Re: [Paddlewise] sail rigs

>Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1999 21:08:50 +0000
>From: Mark Balogh <batwing_at_kerrlake.com>
>Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] sail rigs
>
>Mark wrote:
>Hey Matt, thanks for the breif.  I'll give it some thought to see how
>close one could come but I could use some more info and can maybe see
>some problems.  Since some of your parameters are contradictory, I
>wonder if you are being entirely serious.  It is not out of the question
>that you could have some of these things but you need to be a little
>more specific about some details. Whether there is a market out there
>for what you describe is another question but if you are serious, answer
>me a few more questions please.
>Snip<
>Well the spinnaker that probably could have wrapped around the mast,
>came with a shock corded mast and reefing sleave was available from
>Windspeed Designs for years but I think they may be out of business.
>Maybe you could find a used one somewhere.
>A similar sail could likely be made flatter cut to be used tacked out
>to the bow if you wanted to rig a tack outhaul line. We make our masts
>multisectional for stowage but decided that filling them with foam made
>sense in case you dropped a mast section in the water.

I'm not picky about how its done just so the function is taken care of.

>SNIP<
>Some problems
>with your other wishes though might be that the parawing shape would be
>less desirable as a sail and would be large in overall dimensions for a
>given area which could cause control problems and require a tall mast
>and complicated rigging to support and trim it.  The idea of using a
>sail as an awning would require a fairly large sail which is not a
>problem in itself but again might require a fairly tall and strong mast
>and step.  Large sails can be troublesome on narrow unstabilized boats.

I see the problem. Maybe they could fold once to make a smaller spinnaker
for higher winds but that could be opened out to be lighterweight (stay
filled easier) and bigger for lighter winds. That would allow the tarp
aspect to be bigger and it could still fold over the mast (or be fixed to
the foot of the mast) to become a main sail. If the bottom of the folded
edge could be hooked to a line and the tack pulled out to the bow a genoa
might result.

>SNIP<
>Which brings me to the last question.  If
>we could make you a sail that would power (which size boat?)

A double, I don't really want to sail a single and I think it would be too
risky and/or the sail would be too small to use as a shelter too.


>your kayak
>on reaches and runs and it could have a shock corded or foam filled
>multisection mast, a reefing sleave, could reach or run with good
>manners and could be used as a sun shade,(if what ever size sail it was
>was big enough to be useful). If we could make you this sail, how big
>can it be folded,

I think the mast is going to be the bigger space problem here. Maybe it
could be made to telescope like an adjustable length boat hook.Then only the
small section could be filled with foam though.

> how much can it weigh

low weight is nice but not usually a major issue in kayaking (especially if
it can double as a shelter and sun shade and therefore subtract those items
weights (and bulk) from your load.

>and how much is it worth to you
>retail?

I was kind of hoping to get one free for proposing the idea and doing beta
testing on it.
I'm a bigger cheapscate than Audrey so that is not a good question to ask me
when you really want to know what price would it take to have a good market
for the product. I think a typical sea kayak/camping customer in my shop who
needed the items might go for up to $500 without too much problem if it did
a reasonably good job covering all its functions. If sailing a kayak was a
lot more popular around here probably more. It took me about a year to sell
the Primex V-sail (for singles) I had priced at $200 several years ago. We
are a sea kayaking specialtity shop. Easy Rider could probably move a lot
more of them than I could as they do a lot with sails and sailing kayak
set-ups around here.
>
>Matt Broze
>http://www.marinerkayaks.com
>

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