: We have just completed two stitch and glue kayaks and like the idea of
: fitting a small sail to assist with down wind travel. Does anyone out
: there have a simple design for such a thing that we could construct
: ourselves?

Take a studious look at the Klepper site. (www.klepper.com)

Let your cursor drift over the picture of their frame and it will open to give you a table of contents to the site. Under accesories you'll find a few pictures that show their two sailing rigs. The one for downwind sailing is a simple mast and sail.

For upwind sailing they add a second sail and leeboards., which are clearly seen in the photo below.

You can also see the rigging they use to support the mast: One rope goes from the top of the mast to the front of the boat,(is that a forestay? That's what I'll call it.) and two more go from the top of the mast to the sides of the boat. the mast is mounted at the peak of their cockpit coaming, which would put it at about the location of the ankles of the front paddler.

You can make a mast from a closet rod, and mount it through your deck, or inside the forward cockpit coaming. Mount a solid block of wood on the bottom of your boat to hold the bottom of the mast in place. This "mast step" can be a chunk of 2x6 with a 1 inch deep hole drilled into it, matching the diameter of the mast. Knock the edges off the block, or bevel it, so you don't hurt your feet on any sharp edges. You can glue the 2x6 block in place with a marine silicone adhesive, or use epoxy -- it all depends on whether you want to eventually remove it or not.

You'll want to have the forestay and the two other lines mounted to the top of the mast. before you get out on the water, run the forestay through a pulley mounted on the bow, by your carrying loops or toggle. Then run the rope back to the forward cockpit. When you mount, or "step" the mast you'll need some slack in those lines, but once the mast is in place you can clip the side lines to brackets bolted to the gunwale or sheer of the boat, and tighten them. Since the forestay comes to the fore cockpit, it should be easy to pull that tight and secure it to a cleat beside the fore paddler.

Consider ratchet clamps and nylon webbing, such as you might use for holding your kayak onto your car's rooftop carriers, instead of rope for your rigging. The ratchets should make it easy to tighten the rigging without having to tie and untie knots, or deal with turnbuckles. When you are trying to do things while seated in the boat any advantage you can give yourself is a good thing. Be careful you don't go too tight. While it is unlikely that you can force the mast through the bottom of the boat, you might do some damage.

In addition to the standing rigging, which holds the mast, you'll need some lines for controlling the boom, and with it, the sail.

When you want to pull the sail down, you unclip the side ropes, and loosen the forestay. Pullout the mast, wrap the sail and boom around it, and stow it under your deck lines. Should it wash off in some heavy wave action, don't worry, it should still be attached by the forestay, and you can reel it in.

David Hazen's book on stripbuilding canoes and kayaks gives measurements and drawings for leeboards. I believe they may have been based on the design of the Klepper leeboards. He also has some specs on sail sizes and shapes, including a design he has taken from Dan Beard's "American Boys Handy Book" which was printed around 1900. Guess you could call that one a "classic" design.

You will also want a rudder on your boat. If your sailing pulls you out of the cockpit so you can hike out over the side (see the picture where the guy is sitting on the side of the cockpit coaming) then footpedal controls for the rudder might be useless, and an additional tiller for your rudder might be called for.

For downwind sailing some people have used kites. No mast needed, and the legal requirements for registering the boat as a sailing vessel don't seem to apply. Of course local laws on such matters will vary. Check to see if adding a removable sail changes how you must register or title your boat. While under sail you'll also probably have to obey different rules regarding rights of way, too.

good luck with your project.

PGJ