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!
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