Outrigger Sailing Canoe 1

The Huck Finn Canoe Is Now An Outrigger Sailing Canoe
The Huck Finn Canoe Is Now An Outrigger Sailing Canoe

Not long after my last post over three years ago, a family member had some serious health issues. My priorities changed and I quit updating this blog. Now I have time continue with it (I hope). I have continued to work on some projects as time has allowed. I’ve continued using the canoe I built three years ago. It’s a good canoe – stable, tracks well, and easy to paddle. I paddled it from the aquatic center in Oakland across the Bay to AT&T Park in San Francisco and back two years ago. It performed well, although I had a wild ride on the way back with 25 kph winds and steep wind waves. I broke a paddle but made it – I was relieved to get back to the calm water in the estuary.

Not long after that I became interested in outrigger sailing canoes and decided to put outriggers and a sail on the canoe. I had some old 2″ aluminum tubing that I used for the crossbeams. I bought some 4″ PVC drain pipe at home depot and capped the ends with foam. I shaped a leeboard and a rudder out of some 1″ fir, got my old windsurfing mast and sail out of the basement,  lashed it all together, and went sailing.

It’s not the best sailboat I’ve ever been on, but it works. It takes about an hour to unload everything and get it assembled. It doesn’t sail very close to the wind – maybe 70 degrees. I usually have to paddle to complete a turn. But it is a fun little boat and it got me more excited about outrigger sailing canoes. Even though it has many design flaws it’s a quick little boat. Unfortunately I completely lost interest in the sailing canoe I started four years ago – it was too slow, so I gave it away. Once one has experienced an outrigger sailing canoe it is hard to go back to slow boats.

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