Falcon Sail recreational kayak sail install install demonstration.
Vložit
- čas přidán 20. 05. 2016
- Falcon Kayak Sail install instruction.
see www.falconsails.com
This video is helpful and worth watching, but it has been updated.
You can see the updated video by clicking on this link below.
• How to install a sail ... - Sport
Way cool to have you holding my hand, Patrick! I'm presently tracking my package, heading to very northern Sweden from the US - can't wait to get started!
Falcon Sails is always very happy to help our customers.
Great vid.
Very nice setup.
The only 2 things that I would add is a glob of silicone on the bow where the forestay cord goes through the hull and change the mainsheet fairlead to a nice little Ronstan block for easier sheeting.
I will show your product to my wife that has a new fishing kayak.
Regards, Jas.
VK4FJGS
Rockhampton Queensland Australia
Great Video Patrick, really showed how easy it is.
You should do a follow up on the underdeck nylock nuts, how to get to difficult locations, and trim excess bolt lengths if needed. I recently had to do this for some Pad-eyes in my storage areas and used a Multi-Tool this time instead of a hacksaw, which made it so easy, but I will say that using a bench grinder is also easier than a hacksaw.
If any screws are too long they are all common sizes. You can go to a hardware store and buy a shorter length. The Falcon Sail rigs include screws that will be long enough for sure 99% of situations. You can also cut the bolts with a rotary cut off tool and or add some nuts to the bolt that bothers you to make it a softer end. The best thing to do is buy screws to replace any excess length that bothers you.
Patrick , What I really like about this design ( and why I'm going to buy your sail ) is that it gives me the option of installing a radar reflector and a mast light for the days that I find myself paddling among huge river barges and ocean going ships
This has been done with a lot of Falcon Sails.
It is amazing how much a bright sail can improve your visibility. I can see some falcon sails from well over a mile away. I can tell who it is, what direction they are going, how rough the water is, and of course the person is up right. When you shine a light on your sail, it is amazing at night.
When I cross busy channels with the sail up, I feel so much better than I do when the sail is down. When I cross channels with people that do not have sails, they always want to be close to me.
thank you sir for showing us how to hook up our sail to any Kayak now i can order one up thanks again two thumbs up for this video well done .
You are very welcome. And of course you can always call our shop. We do nothing but focus on making the best kayak sail rigs possible, and focus on giving our customers the best experience possible. We are not just selling a box of hardware. We are all about giving you the best experience possible.
We just added stock sails to our web store. Most are discounted and will usually ship the same day.
www.falconsails.com/store/
@@FalconSails ok out standing will order soon thanks again from Alaska what is your shipping rates to alaska ????
@@williamvan909 We have a special shipping rate right now. Shipping is only $15 to anywhere in the US and a lot of other countries right now.
I see that is the ascend fs10. How does it handle with a sail on? I’m looking into getting that exact kayak and getting one of your sails
This kayak sails great. It is stable, and short enough to be easy to handle. It has a contoured hull which is great for up wind performance. It is easy to rig. It is one of our favorite kayaks for kayak sailing. Though the best kayak for rigging a Falcon Sail on is is the kayak you already own and like. You can move your Falcon Sail from one kayak to the other so you are not stuck with any one kayak. There is no need to buy a new kayak that will be your special kayak for kayak sailing. On the other hand if you are buying your first kayak and you plan on sailing it, the Ascend FS10 is a great choice.
If the deck is not flat do you sit the mount off centre or do you have to put something between the deck and plates
If you order a Falcon Sail with a complete rigging kit, it will include a deck adapter block and a under deck adapter block. When you order a sail on this web page.
www.falconsails.com/store at the end of the purchase process we will ask you what kind of kayak you will rig the sail on . We will then do a detailed analysis ( or simply look it up in our database ), do determine what the parts list should be to make the best rigging kit possible for your kayak. That will include a perfectly matched adapter block to the deck of your kayak.
You can see more about this in another install video here.
czcams.com/video/2i8_EEExqNg/video.html
And you can learn a bit more about our adapter blocks here.
www.falconsails.com/adapterblock/
2024. Good use it sail from South Africa to Britain 7000 miles.
Does this come with some type of lee board? Won't you need some type of lee board or outrigger to do any kind of upwind sailing?
Reply part 1 of 2
Your question about using a lateral resistance enhancers (lee board / dagger boards / large skegs ) and if they are necessary to sail with a Falcon Sail is a common question, so we have made a canned answer to help people.
The short answer is they are not necessary and will get in the way, and create complexities and issues at times.
Very well made lee boards can help in some angles of attack but are not helpful in most situations and will get in the way on every outing.
They add bulk, drag, weight, complexity, cost, potential failures ect ect.
Kayaks sail amazingly well without any lateral resistance enhancer. Near zero falcon sailors use lee boards or other lateral resistance enhancers.
There is a longer more detailed answer below.
I grew up sailing keel boats, sun fishes, trailer sailors, hobie cats and anything else I could get my hands on.
As a conventional sail boat person, I use to think only a boat with a lateral resistance enhancer (lee board / center board / dagger board / keel) will sail properly. We have learned there is a lot more to kayak sailing, than conventional sail thinking will tell you. Conventional sail boat thinking is very helpful at times, but does yield a few misleading assumptions about kayak sailing.
As far as needing a lateral resistance enhancer goes, you have to consider a few things before making any assumptions. Look at a Hobie 16 and some other purpose built sail boats. Even as a purpose built sailboat, the Hobie 16 has no resistance enhancer because its hulls have a lot of natural lateral resistance built right in from the start. They have no lee boards, dagger boards, center boards, or keels.
Similar to the Hobie 16 Catamaran Sail boat (not a Hobie kayak), kayaks have a lot of natural lateral resistance built into their hulls also and sail surprisingly well without any lateral resistance enhancer.
Kayaks are not sail boats, will not point as well as a complex sail boat, but their hulls are fairly efficient at sailing and can make surprisingly good up wind progress. Think about this. Sail boat hulls are designed to be as slippery as possible going forward. A byproduct of a sail boat hull being designed to be as slippery as possible going forward, is a hull that is slippery going sideways (and slippery in all directions actually) and also tends to spin. Modern Sailboat hulls, make conventional sail thinkers believe you must have a lateral resistance enhancer on a kayak.
Kayak hulls are designed to track and go in a straight line. This is achieved by having lateral resistance built in throughout the length of the hull, which is what makes them sail surprisingly well without lateral resistance enhancers.
To demonstrate how a kayak has a lot more resistance going sideways than forward, imagine pushing a kayak that has an adult sitting in it in the forward direction. Most kayaks will easily glide 30 feet or more. Now imagine pushing that same kayak with an adult in it, in the sideways direction. Due to its lateral resistance it will probably go about 1 or 2 feet after you are done pushing it. Or think about towing a kayak with a person in it, from the side vs towing a loaded kayak from the bow. The kayak towed from the side will be much much slower due to its lateral resistance. In both of these examples you are testing and seeing, a kayaks lateral resistance is significant. Once a kayaks hull is moving through the water, its lateral resistance increases by quite a bit. All this said, with a smart sized sail / one that is not too big, a kayak has plenty of lateral resistance without adding anything to it.
Once you build up some speed, a kayaks lateral resistance increases dramatically. Kayaks do not sail as well as a purpose built sail boat, but you can do no paddle sailing and reach across the wind, and even make some upwind progress.
Of course a purpose built sail boat will sail better, than a kayak will, but kayaks sail amazingly well. If you have an efficient sail, you do not need a lee board, or center board, or dagger board, or any lateral resistance enhancer to have a great kayak sailing experience.
This is what Falcon Sails does. We focus on keeping things as simple, efficient, compact, reliable, and light weight with the best possible performance. All this can be had for less than 3.5 pounds, that can be dropped in seconds and folded down to the size of an umbrella in just a few more seconds.
Lee boards and dagger boards add weight, complication, bulk, expense, drag ect. Some people want to turn their kayaks into a sail boat. That is fine, but you will add weight, complication, bulk, expense, drag, set up time at the put in, tear down time at the take out, more rigging, more stuff to store, and if there is no wind, or too much wind, you are better off with a compact sail rig that gives you 70% or more of the sailing benefits in a package that weighs just over 3 pounds that can be lowered and compactly secured to the deck of your kayak in seconds. Everybody has their thing. If you want to have that perfect ideal incredible sailing experience in one situation, you will lose a lot in other situations. There is not a rig that will cover all situations perfectly. If want simplicity and versatility, you will be happiest with a simplistic high quality sail and rig for your kayak.
As a life long sailor, I thought the same thing sailors typically think about lateral resistance appendages. I have sailed and owned a lot of different boats. I use to race and skipper and crew on a lot of different boats, and can say I am a decent sailor. My conventional sail thinking made be believe you need a lee board or something on a kayak to sail. And then I tried kayak sailing. The performance of a sail on a kayak amazed me. I was hooked instantly. I was surprised. That was even before there were good quality sail rigs available. Now that I can have a good quality sail rig, and a good airfoil shape, I will not go kayaking without a sail. After kayak sailing for the last 12 years and having paddle sailed thousands of miles, I have never used a lee board or anything like it. None of my friends use lee boards and none of us feel like we are massing anything.
If you keep a good sail trimmed properly, oriented to the wind properly, and have at least 1.5 mph of hull speed, you can reach across the wind, and even make upwind progress of about 10 to 20 degrees above reaching. That is without paddling or a lee board or a dagger board on a standard stock kayak hull. In general terms if you have good conditions, a good sail, and you use decent sail trim, you can easily sail 180 degrees and even up to 220 degrees without paddling and without the bother of any lateral resistance enhancers. If you paddle to keep your speed up and the sail oriented properly to the wind, a good sail, will generate useful propulsion all the way up to within 30 degrees of straight upwind. That is with out without a lateral resistance enhancers. In general once your actual track is 10 degrees above reaching, you have to start paddling to keep things oriented properly. Initially a few small paddle strokes here and there will add a lot to your possible angles of attack. The more aggressively upwind your angle of attack is, the more you have to paddle. But still you can gain useful propulsion to with 30 degrees of straight upwind. With a little bit of planning you can paddle upwind a little bit and reach back and forth all day long and not have to paddle much at all. Once your movement is 10 degrees above reaching, you can not just sit there doing nothing, but you can avoid paddling and reach across the wind all day long, and even make upwind progress without paddling and no lateral resistance appendage or enhancers. With a good sail, kayaks sail very nicely.
I will continue my answer on another reply. See Reply part 2 of 2.
Reply part 2 of 2
Continued from Part 1- Read part 1 of 2 first.
Just like when sailing a purpose built sailboat, when kayak sailing to maximize your potential, you will have to think about what you are doing. When conditions are good, you can get useful propulsion to within 30 degrees of straight upwind. Anybody who does a lot of kayak sailing with a good quality rig will agree. If it is really windy, gusty, shifty, there are large waves, you are not thinking, you have too big of a sail, the paddle sailor is inexperienced, ect, the 30 degree number is going to grow.
I wrote a bit more about this here.
www.falconsails.com/KayakSailingFAQ.php#centerboard
If you contact me at Falcon Sails, I can send to you a rough draft set of instructions for kayak sailing upwind.
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
This video shows a clip of a upwind leg I was enjoying last paddle season. It is a lot of fun.
czcams.com/video/xjzld6MZhCI/video.html
I was in a 14 foot long Jackson Journey kayak and making some upwind progress without paddling.
I could have made more upwind progress if I paddled, but I can sail with no paddle 200 out of 360 degrees.
This kayak has a rounded hull so most kayaks will do a little better yet.
This video shows me sailing and tacking upwind with no lee board or dagger board and almost zero paddling.
facebook.com/falconsails/posts/4106133799451973
It includes some really neat gps telemetry that makes it easy to see my actual movement.
It shows me sailing 200 out of 360 possible degrees. This kayak has a rounded hull which makes it a average performer. If your kayak has a contoured hull, it will sail better / about 10 more degrees on both the port and starboard side.
If I started paddling and kept the sail oriented to the wind properly, and kept some motion to help my stock hull generate more lateral resistance, I could have had useful propulsion to within 30 degrees of straight upwind.
This is very similar to motor sailing a sail boat. The motor alone can push the sail boat, but using the sail it will speed up faster, have a higher top end speed, will slow down slower, and require less effort to get to your destination.
Here is another video of some friends and I enjoying a nice 18 mile paddle sail where we sail about 70% of the day.
czcams.com/video/RkbSSlYEYl0/video.html
If you plan your day well, use good techniques, take advantage of reaching, and not dive downwind you can sail all day long with our without lee boards.
Here are some pictures of a typical kayak sailing day, that include a track log of what we sailed and what we did not sail.
I had several beginner kayak sailors with me, so I avoided some of the more difficult tacks and we still sailed about 75% of our miles.
www.flickr.com/photos/falconsails/albums/72157712563766083
With some planning you can sail most of your miles, and if you just go and not plan anything, you can still sail over 50% of your miles.
If you want to sail paddle sail in good conditions, it is easy to sail more than half your miles even if you do not plan anything and just randomly pick lines.
I have a 8 footer kayak and my question is should I use 1 square meter or 1,4 squares? I’m planning to use on intercostal waters
I would use a 1.0 square meter Falcon Sail. A Falcon Sail with a complete rigging kit includes all the hardware necessary. All you need are basic tools.
You can design a custom sail for your kayak here.
www.falconsails.com/store
Very nice looking rig! What do you use for a dagger board and a rudder?
We do not use a dagger board or a rudder.
If a kayak is okay without a rudder without a sail, it is still okay without a rudder with a sail.
Though a rudder can be nice for lazy kayak sailing.
The general rule of thumb is a kayak less than 13 feet long is fine without a rudder.
Also if your kayak has an adjustable skeg it will work just as good as a rudder.
A rudder is made to trim your kayak not turn it.
So if your kayak tends to turn up wind, you give a little rudder force down wind.
And vice versa.
On a short kayak you can change your boats trim / course tendency very easily by leaning forward or back a little to change your boats center of lateral resistance.
Or you can move just a little weight fore and aft. A water bottle should do it.
You can change your trim by pulling the sail in tight or loose, or leaning up wind or down wind.
Steering is not a issue.
If your paddle says go left and the rudder says go right, you will turn left.
Some times rudders mask out of balance situations.
If I do have a rudder on my kayak, I start my day sailing with the ruder up to see how well it is balanced.
If your kayak is okay in the wind without a rudder it is fine without a rudder with a sail.
Some kayaks have adjustable skegs which also fixes any trim issues as well.
We never use lee boards or center boards or any other lateral resistance enhancer.
Kayaks do surprisingly well. Our goal is to have a very light weight compact sail rig ( 3 pounds that folds to the size of an umbrella ) that gives you 75% of the sail only angles of attack a more complex bulky rig will do. You can sail with no paddling 200 out of 360 degrees. If you throw in some paddle strokes you can have useful propulsion on 300 out of 360 degrees.
Lee boards will help on some angles of attack, but they are bulky, heavy, complicated, get in the way, slow you down on many angles of attack, slow you down at the launch site and take out and can be costly. If you do not have a super well made lee board or one that is hydrodynamically smart they provide about zero value / are a loss in the simplicity approach.
For more info read my next replies with canned text on rudders and lee boards.
Read my general answer to your question maybe first before these canned answer below.
#Rudders
=======================================================
The general rule of thumb is, if a kayak is fine without a rudder when just paddling, it will be fine without a rudder when you are kayak sailing. On a kayak 13 feet or shorter, rudders are not necessary. If a kayak has an adjustable skeg, a rudder is not necessary. It is quite rare to see a 12-foot kayak or shorter rigged with a rudder. I (the owner of Falcon Sails) have a 12-foot kayak and have never considered putting a rudder on it. When my paddle says go right, my boat will turn right. It will turn right even if a rudder on my kayak would say turn left. Rudders are almost never necessary until you get into kayaks over 14 feet long.
You can see in the pictures included with this email, that the short kayaks do not have rudders on them, and even some of the longer kayaks do not as well.
If you want to do some lazy kayak sailing and not use a paddle for long stretches and do not want to lean or adjust the sail to steer, you can install a rudder and you may like it.
If you have a short kayak, you should avoid having a rudder early on, as number 1 you are likely not to care if you have one, and more importantly, a rudder will likely be a crutch and make it easy to use bad habits. You should naturally balance out your kayak (it is an obvious thing to do (When you lean forward you will notice the kayak turning upwind, and when you lean back you will see the kayak turn down wind )) so it will tend to go in a straight line and not use a rudder to force an out of balance kayak to go in a straight line. A rudder used to force an out of balance kayak to be in balance, is just more drag in the water and will reduce your efficiency and your ability to point up wind.
The general rule of thumb is, if your kayak is okay without a rudder without a sail, it will be okay without a rudder with a sail. Having a sail will slightly increase the desirability for having a rudder. Big winds and high speeds also make having a rudder more desirable. Having a rudder can make it easier to get through the learning curve. In general, kayaks under 13 feet are always fine without a rudder. Just like a kayak without a sail, when you get into kayaks over 14 feet long rudders or adjustable skegs are nice to have. The longer the kayak is the more likely you will enjoy having a rudder. Even better than using a rudder, a kayaks tendency to turn up wind or downwind can be addressed with sail trim, leaning up wind and down wind, leaning forward and aft, changing the distribution of your load, and adjusting your speed. Once you start doing these things, many times you would not use a rudder as a rudder is not the best way to put a kayak in balance to stay on course.
The shorter the kayak, and the more experience you have the easier it is to live without a rudder. Finally, when kayaking or kayak sailing, if your paddle says turn left and your rudder says something else, your paddle will win.
Rudders and skegs are not there for turning so much as they are there to trim your kayaks tendency to a neutral tendency to turn up wind or down wind. A nicely trimmed kayak is great to have. A rudder is one of the easiest tools to use for trimming your kayak. But a rudder is a is a crutch many times and prevents people from learning proper techniques for staying in balance. And of course, using a rudder to trim your kayak also adds drag and slows you down so they are best reserved for minor fluctuations in balance vs a tool to power your way through an unbalanced situation. The more drag you have, the harder it is to efficiently sail up wind.
In the end, if a Falcon Sail customer would like to have a rudder, then can have us send them a complete smart track (it is the best rudder kit you will find) rudder kit for their kayak at our cost which usually ends up being $225 including shipping.
Read my general answer to your question maybe first before these canned answer below.
Lateral Resistance Enhancers Lee Boards / Center Boards Part 1 of 2
================================================
Your question about using a lateral resistance enhancer (lee board / dagger boards / large skegs) and if they are necessary to sail with a Falcon Sail is a common question, so we have made a canned answer to help people.
The short answer is a stock kayak hull does great and lateral resistance enhancers are not necessary. They will get in the way and create complexities and issues at times. Very well-made lee boards can help with some angles of attack but are not helpful in most situations and will get in the way on every outing. They add bulk, drag, weight, complexity, cost, potential failures etc..
Kayaks sail amazingly well without any lateral resistance enhancer. Near zero falcon sailors use lee boards or other lateral resistance enhancers. There is a longer more detailed answer below.
The owner of Falcon Sails wrote an this in a article.
I grew up sailing keel boats, sun fishes, trailer sailors, Hobie cats and anything else I could get my hands on. As a conventional sailboat person, I use to think only a boat with a lateral resistance enhancer (lee board / center board / dagger board / keel) will sail properly. We have learned there is a lot more to kayak sailing, than conventional sail thinking will tell you. Conventional sailboat thinking is very helpful at times but does yield a few misleading assumptions about kayak sailing.
As far as needing a lateral resistance enhancer goes, you must consider a few things before making any assumptions. Look at a Hobie 16 and some other purpose-built sail boats. Even as a purpose-built sailboat, the Hobie 16 has no resistance enhancer because its hulls have a lot of natural lateral resistance built right in from the start. They have no lee boards, dagger boards, center boards, or keels.
Like the Hobie 16 Catamaran Sailboat (not a Hobie kayak), kayaks have a lot of natural lateral resistance built into their hulls also and sail surprisingly well without any lateral resistance enhancer.
Kayaks are not sail boats, will not point as well as a complex sailboat, but their hulls are efficient at sailing and can make surprisingly good up wind progress. Think about this. Sailboat hulls are designed to be as slippery as possible going forward. A byproduct of a sailboat hull being designed to be as slippery as possible going forward, is a hull that is slippery going sideways (and slippery in all directions actually) and also tends to spin. Modern Sailboat hulls, make conventional sail thinkers believe you must have a lateral resistance enhancer on a kayak.
Kayak hulls are designed to track and go in a straight line. This is achieved by having lateral resistance built in throughout the length of the hull, which is what makes them sail surprisingly well without lateral resistance enhancers. To demonstrate how a kayak has a lot more resistance going sideways than forward, imagine pushing a kayak that has an adult sitting in it in the forward direction. Most kayaks will easily glide 30 feet or more. Now imagine pushing that same kayak with an adult in it, in the sideways direction. Due to its lateral resistance, it will probably go about 1 or 2 feet after you are done pushing it. Or think about towing a kayak with a person in it, from the side vs towing a loaded kayak from the bow. The kayak towed from the side will be much slower due to its lateral resistance. In both examples you are testing and seeing, a kayaks lateral resistance is significant. Once a kayaks hull moves through the water, its lateral resistance increases by quite a bit. All this said, with a smart sized sail / one that is not too big, a kayak has plenty of lateral resistance without adding anything to it.
Once you build up some speed, a kayaks lateral resistance increases dramatically. Kayaks do not sail as well as a purpose-built sailboat, but you can do no paddle sailing and reach across the wind, and even make some upwind progress. Of course, a purpose-built sailboat will sail better than a kayak will, but kayaks sail amazingly well. If you have an efficient sail, you do not need a lee board, or center board, or dagger board, or any lateral resistance enhancer to have a great kayak sailing experience.
Falcon Sails focuses on keeping things simple, efficient, compact, reliable, and lightweight with the best possible performance. All this can be had for less than 3.5 pounds, in a sail that can be dropped in seconds and folded down to the size of an umbrella in just a few more seconds.
Lee boards and dagger boards add weight, complication, bulk, expense, drag etc. Some people want to turn their kayaks into a sailboat. That is fine, but you will add weight, complication, bulk, expense, drag, set up time at the put in, tear down time at the take out, more rigging, more stuff to store, and if there is no wind, or too much wind, you are better off with a compact sail rig that gives you 70% or more of the sailing benefits in a package that weighs just over 3 pounds that can be lowered and compactly secured to the deck of your kayak and 100% out of the way in seconds.
Everybody has their thing. If you want to have that perfect ideal incredible sailing experience in one situation, you will lose a lot in other situations. There is not a rig that will cover all situations perfectly. If you want simplicity and versatility, you will be happiest with a simplistic high-quality sail and rig for your kayak.
As a lifelong sailor, I thought the same thing sailors typically think about lateral resistance appendages. I have sailed and owned a lot of different boats. I used to race and skipper and crew on a lot of different boats, and can say I am a decent sailor. My conventional sail thinking made me believe you need a lee board or something on a kayak to sail. Then I tried kayak sailing. The performance of a sail on a kayak amazed me. I was hooked instantly. I was surprised. That was even before there were good quality sail rigs available. Now that I can have a good quality sail rig, and a good airfoil shape, I will not go kayaking without a sail.
After kayak sailing for the last 12 years and having paddle sailed thousands of miles, I have never used a lee board or anything like it. None of my friends use lee boards and none of us feel like we are missing anything. If you keep a good sail trimmed properly, oriented to the wind properly, and have at least 1.5 mph of hull speed, you can reach across the wind, and even make upwind progress of about 20 degrees above reaching. That is without paddling or a lee board or a dagger board on a standard stock kayak hull. Some kayaks will do even better than this. In general terms if you have good conditions, a good sail, and you use decent sail trim, you can easily sail 200 degrees and even up to 220 degrees without paddling and without the bother of any lateral resistance enhancers. If you paddle to keep your speed up and the sail oriented properly to the wind, a good sail, will generate useful propulsion all the way up to within 30 degrees of straight upwind. That is with or without a lateral resistance enhancer.
In general, once your actual track is 10 degrees above reaching, you have to start paddling to keep things oriented properly. Initially a few small paddle strokes here and there will add a lot to your possible angles of attack. The more aggressively upwind your angle of attack is, the more you have to paddle. But still, you can gain useful propulsion to with 30 degrees of straight upwind. For example, you can paddle with a 2mph effort and go 3.5mph. You can speed up faster, slow down slower, and have a higher top speed. You can have a lot lower paddle stroke resistance as well and have a lot more fun while you are at it.
With a little bit of planning, you can paddle upwind a little bit and reach back and forth all day long and not have to paddle much at all. Once your movement is 15 degrees above reaching, you cannot just sit there doing nothing, but you can avoid paddling and reach across the wind all day long, and even make upwind progress without paddling and without lateral resistance appendage or enhancers. With a good sail, kayaks sail very nicely.
Just like when sailing a purpose-built sailboat, when kayak sailing to maximize your potential, you will have to think about what you are doing. When conditions are good, you can get useful propulsion to within 30 degrees of straight upwind. Anybody who does a lot of kayak sailing with a good quality rig will agree. If it is really windy, gusty, shifty, there are large waves, you are not thinking, you have too big of a sail, the paddle sailor is inexperienced, ect, the 30-degree number is going to grow. With a good sail and some practice you can have the same results.
Read my general answer to your question maybe first before these canned answer below.
Lateral Resistance Enhancers Lee Boards / Center Boards - Part 2 of 2
================================================
I wrote a bit more about this here.
www.falconsails.com/KayakSailingFAQ.php#centerboard
If you contact me at Falcon Sails, I can send to you a rough draft set of instructions for kayak sailing upwind.
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
This video shows a clip of a upwind leg I was enjoying a few seasons ago. It is a lot of fun.
czcams.com/video/xjzld6MZhCI/video.html
I was in a 14-foot-long Jackson Journey kayak and making some upwind progress without paddling. I could have made more upwind progress if I paddled, but I can sail with no paddle 210 out of 360 degrees. This kayak has a rounded hull so most kayaks will do a little better yet.
This video shows me sailing and tacking upwind with no lee board or dagger board and almost zero paddling.
Here are 2 videos of me enjoying my kayak and sailing up wind with very little paddling.
facebook.com/falconsails/videos/1594936704274061
&
facebook.com/falconsails/posts/4106133799451973
Both includes some really neat gps telemetry that makes it easy to see my actual movement.
It shows me sailing 210 out of 360 possible degrees. This kayak has a rounded hull which makes it a average performer. If your kayak has a contoured hull, it will sail better / about 10 more degrees on both the port and starboard side.
If I started paddling and kept the sail oriented to the wind properly and kept some motion to help my stock hull generate more lateral resistance, I could have had useful propulsion to within 30 degrees of straight upwind.
This is very similar to motor sailing a sailboat. The motor alone can push the sailboat, but using the sail it will speed up faster, have a higher top end speed, will slow down slower, and require less effort to get to your destination.
Here is another video of some friends and I enjoying a nice 18-mile paddle sail where we sail about 70% of the day.
czcams.com/video/RkbSSlYEYl0/video.html
If you plan your day well, use good techniques, take advantage of reaching, and not dive downwind you can sail all day long without lee boards.
Here are some pictures of a typical kayak sailing day, that include a track log of what we sailed and what we did not sail. I had several beginner kayak sailors with me, so I avoided some of the more difficult tacks and we still sailed about 75% of our miles.
www.flickr.com/.../falco.../albums/72157712563766083
Here is a link to video and paddle sail report showing how much fun my friends and I had on a 5-day trip kayak sailing around Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida. Look at the text. With a little bit of planning and smart sailing, we were able to sail 90% of all our lines.
facebook.com/falconsails/videos/2408620615978528/
Here is a link that shows all the lines we recorded on our GPS.
www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1OgAfpky2M25Ui6poZo6ANwL5a-_zGwc&ll=29.13438357058386%2C-83.0575005&z=14&fbclid=IwAR0RyoxfXOwNB-b2jKG-mATcsc5BKCNszuc2v9KiYjhdXLIxu2Ymre2RUqQ
You can zoom in and see all the details. We sailed 90% of these lines. It was amazing.
If you want to sail paddle sail in good conditions, it is easy to sail with zero paddling more than half your chosen lines even if you do not plan anything and just randomly pick lines. If you get smart and choose good lines, you can easily sail with zero paddling 80% of your lines and raise that to 100% of your lines. If you paddle while doing some of your sailing, you can use your sail all day long.
I wrote a bunch of reply info to your question.
Here is another / later install video.
czcams.com/video/2i8_EEExqNg/video.html
You can see what options we have and order a sail here.
www.falconsails.com/store
Now we have a full inventory of stock sails which is not always the case.
So, you can order any size sail you want, and have it shipped to you right away.
You can also custom design a sail there as well.
Having a quick ship option along with a discounted price for stock sails, makes stock sails a nice way to go.
At the end of the purchase process, our store will ask you what kind of kayak you have, and we will then put together a rigging kit that is perfect for your kayak. 100% of the parts you need will come with the kit. All you will need are very basic common tools such as a screwdriver, wrench, tape measure, drill, and drill bits.
If you make a mistake and miss enter your kayak info, or we are not 100% sure about what kayak you have, we will contact you. We will look at our boat database and come up with a parts list and rigging plan that is perfect for your kayak. Our extensive parts inventory and experience allows us to make the most complete rigging kit possible for you.
Impressive mast mount and deck support stanchion hardware.
It is impressive. Thank you for recognizing it. It is very important to have a strong and stiff and tight joint like this, or the mast will not stand strongly. The sail rig and the boat should be one solid unit. There should be no play between the 2, just like a typical sail boat mast. They should move together as one unified assembly. The Falcon Sail rig has 7 patented features that keep it solid and strong. Thanks again.
A lot of people think a good sail is what you need. The rig is actually just as important.
Hope ir is made in USA
I have a native watercraft 13.5 kayak any advice on if it would work well for it?
We have helped people rig sails on all the Native Watercraft boats. If you are talking about the Native Watercraft Titan Propel 13.5 we can rig that particular boat and any other hard shell kayak. The only kayaks that are really particularly difficult are the skin on frame kayaks and the inflatable kayaks.
If you have any questions, contact Falcon Sails by phone or email.
See
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
Thanks
Thank you . This is very exiting i have been looking for something with this kind of design perfect for fishing you can drop the whole thing and pull it back up as needed no need to register my boat i was going to get a troll motor but your sail kit looks like it will do the trick and i am a fan of sailing.
We have a lot of customers that use their sail for trolling as well.
See
czcams.com/video/WMWbzOOcxXs/video.html
It is a great way to get out to your favorite hole and back. Not to mention it is just a lot of fun.
Are your sails compatible with inflatable kayaks?
You can rig a Falcon Sail on your Inflatable Kayak.
It will require that you make a base be set up for the mast & find a way to secure it to your kayak.
Basically, all you need are some Drings on your kayak to run some lines or webbing to your base.
It can be very secure. If you need extra line, or cleats to make you rig let us know after you purchase, and we add these parts to your order free of charge.
I would like to post some pictures for you to see some rigging examples, but I can not include pictures here.
If you send a request using the Falcon Sails contact page, we will send you some pictures to show you what other Falcon Sail customers have done with their infalable kay aks.
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
Easy when you can get underneath the deck. What do you do if there is no access ?
Since we started helping people rig sails on kayaks over 10 years ago now, we analyze every single kayak or canoe, someone buys a Falcon Sail for.
When you order, near the end of the purchase process, it will ask what kind of kayak you have.
If you do not answer the question or we are not 100% able determine what is the best rigging plan to use, we will contact you. After having Analyzed and documented rigging plans and parts lists for over 1000 different kayaks, we have seen it all and will make a solid rigging plan for you.
When you receive the sail rig it will have every part you will need or want. All you will need are basic tools.
We have 2 alternative rigging options when a kayak does not provide access under the mast to install the deck support strut.
#1 Screw Out Deck Plat added to the kit.
Since your kayak does not have access to the inside of the kayak to install the deck support strut, more than likely, we will include a water proof screw out deck plate with all the hardware you will need to install it. All you need is an area 5" around that is flat or nearly flat within arms reach of the mast base, to use this approach.
#2 Deck adapter block with a integral deck support strut. With this method, you rivet the deck support strut in place with the provided easy to set rivets, and the strut extends from the bottom of the adapter block and engages with your hull. It works on all kayaks, but most people prefer using the standard install or the alternate #1 above.
In any case, we have a solution for any rigging situation. When you buy a Falcon Sail with a complete rigging kit, at the end of our store will ask you for information about your boat. More than likley, we have already analyzd your kayak or canoe. If we need to know anything to choose the perfect rigging parts list, we will research as necessary until we have a great rigging plan for you. We will support you from now, until you are happily sailing your kayak.
Here is our latest rigging video.
czcams.com/video/2i8_EEExqNg/video.html
You can design and order your custom sail here.
www.falconsails.com/store
If you have any questions feel free to contact our shop any time.
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
Thank you very much.
Is there a center board, or tiller?
There is no centerboard, lee board, or anything like that. If a kayak is good without a rudder without a sail, it will do fine without a rudder with a sail.
what happens if you flip the kayak? Can you roll with the sail attached?
It is easy to avoid capsizing. All you need is a little common sense.
If you do capsize your kayak, all you have to do is release the forestay and them mast will fall.
At that you perform your re entry just like you would without a sail.
We have worked hard to make our rig be as easy to use as possible.
Here are some videos of the owner of Falcon Sails doing some roll practice.
czcams.com/video/u6vdygUCVco/video.html
czcams.com/video/a8ANYekiqws/video.html
facebook.com/falconsails/posts/2758151907583509
Hi Patrick, do you have any videos showing a 10 footer under sail?
Since we are sea kayakers we do not have many non sea kayak videos.
Though I can tell you shorter boats are better for kayak sailing in many ways.
They are more stable, they are easier to keep on course, and are easier to change course. I have a 12 foot kayak that I like to paddle sail.
Here are a few videos.
czcams.com/video/wQ_K7IOKTqQ/video.html
czcams.com/video/aY15ZDpkoLM/video.html
Here are a bunch of videos from our customers.
czcams.com/play/PLsYw0pX3rPQlTlNwXHXEjUIUJKSzb-ih6.html
There are some shorter boats in this play list.
There is Grabner kayak facebook group, guy installed this sail on inflatable kayak (closed top). Haven’t got a clue how he did it. Maybe used drill as well?
After having helped many thousands of kayakers rig Falcon Sails on there kayaks, you can install a Falcon Sail on any kayak.
On the decked inflatable kayaks, you make a board ( plastic marine wood is good ideal, but anything will work long term if you seal it ), then insert it under the deck before you inflate it. When you inflate the boat, the board will be held amazingly solidly in place. It is actually one of the most solid ways to rig a Falcon Sail on any boat. If you need help, give our shop a call.
Here is our contact page.
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
@@FalconSails Thank you for really good response. I can see, professionals who know their trade.
@@kristaps2010 I am sure you will not find better expertise in the compact sail area. Plus we will jump through hoops to make sure you are happy.
Do these work on a sot kayak?
Yes you can rig a Falcon Sail on a sit on top kayak, or any kayak for that matter. We help people rig Falcon Sails on sit on top kayaks all the time. Sit on top kayaks are usually very stable, and have a good hull profile for lateral resistance which in general makes sit on top kayaks great for kayak sailing.
If you need any help, feel free to call our shop any time.
www.falconsails.com/contact.php
Also see our new sail rigging video.
czcams.com/video/2i8_EEExqNg/video.html
Thank you so much, I'll check it out
I am sure you have probably changed your shroud line knots by now, but if you have not as yet there are far better simpler and faster knots available.
After over 10 years of obsessing over every detail, and having helped and interacted with thousands of people properly rig their kayaks, and being very active kayak sailors ourselves, and always looking for improvements, we have not seen anything better than the standard Falcon Sail knots. Early on, we encouraged our customers to try and find and create better knots. We found 2 problems occurred when people varied away from our knots. #1 the experimental alternatives slipped. Just a minor slippage, will change the orientation of the mast. Our knot system once set will not slip even 1/10th of a mm over the life of a kayak. #2 the experimental alternatives would become tight and hard to adjust. Early on after rigging a kayak, some of the knots may not be completely tight and as they tighten, the lines effectively lengthen sometimes requiring some final adjustments similar to what you will find on a bike with its cables setting in during the early period of riding. Additionally some people want to play with / adjust / experiment / perfect their mast orientation all of which make people appreciate a great proper knot that is easy to adjust. So in the end, we suggest people do not try alternatives. When they do, it leads to problems. If you do have alternative knots, I would love to see them. We have heard of a number of confident people saying they had some great knot plan, and then they need help dealing with the issue. Of course we are always happy to help our customers get back on track. Support is something, you can count on with Falcon Sails.
If you want to see a web page that shows the proper tying of standing line knots, see
www.falconsails.com/knots/
@@FalconSails Thank you for your reply it was good of you to take the time. I have always found that a wagon hitch or double wagon hitch will hold anything up to the breaking strain of the cordage. Tied off with half hitches pinching the turns one at a time. Being a fuss pot I like to whip the tail end back onto a convenient part of the turns, after knot length set of course. Does occur though by using a bridal system on the stays and three jamming cleats it would be possible to angle the mast infinitely to suit wind conditions making the best use of your mast step system.
@@davidprocter3578 Thank you for telling us about your idea.
As always we will consider everything.
At the moment I can not say anything but your idea may work. Historically everything else we have seen is a step backward, but we could be wrong even after making our lives out of these knots. In any case, I put your notes in our design files, so when we have time we can make a sincere test of how well they work.
One issue we may have is the fact that people tend to get confused. Planning on changing mast orientations for some very small benefit is not the kind of thing we push. Esp when people have to learn about basic sail trim and making the rig stand strong. And of course the knots are still adjustable. But I have not looked at your idea in detail, so that is all I can say for now. If you email close up pictures of your knots, to Falcon Sails, I would be happy to see them. Put attention Patrick on it.
Have a good one.
@@FalconSails I would say in reply many folk who canoe also windsurf and will have no trouble using such a system or understanding trimming methods, those new to sailing need not bother with any adjustments until they feel comfortable with more basic sailing techniques. two yacht fenders of the type with molded loops on either end could be attached to two bamboo poles one on each end and lashed across the beam of the canoe to provide training [wheels] floats for the nervous or stability in heavy weather for the more adventurous. the frame would also provide a fixing point for lee boards increasing the usability of a sail, giving some upwind performance.
wheres the rudder
Rudders are not necessary on shorter kayaks.
The general rule of thumb is, if a kayak is fine with out a rudder with out a sail it is fine without a rudder with a sail.
Here is a more detailed answer.
A general rule of thumb is, if a kayak is fine without a rudder when just paddling, it will be fine without a rudder when you are kayak sailing. On a kayak 13 feet or shorter, rudders are not necessary. If a kayak has an adjustable skeg, a rudder is not necessary. It is quite rare to see a 12-foot kayak or shorter be rigged with a rudder. I (the owner of Falcon Sails) have a 12-foot kayak and have never considered putting a rudder on it. When my paddle says go right, my boat will turn right. It will turn right even a rudder on my kayak would say turn left. Rudders are almost never necessary until you get into kayaks over 14 feet long.
You can see in the pictures included with this email, that the short kayaks do not have rudders on them, and even some of the longer kayaks do not as well.
If you want to do some lazy kayak sailing and not use a paddle for long stretches and do not want to lean or adjust the sail to steer, you can install a rudder and you may like it.
If you have a short kayak, you should avoid having a rudder early on, as number 1 you are likely not to care if you have one, and more importantly, a rudder will likely be a crutch and make it easy to use bad habits. You should naturally balance out your kayak (it is an obvious thing to do (When you lean forward you will notice the kayak turning upwind, and when you lean back you will see the kayak turn down wind )) so it will tend to go in a straight line and not use a rudder to force a out of balance kayak to go in a straight line. A rudder used to force an out of balance kayak to be in balance, is just more drag in the water and will reduce your efficiency and your ability to point up wind.
The general rule of thumb is, if your kayak is okay without a rudder without a sail, it will be okay without a rudder with a sail. Having a sail will slightly increase the desirability for having a rudder. Big winds and high speeds also make having a rudder more desirable. Having a rudder can make it easier to get through the learning curve. In general, kayaks under 13 feet are always fine without a rudder. Just like a kayak without a sail, when you get into kayaks over 14 feet long rudders or adjustable skegs are nice to have. The longer the kayak is the more likely you will enjoy having a rudder. Even better than using a rudder, a kayaks tendency to turn up wind or downwind can be addressed with sail trim, leaning up wind and down wind, leaning forward and aft, changing the distribution of your load, and adjusting your speed. Once you start doing these things, many times you would not use a rudder as a rudder is not the best way to put a kayak in balance to stay on course.
The shorter the kayak, and the more experience you have the easier it is to live without a rudder. Finally, when kayaking or kayak sailing, if your paddle says turn left and your rudder says something else, your paddle will win.
Rudders and skegs are not there for turning so much as they are there to trim your kayaks tendency to a neutral tendency to turn up wind or down wind. A nicely trimmed kayak is great to have. A rudder is one of the easiest tools to use for trimming your kayak. But a rudder is a is a crutch many times and prevents people from learning proper techniques for staying in balance. And of course, using a rudder to trim your kayak also adds drag and slows you down so they are best reserved for minor fluctuations in balance vs a tool to power your way through an unbalanced situation. The more drag you have, the harder it is to efficiently sail up wind.
In the end, if a Falcon Sail customer would like to have a rudder, then can have us send them a complete smart track (it is the best rudder kit you will find) rudder kit for their kayak at our cost which usually ends up being $225 including shipping.