: Hi,

: I'm working on turning my Ocean Kayak Prowler 15 into a sailboat. A
: working prototype will be ready for test drive in a week or two.
: The more it gets close to testing the more it feels like
: outriggers will be required. I think something like three
: surfaces stitch-n-glue would do what I want. Unfortunately all
: my attempts to find S&G kayak outriggers plan that would fit
: the bill have failed. I guess I'd have to make my own.

: If you think that I have no experience in that area you are
: absolutely right. I will appreciate any information that could
: help me with my project. I will post detailed report if and when
: my project succeeds.

: Please excuse my ignorance and my English. It is not my first
: language.

: Sincerely,
: Alexander

I did some kayak and canoe sailing a while back. I put a single 7' x 1 ft square outrigger float on a 14 foot fiberglass canoe with a 35 sq ft sail, a leeboard and a foot-operated rudder. It did not go very well until I let the float lift out of the water then it went a lot faster! If I did it again I would have a bigger sail and 2 longer, narrower floats mounted higher so the boat could be sailed with the floats clear of the water. An alternative float would be a short, wide type designed for planing.

I put a smaller sail on a kayak with a Bruce foil instead of a float. A Bruce foil is like a leeboard, mounted on an outrigger and about 45 degrees from the vertical. As the wind tries to push the boat sideways, the force of the water against the Bruce foil is partly vertical which offsets the heeling caused by the force of the wind. Neat trick, and it worked very well. The kayak sailed well downwind and across the wind, but progress upwind was very slow due to excess leeway.

Sailing canoes and kayaks turn rather slowly and lack weight, so they do not always change tack successfully. If this is a problem the solution is to make the turn downwind, "wear ship" as the old-time sailors would say.