[Paddlewise] Sail Rigs and Kites

	Thanks,  Ralph, Mark, Matt, Kenneth, Richard for your contributions on
sailing.
	I have not used the 'official' sail rig on my Klepper single, but the
sailing potential of this kayak was a major factor in my purchase decision.
 
	A contribution  from Downunder  for what it is worth:

	1/ Sailing a kayak is always going to be a delicate compromise between
performance and having fun safely. I came to kayaking from  dinghy and
keelboat racing and cruising and it is the 'hybrid factor' in kayak sailing
which interests me.  In other words,  it is not the efficiency/performance
which interests me so much,  as the ability to make a journey by paddle and
sail.
	2/ For want of a better description I belong to the "Tasmanian" school of
sailing; that is, the rig is free-standing;  the sail designs are basically
modified, lug sails, sleeve mounted on masts.  The whole thing is mounted
and de-mounted and furled in seconds
	3/ I use bamboo for my masts. Nature's clever design, super strong for the
weight, with watertight compartments! Plenty of flex. I have a stubby
fibreglass 'mast mounter' more or less permanently installed in the
traditional Klepper mast step.  This is basically a short length of cutdown
paddle shaft which serves as a strengthener/locator for the bamboo mast at
the critical 'load factor point'
	4/ The sails and battens are designed to furl around the mast. This means
the rig can be demounted, furled and slid into a sail sheath  attached
along the foredeck.
	5/I found a source for 'second hand' windsurfer sails.  I  bought several
perfectly serviceable such sails for $20 and carefully re-cut them to the
size I wanted. All very rustic but suitable for the Klepper school.
	6/ A 15sq ft parafoil is the latest addition. My experience so far is that
a parafoil has a much more critical 'window' than sails. That is, the
breeze needs to be at least 10 knots for a reliable launch downwind.  Above
25 knots and things quickly become a little hairy.  The big plus for the
parafoil is extraordinary power,  its ability to use the steady wind at a
good height over the ocean, and the weight, mere ounces.
	7/ The big minuses are the narrow weather window, and the inherent danger
in tangling lines around gear.  I think Matt mentioned this a few months
back. 
	8/ For the sake of simplicity, I have not used keelboards, or even a
detachable skeg and have been pleasantly suprised just how  efficiently you
can sail a Klepper.  So what if you have a little bit of leeward slippage;
the relatively high speed and miles covered more than make up for that.
	9/ The fun in sailing the Klepper is using the lee sponson;  the
equivalent of 'lee rail under' in yacht racing/cruising.  Sure, the Klepper
is a fat old thing, but if you can sail with half the hull area out of the
water, you are going places,  running, broad and close reaching...  having
a lot of fun and at the same time optimising the kayak's design strengths. 

	Cheers, PJ 
 

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