: 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.

Planning amas (outrigger floats) don't work, the heeling moment from the main hull forces the hull into the water so it won't rise up on top on a plane. Long skinny amas work much better. How well a sailing canoe/kayak turns depends much on the bottom shape. Those with long straight keels turn slowly, not all have those shape though and most turn (tack) very easily.

Bill H.