DIY sailing rig for Vapor 10 kayak

[@ZipZipInkspot]

Excellent rig. Really appreciated the rudder assembly, the elegant boom fitting, and that you included mast stays. Very much liked that the setup didn't disturb the kayak itself. Studying up on rigging a canoe with a small sail for the kids. Hope to reuse some of your ideas and thanks so much for sharing. Will credit if this project progresses. Thanks again!

[@doctorcad1557]

Thanks for the kind words and let me know if you got a sail rig working on your canoe.

[@maximusmeridius1240]

I'm in the middle of trying to this to my kayak its good to see some guys who have done it well done

[@zumaer2060]

thanks for this post! I've begun applying this model to my own kayak and so far it has been working out great.

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

A 3/8" drive universal for sockets makes a great mast-to-boom goosneck on my little boat. Mounting the leeboard(s) on one bolt allows it to swivel up for beaching or hitting an obstruction. small lines secure in place. Great build, great design. Thanks.

[@davekolb7622]

Nice practical design!I tjink I'm going to borrow some of your ideas for my grandsons kayak. Thanks for sharing.

[@doctorcad1557]

Glad to hear you will use these ideas for your grandsons kayak. Good luck.

[@stochasmvid]

Awesome! I love that you put both jib and main on it. I also like you rudder control setup.

[@yta6765]

Very practical ideas. I would consider a couple of jam cleats for the halyards - easier to release in a hurry in case of necessity.

[@naomitracy5684]

this is the video i was looking for!! Thank you ! Excellent work. 💯👍

[@BobMaplethorppe]

I have the angler version ordered, and might eventually add a trolling motor. I think your clamping design for the rudder is very clever and it could very easily be modified for a small motor mount. good job!

[@jameschang4341]

Best Beautiful sailing rig diy job

[@fizztot]

Thanks for the great ideas! This is the best DIY rig I've seen!

[@Rincon009]

Best DIY yet!

[@ZongoOZ]

Really cool engineering.

[@doctorcad1557]

Thanks

[@jaytua730]

thanks, I have a sail right now but only able to go down wind, been thinking into doing a sail just like yours but have never seen it done. My kayak is a sit on top, I need to figure out a way to attach the mast. Thanks for the video.

[@susycalvert4074]

Very clever! I wish kayak makers would make a model that includes a built in centerboard slot. It seems like it would be a nice option to help straight line tracking when paddling, and also make it much easier to add a sail and rudder for sailing. I think it would be really nice if I could buy 2 kayaks with centerboard slots, and then join them with some crossbars and make a catamaran.

[@doctorcad1557]

Agreed. I thought long and hard about tying both of my kayaks together (I have two of the same Vapor 10 kayak) as a catamaran but just haven't had the time. Good idea.

[@j.b.froelich5900]

Great build!

[@maximusmeridius1240]

the best informative video I have ever seewell done

[@doctorcad1557]

Glad you liked it.

[@tlsimpao]

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing this!

[@doctorcad1557]

Glad you liked it.

[@fersnickeredroby6740]

someone is thinking of putting some type of a dagger board on a sail mounted kayak. good job

[@andrewmartinez4331]

i love your video!!! it is the most informative diy kayak sail out there. it's so cool how you have a main sail and a jib sheet. i want to build one as soon as i get a kayak. i can't figure out exactly how you get your mast to move freely. is it pvc couplings inside of larger pvc? maybe you can do a more in depth video on how your awesome design works. I'd love to know. thanks again for your video

[@doctorcad1557]

Hello Andrew. Glad you liked the video and I hope it helps you build your own. I think you are referring to how the boom moves freely on the mast. The mast is 3/4inch PVC pipe (reinforced with metal electrical conduit) and the boom is also 3/4inch PVC pipe but it is connected to the mast with a tee joint that is 3/4" on one end for the boom but 1"(or larger?) to fit loosely around the mast. This piece is easy to find at a home improvement store. Happy sailing.

[@josephpineda1368]

nice use of clamping,lee boards could be a problem in shallow water launch.but i like the front clamp for the mast base .i have a 12 ft vapor check out my set up (the ultimate sailing kayak) and tell me what you think. i love to sail

[@doctorcad1557]

+joseph pineda Hello Joe. Actually your video was one of the videos I saw that inspired me to make my sailing kayak(especially since it is an Old Town Vapor). I saw your video a year or two ago and loved the idea. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas. A nice video and sailing kayak you've got there.

[@doctorcad1557]

One additional comment. Yes, because the lee board is bolted on and doesn't pivot, I am limited in shallow water. So I keep the lee board in the boat during launch, paddle out to deep water, collapse & stow the paddle, and then mount the lee board. No problems so far but a sand bar could be an unpleasant surprise. I might re-design to allow some kind of kick-up or pivoting action in the future.

[@zachderry6347]

Thanks for the great vid, I am thinking of doing something like this myself

[@savassagr9194]

good job captain

[@doctorcad1557]

Glad you liked it.

[@mayberryastronomy6335]

Working on planning this project for a kayak I am buying. Hoping to be working in a month and have it ready for memorial day at the lake. Do you still sail this rig? What kind of speeds were you getting? I am also curious about stability. I have been toying with some ideas... I'm an engineer so I love how clean and neat yours looks.

[@doctorcad1557]

Sorry for the late reply. I still sail it but I'm not sure of the speeds. It gets me around but not super fast. On a good day, I will guess up to 10mph. Stability is a challenge - I have to fight it a little bit when it is gusty. I have contemplated making some outriggers inspired by the Windrider Tango sailing kayak but I'm torn on just how I want to make them.

[@jeremyholland4527]

Thanks for sharing. Ill try to do one myself and if it works out ill post a vid to my channel so you can see the rig!

[@doctorcad1557]

Please let me know if you had any success with your kayak sail rig.

[@PA96704]

Awesome job 🤙🏾

[@montgomeryliteflyers]

Nice job, Im really interested in building some rendition of this DIY.

[@maximusmeridius1240]

I like this , good video

[@basilicauk]

really good job! Thanks

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

nice one Dr cad, I subscribed, hope you post more.

[@doctorcad1557]

Glad you liked it.

[@RLZerr]

nice work!

[@doctorcad1557]

Thanks. Your video was one of the videos I reviewed several times before creating my sail rig. Very inspiring. I thought the HDPE welding was especially cool. After watching your video and several others, I just had to do this. What a great way to have a personal sailboat that can easily transport on a car top and require only one person for set up and launch. All for very little money. Again, nice work on yours also.

[@brucehalleran1149]

Best, you can paddle it into areas, or home, when the wind isn't cooperating. I have the Old Town Trip 10 (same boat) and I believe that you have just saved me from figuring out how to hang a motor on it.

[@hieubb1802]

Great in simple. Tks .

[@soma_trip1863]

Nice, but this seems to be your only video. Do you have any more clips of it sailing? I was thinking of building a duck punt, but since I already have a ten foot old town kayak might just have to go this route instead.

[@doctorcad1557]

When I get some time, I will try to get some clips of the kayak sailing. I have some clips but they are all from in my point of view while sailing instead of a wide shot from the shore or another boat.

[@ZongoOZ]

Hi. Thanks for the great video. Could you please let me know the dimensions of the mainsail please? I have begun having a go at making a setup for my kayak. It is an Australis squid sit-on kayak. Off to a very slow start but determined to have a go. Thanks again. Dan

[@doctorcad1557]

The main sail area is 16 sqft, the jib is 9 sqft for a total of 25 sq ft. The mast is 9ft so the luff edge of the main sail is about 7ft. If the sail was any larger, I think I would have severe stability problems because of the power. A larger sail will need a larger leeboard to compensate. When I started this, I found info on the internet about the ratio of sail area vs. foil area (dagger board, center board, or lee board) in the water. If you don't have enough foil in the water to compensate the sails, you will have stability and side slipping problems. Good luck.

[@HandyKindaGuyUK]

acrylic tends to shatter. you thought about reinforced hdpe for the rudders?

[@doctorcad1557]

True, acrylic tends to shatter and I have experienced this when tooling it or dropping it but it is what I had at the time I was building. HDPE would be good but it doesn't have the rigidity and the lee board takes a lot of force. I will probably replace the lee board with wood at some point and cover it with polyester resin or something like it to seal it from the water. The rudder will probably stay acrylic until I break it and then I will weigh my options - probably HDPE for this since it is smaller and likely won't flex as much as the lee board. Happy sailing.

[@brucehalleran1149]

Why not Al sheet for the lee boards or rudder? Whatever good alloy your scrap yard has in 1/8" to 1/4" would be rigid enough, easy to work, strong enough to allow a single point (pivot-able) mounting, slick, paintable, and only dangerous to swimmers you run over.

[@MaxDIY1]

Great mate, ! Cheap and workks my style ;) You have very cheap kayaks in US

[@PovoNomadeexpedicoes]

Very good!!!

[@fernandocoppola7839]

Xcellent Dr Cad! (Suscribed) I´ll try my best to copy your model. Do you have any pdf plans? Rgds

[@tioko5]

hello I was wondering how long your boom is? also do you beleive that this design is adaptable to the heron 9 old town kayak?

[@doctorcad1557]

+Jonathan Dudenhoefer Hello Jonathan. The boom is 48". I took a look at the Heron online. From what I can see, I think you could adapt my design to the Heron. The cockpit in the Heron doesn't look as large as the vapor so it might be a little tight with the mast mount assembly but it should be workable. The handles look to be the same so you should be able to set up a rudder mount but be careful transporting it - I worry about ripping out the handle if too much force is applied by an accidental bump. Good luck and happy kayaking/sailing.

[@deltafour1212]

Now that you sailed her, what would you do different in your design if any?

[@doctorcad1557]

I haven't done this yet but I need to try sailing her without the boom. I think the sail shape may take a more natural Bernoulli (wing) shape without it. I'm going to upgrade my cheap-o pulleys that control the steering with some better sailing blocks because the line that controls the rudder frequently gets stuck in the cheap pulleys and good steering seems important. I also plan to take some pool noodle material and pad the area between the rudder attachment and where it attaches to the rear handle to firm that area up. Sometime the rudder assembly wiggles a little and I don't want to wear a hole in the boat but no visible damage so far. Those are the main things I would change.

[@heleosanchez7062]

Hi Doctor CAD, I'm using your template for your sailing yak to convert my "Ascend D12" yak into a sailing yak and I was hoping you could give me the dimensions of your jib sheet. L*W format. And what is the distance between the mast and the base of the forward stay?

[@heleosanchez7062]

This was assuming the jib sheet is the shape of a right triangle like the main sheet. From the pics it looks like it could be an isosceles triangle.

[@doctorcad1557]

Sorry for the late reply. The jib is isosceles and the dimensions for each leg are 90"(luff), 77.25" (leech), and 35.5 (foot). These dimensions do no include the hems. There is a 1 inch hem on the leech to make enough room to place grommets and the rest of the hems and seam allowances are 1/2 inch. The distance from mast to the base of the forward stay is about 22 inches.

[@Manuel_Z_Kayaks]

Thought of a name for your boat "PLUMBERS DELIGHT" I guess the next video is DIY PVC OUTRIGGERS. Just curious... Why no vids of it actually sailing in real wind?

[@doctorcad1557]

No videos because I have no camera man. I'll add some later if I get one. I have only had this out 3 times so far but I have sailed this in 10 - 15 mph winds and thus far it doesn't seem to need outriggers. It's only 25 sq ft of sail so it doesn't seem to overpower the boat.

[@CJSHM]

What material did you use for the sail?

[@doctorcad1557]

Material for the sail on the kayak is rip-stop nylon from Jo-Ann fabrics (or any fabric store should have this). I would probably have been better served with some type of sail cloth but this works.

[@zumaer2060]

Hello again, could you possibly tell me the dimensions of your jib sheet in the L*W format not sqaure footage?

[@doctorcad1557]

See my previous reply. I'm glad that people are able to use this information to develop their own sailing kayaks. People on KZbin have helped me solve problems and this is my way of paying everyone back. Enjoy sailing!

[@dimitriosangelou4206]

nice work! how heavy was the nylon ripstop fabric ? I was looking at 4 oz nylon ripstop for my 4,5m dory from ebay but i dont know if it is strong enough. There was also a lighter one that they use for parachutesbut i think it is out of qwestion. ps my current sail is made of tarp

[@doctorcad1557]

Sadly, I cannot remember the weight of the ripstop nylon. I just picked up whatever was at the fabric/craft store and it worked well. I think it was only $5 or $6 on sale (normally $8/yd). If it helps, it seems to be about the same weight as my backpacking tent. Happy sailing.

[@josemanuelcastell5990]

why didn´t you used a white color brida half way closed? jajaajja

[@AvidDiving]

where did you get the sails

[@doctorcad1557]

I made the sails myself. I used CAD to make the general plan and I am fortunate enough to work for a company that makes automated cutters for fabric so the cutting process was easy. I also specialize in CAD for textile patterns as a career so the patterning came somewhat naturally. I picked up a few yards of rip-stop nylon from the fabric store and sewed them together. I've seen other videos where people just use Tyvek or even a shower curtain and they seem to be effective as well if you don't want to get this elaborate.

[@kangoo38vanrenault80]

Bonsoir, combien mesure le kayak , et la hauteur du mas

[@doctorcad1557]

Bonjour. Je suis desole. Je parle tres petit francais. Le kayak coûte 350 $ US et le mât 275 cm. Les fournitures pour construire la plate-forme de voile est de 130 $ US. Bon chance.

[@kangoo38vanrenault80]

@@doctorcad1557 merci beaucoup pour les informations 🖒

[@zumaer2060]

thanks for this post! I've begun applying this model to my own kayak and so far it has been working out great.

[@andrewmartinez4331]

i love your video!!! it is the most informative diy kayak sail out there. it's so cool how you have a main sail and a jib sheet. i want to build one as soon as i get a kayak. i can't figure out exactly how you get your mast to move freely. is it pvc couplings inside of larger pvc? maybe you can do a more in depth video on how your awesome design works. I'd love to know. thanks again for your video

[@basilicauk]

really good job! Thanks