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What was the motivation behind the Kayaksailor? Being avid sailors our entire lives, it was just a natural progression. You look at an efficient hull and you want to put an efficient sail rig on it. We couldn't help ourselves. Every time we went out kayaking and the wind came up, it drove us crazy. You know that feeling, when you are doing something and you know it could be more fun. So we decided to make it happen. Yes. It's easy and fun. Almost everyone can remember a paddling experience when the wind came up and you struggled to make headway. Now imagine yourself effortlessly gliding to windward . A smile comes to your face. Now you will be enjoying your kayaking experience. For most people flipping over isn't a common occurrence although it can happen from time to time, especially in very strong gusty winds. The procedure involves bringing the boat to an upright position, releasing the sheet (sail control line), pointing the boat into the wind and doing a standard reentry. The sail can either be left up or lowered down depending on your skill and comfort level. Absolutely, because the sail and leeboards are balanced to each other. Course corrections involve the use of your paddle. Kayaksailing without a rudder helps to improve your bracing and steering skills. The first boat we tested this type of sailing rig on was a mid 1980's Aquaterra Prism. We sailed this boat without a rudder for years and had a great time. That said, we eventually purchased a rudder and had an even better time. It's really nice to be able to stow your paddle and have your hands free when you want. Most non-sailors believe that leeboards keep the boat from tipping over like the weighted keel of a sailboat. Although the leeboards add some stability to the hull, their main purpose is to reduce the sideways sliding motion of the boat. They allow you to point upwind (at an angle toward the direction the wind is coming from). Do the leeboards slow the boat down? The shape of the leeboard cross section is important. If you were to look at a typical fish from above, you would see that it has a streamlined shape, somewhat narrow at the head, wider in the center and tapering to a thin tail. This is a natural foil shape. Our leeboards have a carefully calculated foil giving them the ability to slice through the water with very little resistance. In the past many people believed that upwind kayak sails needed to have outriggers, stabilizing pontoons on either side of the kayak. Outriggers may be useful if the sail area is too large or if the center of effort is placed too high causing a pronounced heeling effect. One of our design goals was to keep your kayak a kayak and not turn it into a trimaran. The Inuit people understood boat handling characteristics and we chose to preserve them as much as possible. We accomplished this with efficient sail design. The sails pack an amazing amount of power into a tiny package. One of the most important design features is the use of controlled head twist. As the wind speed increases, the top of the sail or "head" twists away, spilling some of the wind from the top part of the sail. This allows the center of effort on the sail to travel down towards the boat. As a result it heels less and is easier to control. How much wind can the sail handle? That depends on your weight and skill level. The rigs are designed with a very large wind range: 2-15 knots, and up to 30 knots reefed. A heavier or more experienced person can handle more wind than a lighter or less experienced person. Reefing is the ability to reduce the size of the sail area for use in strong winds. For safety reasons, reefing should be done prior to leaving the beach or dock. Most kayak designs have what are known as displacement hulls. This type of boat design will reach a maximum speed determined by its hull length and shape. Most kayaks travel at a maximum speed that is equivalent to a fast walk or a jog. Depending on your weight and skill level, the Kayaksailor will bring the majority of boats close to their hull speed in approximately 12 knots (14 mph, Force 4) of wind. How close to the wind can I sail? Closer than you would think. While at angles closer than 45°, sails lose much of their wind pressure, one of the beautiful attributes of this rig is that it gives you the ability to paddle and sail at the same time. By sheeting in while paddle sailing upwind, you can point very close to the wind with little effort, sharing the forces needed to get the boat upwind. Motor Sailors do this all of the time. How does the Kayaksailor attach to the boat? Initially with the under-the-hull webbing strap. After sailing your boat and feeling satisfied with the ideal position, the stainless steel eye strap mounting kit can easily be installed. To view this being done, please view our videos. MOUNTING THE RIG
FOR WATER TRIALS - click
here Can I put the sail on more than one boat? By ordering extra, inexpensive mounting kits, you can easily transfer your rig from boat to boat. The entire rig weighs 10 lbs (4.5 kg). This is quite light considering how quickly it will bring your boat to hull speed. Will Kayaksailor improve my sex appeal? Definitely. What type of kayaks will the rig fit on? The rig fits on most styles of touring and recreational boats. The Kayaksailor is designed to fit boats 13 foot and longer. It works on a smaller boat but it is optimum when the sail is far enough in front that it allows for an unobstructed paddling stroke. If you have a sit-on-top with multiple seating positions and sit further aft, this can work nicely as well. As far as boat width is concerned, the span between the leeboards can be up to 35.5" or (90 cm). What is the best type of boat to use the sail on? This is a very personal question and you are likely to get different answers from different kayak sailors. Each boat has a different personality and excels in different situations. If you are new to both kayaking and sailing, we recommend a stable boat. Maybe a sit-on-top fishing kayak with a rudder option; these have become very popular lately and are terrific sailors. Experienced sailors who want to go out in strong winds will also enjoy the stability. Some people believe that recreational sit-on-top kayaks are not very exciting craft, but it's amazing how even the most sluggish boat will magically come alive when you put a sail on it. As your kayaking skills improve, a sleeker touring boat will surely bring a smile to your face. What do you at Kuvia prefer to use the rig on? It depends on what we have planned for the day. If we have our dogs with us, we end up using our sit on top fishing kayaks. The dogs sit behind us in the storage space. They absolutely love it. When we don't have the dogs with us, we often use our touring boats. We also enjoy using our self-built Inuit style skin-on-frame kayaks. They are incredibly light in weight and have the ability to ghost along at remarkable speeds in minimal wind. At the 2008 North West Sea Kayak Symposium we sailed a packable folding skin-on-frame boat. Imagine sailing Peru's Lake Titicaca or the lagoon of a Polynesian Island... What size Kayaksailor should I get? A good question that requires some thought. We offer two sizes, a 1.4m² and a 1.6m². We'll do our best to help you decide. In order to make a good decision, it's helpful to consider two criteria. The first is the average wind speed of your local sailing site or the wind speeds you are most likely to use your boat in. If you don't know this, ask a local sailor or search the internet for a history of your local conditions. The second criterion is your boat's stability. This can be determined with the width measurement or "beam" of your boat. If you don't have this information off the top of your head, you can either measure the width of the widest part of your boat or you can search for this information on the internet. Many companies keep records for discontinued models. Using these two criteria, we have created a simple chart of suggestions to guide your decision.
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