail and bimini mounting hardware.  He purchased them online from marinepartsdepot.com

Quick release pins make for easy removal.

The mount raises the rig up for convenient access to the storage hatch.

Here is a view of the mounts without the rig.

Note the safety lanyard for the release pin

Care should always be taken when drilling into the bottom of the main body tube.  It’s important to avoid hitting the thru hull pulley or the mast car bungee with the drill bit.  The forward mount can often be positioned farther aft to avoid the pulley and a drill bit spacer can be utilized to limit the drill bit penetration.

Below is a good example of a marine accessory mount.  These are often used to attach fishing rod holders and electronic equipment to boats.

Trevor Lowe, owner of Yakattack NZ Ltd. in Auckland, New Zealand shares these photos of his personal boat outfitted with marine accessory mounts from Railblaza.

Here is a view of the cross tube mount.

For the front he added an aluminum channel for the main body tube to rest in.

It’s a technical and sophisticated looking mount,

and also has a clean look when removed.

If you have any photos of your own  Kayaksailor mount that you would like to share, please send them!

Happy paddle-sailing. 

Having a destination or goal and holding a course to reach it is an essential part of sailing as well as an essential part of navigating our own lives.

Sailing teaches us many important things about life – respect, persistence, and the ability to adapt to changing situations just to name a few.  But one of the most important is learning about choosing a destination and understanding the steps necessary to get there.  The Roman philosopher Seneca is reported to have said:

If man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him.

This quote obviously speaks of the benefits of having goals in life, but part of the significance and power of this eloquence is that it is based on an aspect of sailing reality.   If sailors haphazardly change the direction of their craft, the wind always appears to be coming from different angles, and therefore the sails are always in the wrong state of trim.  This requires maddening sail trim adjustments and can make it appear to the poor helmsman that the wind is always working against them.

The idea of having a destination and choosing a course to get  there is a simple one, but to many novices at the helm, a myriad of distractions make it easy to lose focus of the intended direction of travel.  Wind gusts, currents, boat traffic, among others can often be happening simultaneously and require extra focus.

Not only is it important to have a destination goal but one often needs several sub-destination goals to get there.   Sailing to a windward destination may require several close reaches on different tacks to reach the desired destination.  Each of these tacks requires a different course to be held.   An ideal destination or goal should be something fixed, like a house on shore, or an anchored buoy.  It’s easier to steer and trim sails while one is traveling towards a non-moving target.  Destination goals should also be realistic and within reach, no pun intended.

As in life, courses often need to be adjusted on-the-fly – winds shift, tides change, storms occur, etc.    Skilled sailors are able to make smart rapid course adjustment decisions easily.  For example, they will instantly recognize a wind shift and use it to their advantage to bring them to a windward destination by either changing tacks or by using the shift to allow them to point closer to their destination.  Adapting to change is part of the fun dynamic nature of sailing.

Destinations and courses are important keys to sailing and to living life, but to people who truly enjoy both, the real joy comes not from the reaching of the destination, but from the process of traveling to it.    So, keeping that in mind, let’s all get out there, set a course and have some fun!

I just want to share with you this little video we put together that shows how nicely Patti’s new boat sails.

The footage was taken on the Columbia River at our local sailing site in 5-12 knots of wind.

It truly was a beautiful evening for a paddle-sail!   Hope you enjoy.

Every now and again we all come across a really nice boat that someone is selling for a song.   We found ourselves in this situation the other day and, like most boat junkies,  couldn’t let this one go.

This gem is an older (pre 2004) Current Designs Squamish Touring boat. She is in excellent condition and has a nice looking hull shape . Basically she is a smaller British style boat with soft chines, full rocker and a retractable skeg. Because she is roto molded she is a bit heavy compared to our skin-on-frame boats.   Durability certainly won’t be an issue.  She’ll make a fun rough water boat and a lively swell rider.

We brought her home and immediately started outfitting.  Of course the first order of business was to mount the sail!  Because this boat has moderate amount of foredeck sheer, I decided to support the underside of the main body tube with a pair of minimalist channel blocks that attach to the foredeck with small stainless machine screws backed by washers and nuts. They were easy to make and look good on the boat. Not only do these micro blocks support the underside of the rig, but they also allow the main body tube to be slid fore and aft so the rig position can be changed depending on the reach of the paddler. The other nice thing about this system is that since the front of the rig is held in place by the mount, attaching eyes traps to the bow was not necessary. Only the eye straps located under the cross tube were needed to hold the rig down. This also makes it easier to put the sail cover on the rig, an added bonus.

Patti outfitted the inside of the cockpit with custom shaped foam supports and a comfortable back band. She also removed the aft deck bungee and replaced it with some spectra line and a pair of Inuit style wooden toggle slides to hold her paddle firmly in place during capsize recovery.Inserting the paddle and pulling apart the toggles creates an “outrigger like” stabilizing device that makes a reentry a breeze. This system works incredibly well.   It’s amazing  that Kayak manufacturers don’t offer this system on all their sea kayaks.  More on this in a later post…

In the evening we happily slid the boat into the water. Even though there wasn’t much of a breeze, we were able to see how nicely the boat performed in light air.Patti loves how this kayak behaves and steers while under sail. Patti, by the way, is really good at rudderless sailing.   I think I have her convinced to do a blog post on the subject.  I can’t wait, it should be very informative.   Enough writing,  it’s time to get back out on the water.   The wind is up!

If you haven’t done so already, please consider subscribing to this blog on the right hand column of this page.  We love to share.

Recently, our friends Debbie and Keith twisted our arms and dragged us out of the loft to do some camping.  We took our sails and boats and headed up to a beautiful mountain lake in the Cascade range of Washington State named Lake Wenachee.  It’s been so incredibly windy on the Columbia River lately that we thought it would be a good opportunity to get away, test our prototype headsail,  and enjoy the company of friends.       These are some photos from the trip.  Hope you enjoy.

We took our folding Pakboats, strapped them up to the racks, and started driving.

We traversed through the beautiful, hot, high desert prairie of of Eastern Washington State’s Yakima Valley before entering back into the cool Cascades.

Keith and Debbie, who arrived a day early, found a fabulous  waterfront campsite complete with a small beach for the boats!

As our luck would have it,  a frontal system pushed in from the Pacific and brought some moisture.

A surreal procession  of cottony clouds caressed the mountain sides and reflected their beauty on the lake.

It’s mesmerizing and peaceful the way our thoughts seem to melt into the water.

It is really important to dress for the water temperature. This lake is crystal clear and very cold.   We suited up and set out to explore the lake.

We  popped up the sails every now and again when a breeze was felt, but mostly  propelled ourselves by paddle.

Isn’t it funny how the farther away from civilization we get, the nicer the scenery.  Hmmm…    Maybe there is something to reflect on here.

It sure is nice to paddle on glassy water.  After sailing in the extreme winds of the Gorge, the silence of stillness is wonderful and a little odd at the same time.

What a beautiful afternoon for a sail.

Back at the camp Charlee Girl and Debbie communicate with each other in a special way .

A small boat on a lake
allows us to take
a break from the push and the shove…
Sails filled with wind
and the company of friends
take us to places we love.

Messing About With Jibs

Recently, Patti and I have been developing and refining an accessory headsail for the Kayaksailor.

For those new to sailing terminology, a headsail on a boat is commonly referred to as a jib or a genoa (named for the city in Italy).  The main difference between a jib and a genoa or “jenny”,  is the overall sail size and it’s position in relation to the main sail.   A genoa is larger than a jib and overlaps the mast with it’s leech when close hauled.  Genoas are typically used to maximize overall sail area and are commonly seen in use on sailboats in light winds.   They often make boats faster and more powerful not only because of the increased overall sail area but because of the synergistic  relationship between the two sails.  When pointing close to the wind a properly designed and trimmed head sail allows the main sail to work at a higher angle to the wind without stalling, making reaches to windward more effective.   Another nice feature of head sails, especially genoas, is  their low aspect ratio shape.   The center of effort is low making them powerful with minimal heeling making it easy to control from the cockpit.

Our headsail project is something that has been in the works for a while now.  With the Columbia Gorge springtime winds kicking in, research and development is in full swing.
The Columbia River Gorge is North America’s natural wind tunnel and dishes out some truly amazing winds.  We get everything from two to thirty plus knots (and often higher!) on a regular basis, daily depending on the location, making this an ideal location for extreme sailing and putting prototypes through their paces.

This little headsail has us pretty excited!  We’ve made several prototypes to determine an effective size and shape and are currently working on refining the foil profiles for maximum efficiency.

The original plan was for a small self-tacking jib that could be controlled by the main sheet but we soon found that a larger genoa was simpler and way more fun to sail with, even with the main reefed.  Our current prototype has three millimeter genoa sheets that lead through micro blocks on the cross tube and run back to a pair of small jam cleats located within easy reach of the sailor.  The rig still folds and unfolds normally but the wind moves the little jenny around a bit on the foredeck when the rig is folded.  I would really like to build a micro or nano furller that would allow the sail to roll around itself.  I have some basic drawings for a system but it is going to take some time to develop.  A furller would be a nice addition, but for all practical purposes, my sails are up most of the time.  Generally the only time we fold the rig is for capsize recovery, launching and landing and when the wind dies completely.   I think I can live with a somewhat loose headsail on the foredeck at these times, at least  until I start playing with a roller.

If you haven’t done so already, please consider subscribing to this blog,  I am happy to post new developments.

While sailing a friends kayak the other day, I discovered something very cool.  His rig was mounted  a bit close to me and I found my paddle blade knocking into the leeboard control rods every now and again.  It wasn’t a big deal until I slid the paddle blade between the control rod and the gunwale on one particular forward stroke and it took an awkward maneuver to remove the trapped paddle blade.  Now for the cool part, I sat there in the cockpit pondering the situation when it hit me, attach the control rod from the underside of the leeboard head!

View from the cockpit

This effectively lowers the leeboard control rods and allows them to run flush against the hull.  They are now completely out of the way.   Wow, sometimes the answers are so simple.  I love it!   The only thing that takes a little getting  used to is that the leeboard controls are reversed, meaning to lower the leeboard, one must now push on the control rod  instead of pulling on it.    I really like this new rigging technique and urge you to  give it a try.

David