Recommendations for a simple, reefable sail that has reasonable upwind performance

[Don Tyerman]

Hi fellow canoe-sailors



In 2022 I built a four-cornered spritsail kit from Sailrite. I found it on a webpage of options available from Sailrite and this sail seemed to best fit my needs. I cannot remember the details but the kit came from a boat called “JWB” (or something like that). It is about 30Sq. feet in size.



I have used it on a sailing canoe and the kit has worked out well. More recently I built a small jib from an old kitesurfing kite to increase sail area, improve upwind performance and help with tacking. This small sail has done all of the aforementioned.



However I would like to improve upon two things:

1. Ability to shorten sail while underway
2. Hopefully improve upwind performance a bit.

The ability to shorten sail while underway is especially important to me as I often sail solo in remote locations such as the north shore of Lake Superior. The canoe itself is a safety feature in that it can be hauled ashore on almost any beach. However I have been twice caught rounding headlands/crossing bays by sudden squalls. The wind was from behind both times and I was forced to let the sail flag out directly downwind and flap madly. This was inelegant and hard on the sail and rig but it worked…



I am looking for another sail/rig that would be reefable or droppable while underway in sudden wind scenarios. I would like it to work with a jib too as I’ve found the jib adds performance and flexibility that a single sail lacks. Finally a bit more upwind performance would be nice though I recognize that my craft is definitely a compromise boat.



Do you have any thoughts on a new sail that might be suitable for my requirements? I have attached a photo so you can get a better picture of my boat and its rig. (Sorry it's sideways and I don not know how to straighten it.)



Thanks in advance,



Don Tyerman

 

[Todd F]

Don, I have yet to sail a canoe but look forward to members sharing thier experience and recommendations. Welcome Aboard!

 

[Benson Gray]

I have rotated and cropped your image. You are correct that upwind performance is never likely to be great in a sailing canoe. I would also encourage you to carefully read Canoe Rig which is available at the first link below titled Amazon.com. (Used copies are more reasonably priced.) Your reefable options are limited. All canoe sail rigs need to be quickly droppable while underway for obvious reasons. Most sailing canoes and other similar small boats use lateen rigs since this places the center of effort as low as possible with a minimum of weight aloft. This is the key to keeping everything upright. (Your outriggers can also help but the performance impact will be huge.) A lateen sail can be reefed but it is not easy, especially from inside the canoe in a high wind and deep water.

My solution has been to use multiple lateen rigs of different sizes. The page at the second link below has more details. This way I can look at the wind and select the amount of sail before I go out. The sails are 45 and 55 square feet so I can use either alone or both together for a total of 100 square feet. If the conditions start to change dramatically then I will go in and change the rig accordingly. Have fun and let me know if this doesn't answer your question.

Benson

Amazon.com

Thread 'Rigging twin sail canoes'

Dec 28, 2023

Chris Pearson had asked recently for more details about rigging a canoe with two sails. I decided to post the answer here since someone else might want to reference this information some day. There are several advantages to having two small sails instead of a single big one. The center of effort is lower so it is easier to avoid a capsize. Less rudder effort is required since you can spill wind from either sail to make minor changes in direction. Sailing downwind with one sail out on each side (i.e. 'wing on wing') is poetry in motion. An 18 foot canoe or larger is usually required...

• Benson Gray
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Canoe Sailing

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[Todd Bradshaw]

The most common quickly reefable canoe sails that I built over the years for customers were battened balanced lugs. like these. Having the battens at the reef lines was the fastest and most orderly way to reef, though the ability to do it out on the water in a blow can be questionable. If you have enough extra mast up high you could probably rig it with a jib, but it may or may not be worth the extra hassle.

 

[floydvoid]

I made a balanced lug sail from a sailrite kit that is meant for a shellback dinghy. It is about 60sq feet and has a reef line. It performs well even with high winds and I have not had to reef it. The issue I have is that when you take it down in a hurry the upper yard can blow well away from the mast and I have non figured out a way to attach it with perel beads to keep it locked in. Seems to go upwind fine, at least for sailing a 17 foot long basket…

Your sprit sail could be set up so you can just pull a brail line and the whole thing will close right up next to the mast. Jim Clearwater has this set up on his old town double ender and it is described in Todd’s book.
In the future I wanted to make a sprit sail for just this reason- have a large sail area that can close up quick and has no boom to wack you in the head.