DIY Kayak Sail

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Doug Montgomery - 6 years ago

is ur sail fabric or plastic shower curtain Nice Job-

Libby Mueller - 6 years ago

Love it!

Andrew Martinez - 7 years ago

i love your video, it's one of the best videos out there in diy kayak sails!! i am buying a kayak soon and am totally going to try this. your sail set up looks like it works well. can you do a more thourough video on how you get the mast to freely rotate? as well as any other useful information you have. please!!! thanks again for this video.

uberfy - 7 years ago

Andrew Martinez, thanks so much! Unfortunately I've moved overseas and no longer have my kayak. Good luck with your diy sail build. If you read through the comments you'll get some good advice. Like be sure to cover the opening so it can't fill with water if a wave hits, and add an out rigger or center board to prevent drifting sideways.

Ray Konold - 7 years ago

Instead of a center board, you can mount two lee boards. A lee board sets on either side of your hull and keeps you from slipping sideways or being turned by the wind. The reason for two is you only use the one on the leeward side of your boat. The leeward side is away from the wind. The other side is called windward. These two sides change as you and the boat change position relative to the wind.
What are you using for a down haul and a clew? Have you considered a boom vang?

Norman Bell - 7 years ago

Great idea, now if you could mount it with the hatch cover in place, Bingo.....

mICHael wERNER - 7 years ago

Great!
I most appreciate your mast-foot (as in german) e.g. the base of the mast
really genious!

phartattack - 8 years ago

:0045 I already see a problem with your set-up... First time you hit a wake or a wave you're going to soaked anything stored inside the yak!

MaryAnn B - 8 years ago

how long did it tak you to build your sail? i have the same kayak as you. also iv been looking online at sails that cost close to $150 or more. i plan to build something similar.

Alberto Baylon - 8 years ago

shower curtain good idea.

10. comment for DIY Kayak Sail

Doctor CAD - 8 years ago

Thanks for sharing. I watched your video several times over the past 1.5 years and could not get this idea out of my head. So I finally built my own this summer for my Vapor 10 kayak. I posted a video on youtube but I'm not sure if it is proper etiquette to post the url here (I don't want to offend). Thanks for the ideas and inspiration!

homeguard .homeguard - 8 years ago

I know what im building this weekend. Great idea !!!

blair ishmael - 8 years ago

I made a version of this after seeing his video, basically the same with a little design twist

arizona roadrider - 8 years ago

I LOVE IT! Clever idea indeed. Thanks for sharing! Kathy

mocatx - 9 years ago

Nice idea. Are you not nervous of the boat filling with water with the hatch open?
I am mostly at sea so its a bit rougher water. The pipe idea is great. Looks like fun

Iam free - 7 years ago

You should never leave the hatch off on a true sea kayak....the air tight compartments are the major safety feature that defines a sea kayak. I am guessing this guy does not go in the kind of water I take my 16ft precision carolina through. Lots of good ideas but I am going to try the traditional kayak sail ocean kayakers use.

Bassett Hound123 - 9 years ago

Freekin Awesome job

Tim O'Brien - 10 years ago

You did a great job designing your own rig... I don't think you need the backstay just 2 sidestays about a foot aft of your mast.. A simple solution to the open front hatch of your mast would be to make a boot attached to the hatch rim then to the mast to keep water out...Your right I won't bother with lee boards... If you want to go up wind just paddle...I admire your halyard running through the boom to raise your sail and its also your sheet... Very clever.. Because I live in the tropics I would want a canopy... Good job on a 12.5' boat...

Mike Turk - 10 years ago

Great job!

phartattack - 10 years ago

I think he said it was 3/4" pvc and he slid metal conduit inside Probably 1/2" conduit from electrical department.

phartattack - 10 years ago

Home depot has the pins 1/4 in. x 2 in. Zinc-Plated Round Head Wire Lock Pins Model # 11618 Internet # 100338704 Store SKU # 752250 $2.90 / each

20. comment for DIY Kayak Sail

phartattack - 10 years ago

Fantastic idea for not modifying the boat! I added it to my favorites and to my fishing playlist I recently bought a 19.5' tandem handmade kevlar kayak that is super stable and wanted to know if you have a listing of the actual dimensions of your rig. I just want a small sail to assist in downwind exploring I like how yours is up high small and out of the way. I'd have to figure out a way to remotely raise/drop it since the mast will be about 12 feet away from me. maybe just release control line

phartattack - 10 years ago

I thought about that too. because if it gets windy on a larger lake and a boat wake comes my way it could cause me to get wet underneath. There is something called a "WAVE BREAKER" you can attach to the front that will divert water off the hull. I saw it in a real old camping book "Americas Camping Book" 1969 Paul Cardwell Jr. It looks like your open hands, index to index thumb to thumb placed over bow then braced index back to bow deck made of sheet metal or fiberglass Plastic would work too

geomin2k - 10 years ago

You are the best, I like this invention!

waterandflight - 10 years ago

Very, Very cool! I love inventions like these. I'm sure, if you are like me, that the designing and building is almost more fun than the execution. Great job!

Tad Barnaby - 10 years ago

Nice design. always a work in progress, I understand. You will improve on it. It's all part of the fun of kayaking.

ts201111 - 11 years ago

also it wouldnt be too hard to modify your mast mount to connect a sideboard off one side. that would fill the position of a daggerboard only you can lift them up and down if your in shallow water and/or dont need it

navalseabass - 11 years ago

Genius ! :0)

greenmtnman - 11 years ago

Awesome I am totally going to copy you. However, gotta come up with a soultion for the open hatch. Wind, what you need to sail, is often associated with waves (the side effect), so to have the hatch open isn't ideal (at least for me). I think with some thought and a little reckless abandon you could drill in some mount points somehow. But either way, nice job, I like it a lot!

mrcommenter51 - 11 years ago

That's amazing!

kamikazekeebler - 11 years ago

Awesome job! Very cool.

30. comment for DIY Kayak Sail

addysolari92 - 11 years ago

How thick is that PVC for the mast?

kykslr - 11 years ago

Yea! Mount your mast on a frame which can be installed and removed in about 1 minute. check out my vid.

Steve Carr - 11 years ago

Hello, very imaginative and great job. I am fabricating a sail for my Hobie Oasis and am looking for a part that you used on your base. It's the pin that you take off the top of the base at about the 60 second mark on your video. Where did you get it and what is it called? Much appreciated in advance. Thanks, Steve

junk8punk - 11 years ago

Wow, congrats in your design, very ingenious in using pvc pipe & other accessories from home depot to contruct your sail. Thx 4 showing your design 2 the world. - J8P

Jeffrey Nelson - 11 years ago

Use the extra flap to advertise?

Jeffrey Nelson - 11 years ago

Maybe a plastic christmas tree stand for the base?

Yakmock45 - 11 years ago

Great ideas you have. Thanks for sharing.

brimstone33 - 12 years ago

In any kind of stronger wind you'll need a board to give lateral resistance. A 'lee board' that hangs off one side is simplest and can work well. It can be as simple as tied on. You don't need lines ('shrouds') with a sail that size. Ingenious sheet and halyard routing! It step is a bit complicated; maybe hatch cover with integrated mast hole would work as well (and cover the hatch). You may want to invest in a carbon fiber sailboard mast. Plastic cable ties will be stronger than curtain rings.

Shattucknick - 12 years ago

@maccatak10 , if u have scupper holes on the front you could run two peices of PVC through them (that's what I'm doing)

uberfy - 12 years ago

@macrumpton So far I haven't had a problem, but that is a good point. Should be easy enough to make a plastic skirt that wraps around the hole with a bungee cord.

Michael Crumpton - 12 years ago

Nice job. I would be a little concerned having that open hatch in the bow because if a wave or somebody's wake dumps into it it will fill the hull very rapidly.

uberfy - 12 years ago

@guitargeek1122 I've never taken a kayak out on white water. But my guess is you wouldn't want to use a sit on top kayak. You'd fall off way too easily. I think shorter, sit inside kayaks are best for white water.

Sam Dubois - 12 years ago

does the kayak work well and take damage pretty good on white water?

JasonLooseArrow - 12 years ago

Very nice!

uberfy - 12 years ago

@b7gwap The mast did quite well in strong and soft winds. It can flex when I push on it, but I think it's too short to flex very much from the wind with such a small sail. I'm pretty happy with it. The music track is called Far From Home which I got from FreePlayMusic.

b7gwap - 12 years ago

Cool idea. Does the conduit inside PVC mast flex under a heavy load? The music is gorgeous, too, btw!

deltafour1212 - 13 years ago

PRETTY DAMN SLICK!

uberfy - 13 years ago

@nicholasnoble Yes, I think a centerboard and some outrigging flotation is on my list for a spring project this year. The couple of times I took it out in a strong wind I could tell a centerboard would make all the difference. I'll post a video once I have it done.

Nicholas Noble - 13 years ago

I made a sail for my Kayak as well, I've gone through many different designs and I've found out to never underestimate a centerboard. I use a hinge from a gate "so I can raise and lower it" and drilled two holes on the bottom. Then I got two bolts, gaskets, washers and rubber cement and I haven't had any leaking at all. I then made a centerboard out of plastic and It made all the difference. Now I have a larger one out of scrap metal (weighs about 10lbs) and adds much more stability.

Matthew DelSesto - 13 years ago

Very nice. I did something very similar this summer, but I might steal a couple of details off you if you don't mind. :) Also, for going with a slow wind, no tacking, I found a good old viking style sail worked best. Keep creating!

50. comment for DIY Kayak Sail

Hardus Coetzee - 13 years ago

Hi there I think you are a great inventer and i think we mighit have some comen ground to work together Please contact me at hardus@live.com

uberfy - 13 years ago

@HALIBU77 I totally agree. I love quick little DIY projects and the kayak has kept me busy all summer long.

uberfy - 13 years ago

@tnarreug I made a second sail, out of a clear shower curtain this time, and it was a rectangle instead of the typical triangular sail. The day i tried it out it was VERY windy. Kinda scary at times, but the sail held up just fine. Some kind of center board would be quite helpful when the wind is stronger, but I'm content to go without any centerboard for now. To see it search for DIY Kayak Sail v2

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