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

• 

 

[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.

 

[Don Tyerman]

Hi folks

Thank you for your quick replies to my post. No "Silver Bullet" yet...

Benson

1) I have a copy of Todd's book. It's an excellent reference!
2) I understand the need to keep the CofE low in a canoe. That's a main reason that I went with the sprit sail in the first place.
3) I also understand that higher aspect sails are more close-winded. The healing force doesn't concern me too much - that's why I have the ugly floats. Despite their "training wheel" looks they handle gusts very well and if kept out of the water as much as possible they don't affect performance too much.
4) A split rig strikes me as heading in the wrong direction with respect to close windedness. though I agree that they offer lots of flexibility. I do a similar thing with my jib which can be used as a storm sail (see photo). This shortening of sail must be done on land though and I'd like to be able to reduce sail while underway.
5) I can drop the entire sprit rig in an emergency f needed - it's unstayed. However I haven't done this yet as it strikes me as potentially being a bit dodgy in a sudden squall situation.

Todd

1) Thanks for your excellent book!
2) I have sailed a balanced lug rig on a dory I built (15'8 OUGHTRED Stickleback Dory (Amberjack)) but found it to be not very close winded.
3) I like the looks of the lug battens for reefing and to possibly to avoid the need for a boom.
4) What are your thoughts on combining a standing lug rig with a jib. The jib on my sprit rig helped a bit with upwind performance and really helped with slow/stalled tacks (by backwinding it). The standing lug configuration pushes the luff back a bit and thus may not interfere with the jib during tacking. I found that the forward-projecting part of the sprit on my current setup only caused issues in very light wind. Otherwise the wind freely carried the training edge of the jib to the leeward side. Maybe the same would happen with a slightly projecting spar on the standing lug?

Floydvoid

1) I've thought about the brailing approach on my sprit rig but wonder what happens to the loose material at the clew end of the sail when it's brailed. Wouldn't it flap since the brail line is well up the trailing edge of the leech?
2) I also don't see how brailing a sprit sail offers offer a reefing option - it just dowses most of the sail.

Everyone

The rig/sail is just half of the upwind equation. The other half is underwater. I think my leeboard is a little too low aspect. It's about 11 inches wide. I built it this way to help reduce stalling following a tack but maybe it's too wide for optimal upwind performance. (My kite hydrofoil mast is only 5 to 6 inches wide and it goes upwind like a demon)

My leeboard is a NACA cross-section airfoil so this is not likely an issue. What do folks feel are good parameters for chord width and draft for a canoe leeboard? Also do you find that the boat performs less well when the "leeboard" is on the windward side of the boat? I really don't want to go the two leeboard route - too much additional weight, stuff to fiddle with etc.

About me

I come from the world of high performance sailing dinghies, kitesurfing and ice boating and hence like performance in my boats. However I also love wilderness travel and long wondered why I was paddling on lakes like Superior when I could be sailing. I am willing to sacrifice some speed with the canoe because I am out to see the wilderness that I am traveling through and recognize the multitude of compromises in a sailing canoe. However safety is an important factor and even slightly higher pointing would be nice. I've attached a GPS track showing a typical sail for your reference

Thanks in advance for your wisdom and help!

Cheers,

Don

Picture #1 - Jib used as a storm sail
Picture #2 - A typical track. Upwind at first followed by a 180 degree wind shift. Note the tacking angle - I'd like to tighten those "Z's" a bit...

Don

 

[Todd F]

Dang, you are impressively knowledgeable in this. I appreciate the details you are sharing. Will be helpful in the future as I have a couple canoes to restore that are rigged for sail. Have not gotten Todd's book yet but appreciate you sharing your info.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

One thing to keep in mind about standing lugsails has to do with putting in a dep reef, like a second or third reef. Since in any case, the reef's tack ring (which when unreefed used to be out in space ahead of the mast) must be brought back to the mast to be put to work as the new tack corner. This action will tend to raise the heel of the yard and boom and often the only way to correct this is to untie the halyard and move its tie-on point on the yard to a different spot, leveling out the yard again. However, not only is this a pain in the butt and probably best done on shore, at the same time, it changes the CE vs CLP helm balance equation and probably not for the better.

You can usually get by OK with a single, first reef as the shift isn't that dramatic, but a second and deeper reef will likely screw up your handling. So, if you want to be able to deep reef without needing to move the halyard attachment point on the yard, and without changing the fore and aft relationship of the sail's center of effort and the hull's center of lateral plane you will need to change the angle of that upper reef line, similar to this.

I think you could tack a jib across the yard of most standing lugs as long as it isn't under tension at the time.

 

[Benson Gray]

What do folks feel are good parameters for chord width and draft for a canoe leeboard? Also do you find that the boat performs less well when the "leeboard" is on the windward side of the boat?

The image at https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/1065/ shows the basic dimensions for the standard Old Town leeboards along with the slightly oversized ones requested by Abercrombie & Fitch. These and the older shallow water versions show up regularly on eBay. I don't know of anyone who has really researched the optimum hydrodynamic shape for a canoe leeboard or the performance differences between a windward or leeward mounting position. I suspect that improvements with the sail rig are more likely to generate noticeable results (unless you plan to experiment with foils). Good luck,

Benson

 

[MGC]

The image at https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/1065/ shows the basic dimensions for the standard Old Town leeboards along with the slightly oversized ones requested by Abercrombie & Fitch. These and the older shallow water versions show up regularly on eBay. I don't know of anyone who has really researched the optimum hydrodynamic shape for a canoe leeboard or the performance differences between a windward or leeward mounting position. I suspect that improvements with the sail rig are more likely to generate noticeable results (unless you plan to experiment with foils). Good luck,

Benson

Benson, given that you have experience with both, is there difference between leeboards and the brass centerboard? My experience in canoes is limited to the later.

 

[Benson Gray]

is there difference between leeboards and the brass centerboard?

There is little difference in terms of lateral resistance. Either can do a great job of keeping the canoe from sliding sideways. A sixteen pound bronze centerboard offers wonderful stability when hanging down below the waterline. The ability to easily adjust a leeboard's position makes it simple to improve the sail balance. Each comes with their own assortment of strengths and weaknesses so a general comparison is not very meaningful. Sorry,

Benson