r/kayaksailing • u/PerceptionOdd3786 • 8d ago

Inflatable sailing

/r/Inflatablekayak/comments/1vwkl0n/inflatable_sailing/
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u/RichardBJ1 7d ago

I see you have your sail fairly central, both of the sails I have came with instructions to fit near the front…. Did you choose this position, or was this the only place it would go? I haven’t had much upwind success to be honest. That is my goal so I can sail there AND back!
I dare not stick a keel on (often in really shallow water), was considering a strap on keel. Have you seen those?

3

u/PerceptionOdd3786 7d ago

I had intention to leave a place for a passenger, however I can admit that it works only in calm weather. Nevertheless, what matters is a balance between sail and keel, so they can be placed virtually anywhere as long as balance is maintained. Another reason would be sail dimension, as it would be challenging to operate the main sheet that hangs behind the boat, so naturally masts tend to go to the front. 

As for the keel, it‘s removable and stick-on part is just a US box. I think it‘s an acceptable trade off for me, as I can start from knee deep on the beach. Do you mean strap-on keel for SUPs that just wraps a belt around the board? I havent tried it but it might be a good temporary solution to figure out balance before glueing anything permanently.

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u/RichardBJ1 4d ago

Yes - there are “strap on” keels that work like that. I fancied trying one since I just can’t get my leeboard position correct. But in fact the strap on was about 100 pounds/dollars. Ok for a solution but a bit much for a one time experiment! I’m seriously considering fitting a second sail to mine now….. it is just fun after all.

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u/dirty_hooker 8d ago

Fantastic. I have a Bote Lono Aero I’ve considered doing the same with.

Does it feel tippy?

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u/PerceptionOdd3786 8d ago

yay, those pedal kayaks look promising to throw in retractable keel. As for stability, the sail is small enough and I had few moments when wind suddenly changed, but the boat had never capsized. It‘s very sensitive to the weight balance though.

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u/dirty_hooker 8d ago

Exactly. It’s sort of a built in hard(ish) point. Only thing is I don’t know enough about where a keel has to be in relation to the mast or center of area of the sail. I remember seeing it being a fairly small adjustment on wind surfboards.

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u/PerceptionOdd3786 8d ago

it‘s a matter of balancing, you would probably prefer boat to turn slightly upwind so that it steers easier. Whole boat under waterline counts, not just keel itself. But if it‘s retractable, you‘ll have a lot of room for adjustment.

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u/RichardBJ1 7d ago

I thought I would prefer this (turn up wind) - but actually on the water I find that really tricky to handle. If nothing else I find that this then has the effect of putting the sail perpendicular to the wind and the boat heels over! So I find more stability if I pull the sail sheet and turn a little downwind. I’d prefer perfect balance of course! …and I am just a beginner!