As we have found that it is not very easy to paddle with the sailing rig up to get favourable wind. At times one need to transport oneself quite a distance and it is very messy with a main sail in your lap and then the leeboards clashes with the paddle, and the outrigger we have further restrict our movements. So what to do? Ah, add a motor - say a Minn KOTA electric propulsion unit - but then the range is restricted - even with quite a heavy battery, and to get a saltwater proof unit costs a wee bit. For lakes and rivers nothing could be better, even pricewise. Seen prices for a suitable Minn KOTA at $154! But travel a lot in saltwater and wanted a fairly quiet and evironmentally acceptable, so we opted for a Honda BF2, short rig outboard. At Faltbootbasteln.de (click on "faltboot m. Motor") you are given an example of a Pouch equipped with a BF2, fitted so that the rear paddler can operate the outboard, but as Juergen Engert explained to me, it is not as easy with a Klepper, as the rear of the coaming is very flimsily supported on the Klepper Aerius II, not suitable for attaching an outboard to. As we also wanted a hiking board when sailing, so that one can compensate for the wind's power I got the idea to combine the two: Add a sturdy aluminium angle to the board's starboard end for an outboard and you've killed two mice with one stone! As that is the side we have our outrigger it makes the uneven loading with a 14 kilos motor on one end of the board a non-problem. And so it proved! Steering with the outboard was quite useless, but it could be locked at an angle (less than ten degrees to port) so that the boat ran straight with the rudder neutral at a certain throttle setting. From there it was normal rudder operation, with roughly normal turning radius! The hiking board sits on top of frame # 4, held by Klepper J-bolts and with an extra support strut in the middle (an aluminium tube permanently fixed to the frame). Our board is over-strength, as we took what we had (a piece of a massive table top, about 1" thick and made of oak, or something similar), but it worked excellently as a test item! The torque when the motor quickly was opened up made the outrigger run deeper for a while, and the boat then turned very slowly to port, if no corrective action was taken (adjusting engine thrust angle or using the rudder). At Faltbootbasteln they added a plate on the outboard's vertical shaft, and that is probably wise, as it does splash some water at high speed. Otherwise we had no problems at all, after I remembered to open the fuel cock (sigh!). Ours was an outboard that had been forgotten in a shop, so I got it quite cheap compared to the going price (yes, it still is this year's model :-) ). Goes for four hours at full throttle on one litre of fuel! Had hoped to upload pictures at Michael Edelman's Folding Kayaks site, but there is some sort of Unix computer problem there for the moment, so uploading is out for the time being! Yours, Tord ------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- > As we have found that it is not very easy to paddle with the sailing rig up > to get favourable wind. At times one need to transport oneself quite a > distance and it is very messy with a main sail in your lap and then the > leeboards clashes with the paddle, and the outrigger we have further > restrict our movements. I told ya :-)... This was the reason to install mast aft of my backrest (and to switch to Greenland paddle with shorter strokes). The price for this convenience was reduced upwind capability. Everybody with a fore mast and crossbar, that I asked , were either using canoe paddle or paddling a double kayak solo (not much fun too). Steeve Isaak rigged his CLC kayak as a schooner, with hiking boards, and had to use a canoe paddle. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Monday 26 July 2004 01.12, you wrote: > ----- > As we have found that it is not very easy to paddle with the > sailing rig up (snip) > I told ya :-)... This was the reason to install mast aft of my backrest > (and to switch to Greenland paddle with shorter strokes). The price for > this convenience was reduced upwind capability. We have toyed with the idea of using two masts, one for the jib and one for the main, but installing a mast behind the rear seat is a major undertaking, while installing one behind the front seat is very easy (as easy as drilling a hole in the hiking board, more or less :-)! ). But that would give lots of room for front seat paddler ... Question then becomes where should the leeboards go? Adding a tiny mizzen, at frame # 6 is doable, but then you have to cut a hole in the canvas, not so popular with the wife! > Everybody with a fore mast and crossbar, that I asked , were either using > canoe paddle or paddling a double kayak solo (not much fun too). Steeve > Isaak rigged his CLC kayak as a schooner, with hiking boards, and had to > use a canoe paddle. Schooner-style is very pretty, and if we add a new main on the forward mast we're there :-)! A Dutch company even makes deep swordlike keels for Kleppers, that fold for beaching, but that might be overdoing things a bit :-)! Tord *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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