Used Triak
Anyone know where I can see one on the east coast…I may want to get one.
This may be the ultimate in a sailing
kayak:
http://www.hobiecat.com/adventure-island/models_adventure_island.html
The wind go into the doldrums and you are two miles off shore, take the sail down and peddle home.
I was going to add Hobie
to the list, but as a Hobie 14, 16 or 18. Been out sailing many times and had to paddle home! Damn those light wind days. I could see a race in one of these new Hobies being a tough choice, do I paddle dead up wind or sail tacks to get to the windward mark? Decisions, decisions.
Do like my friend does,
And just hold up a golf umbrella!
Paula
Racing
So far my experience has been that paddling is faster unless you have a tail wind.
Sailing is a lot of fun though.
Done the golf umbrella thing, it works,
but its not easy to direct the thing in a stiff wind and the umbrella tends to blow over its ribs.
Easy Rider
I have an easy rider Eskimo 17 foot kayak as a backup/buddy boat. They make good products. This is my second Easy Rider boat. While they are not cutting edge, the accessrories and abilities are unparalled by any other manufacturer. I live just about 5 miles from the factory. Peter, the owner/designer is a great guy and has been at it for decades. His boats are versatile and will take you anywhere you want to go… by paddle, sail or even outboard.
I bought a Quiver Sail
It’s a triangle shape of nylon on a frame that can be quickly rolled up when you want to go back to paddling. I work hard against the waves then ,if the tailwinds right, glide all the way back. I have a rudder to keep course. All I can say is it’s fun, I’m learning about another natural force and I’ve swifty glided past others who either think I’m crazy or are envious.
Triak
Does anyone here own a Triak or know someone who does?
If you’re in SoCal…
Triak headquarters is in San Diego.
They’ve got some new videos on their site
http://triaksports.com/gallery/
I’ve been lusting for one for a long time. In the right conditions, Triaks can fly. Triak does quite a few demo days. Last year I was begging Thayer Ridgeway to have a demo here on the East Coast.
Andy
sailing kayaks
great question! I discovered the hobie web site and they are coming out with “the adventure world” a kayak with add on hulls to make a tri maran; it also has a furling sail. looks interesting.
I am going to check your replies. I sailed for more years than I want to admit and it would be interesting to be able to do both.
sailing with golf unbrella
and it can double as a bimini; but can one sail without a rudder or centerboard without tipping over?
Golf umbrella
Before you all run out and buy umbrellas, try a Pacific Action rig (their website, www.pacificaction.com, has lots of good videos on their products. They retail for about $300.
I have the 1 sqm sail on my OK Scupper Pro without rudder or a leeboard (although I will add a rudder soon). The best thing about these rigs is that they are totally hands-free once deployed. And deployment simply means releasing a bungee strap and letting the sail pop up. Then you can sail and paddle at the same time. The whole rig weighs only 2 pounds, stows under deck, and can be set up at sea in about 10 minutes or less.
With a nice breeze, 8-10 knots or so, I can sail downwind/30 degrees offwind at a casual paddling speed (3 mph) without paddling at all. In fact, I sometimes lie down backwards, feet on the rear hatch and head on the compass recess/front hatch rim, and sail facing backwards while having a snack. At least with a Scupper Pro, I have plenty of stability, and a light stern rudder stroke (applied from the supine position) is all it takes to make minor course corrections. I don’t mean to show off here. The point is that a PA sail rig is extremely simple to handle and works as advertised - definitely better an umbrella.
Provided I keep paddling with light to moderate effort, I am also able to beam reach and sail even a bit closer to the wind (maybe 80 degrees). The effort goes up with wind speed, but that maybe because I don’t use a rudder and have to do corrective strokes to prevent the kayak from falling off the wind (going leeward). In any event, since I don’t mind paddling - after all, I am a kayaker - it’s a blast to go 5-6 mph with the wind coming directly from the side, using only moderate effort. All that in wind conditions where paddling would normally be a real pain in the you know what.
The only problem I have with the PA sail is that lacking a leeboard, the kayak heels over when on a beam reach, especially in 15 knots plus wind, making sitting and paddling at the same time a bit uncomfortable over time. If I had outriggers, that would certainly help my posture, but may slow the boat down too much. Outriggers are definitely not needed for stability (to prevent capsizing) though.
So, if your back can take it (mine is not the best anymore, unfortunately) and/or you are a bit heavier than I am (I am only 140 #), and/or you have a rudder (less or no awkward sweep strokes required), and don’t mind paddling a little while you sail (on a beam reach, that is), this set up may work well for you.
It’s so much fun paddling and sailing, I am already looking into more advances rigs like the Triak. The hard thing is to find a boat that offers good sailing performance, while still functioning as a real kayak. Some designs have nice sail rigs, but can’t really be paddled anymore (like the Hobie Islander). Other ore mimimal designs (like the Pacific Action rigs) allow for unimpeded paddling, but only so-so sailing performance. The Balogh rigs are a great option, but they too interfere substantially with paddling once the outriggers are installed. So you have to choose either paddling or sailing.
The Triak is the only design that offers both great paddling and sailing performance due to their unique Star Wars outrigger wing - the amas are placed far enough aft not to interfere with paddling and are low-volume so as not to slow down the boat. The only downside (to me, anyway) is the somewhat complicated sail rig. It has lots of lines and booms, more than I like to deal with on a kayak. The perfect setup for me would be the Triak boat and outrigger system with a Balogh Batwing sail. I am currently trying to figure out whether you can buy just the boat without the sail from Triak. Unfortunately, the answer is probably no.
Sorry for rambling on …
Robert
Hey Robert
Just a thought.
What if you mounted the Balogh Outriggers back where the triak outriggers go?
Balogh rig
Not a bad idea, I had thought of that myself. Unfortunately that won’t work because 1) the Balogh outrigger crossbar also holds the leeboard, which needs to be more centered to be effective, and 2) my kayak (like most kayaks) isn’t wide enough in the stern to allow proper mounting.
It really is a challenge to come up with the right setup. Unlike many “kayakers” interested in sailing, I am not (yet) willing to sacrifice the freedom of paddling how and when I want. For example,if you read threads on the new Hobie Islander on the kayakfishingstuff.com forum (under kayak sailing), you get the impression these people don’t even own paddles. They are perfectly content just sitting and peddling the MirageDrive (a very efficient propulsion system, but more reminiscent of a recumbent bike at my local YMCA than a kayak). The Hobie Islander doesn’t even have foot controls for the rudder, you have to pull a line by hand. And the amas are so heavy and mounted in the wrong place that you can’t paddle efficiently once they are installed.
I could go on and on: After about a month-long stint of researching the topic, I have concluded there is nothing out there that quite fits - the Triak is the closest thing. The nice thing about the Balogh rig, though, is that you can at least quickly assemble and disassemble the rig while at sea, allowing a fairly fast switch (maybe 15 minutes) from paddling to sailing and vice versa. The best info on Balogh besides their own website, which has almost no pictures, is www.watertribe.com. Under “archived magazines”, you’ll find an article entitled “How to rig a class 3 boat” by Steve Isaac. It has lots of pics of his setup, including instructions: A Kruger Dreamcatcher expedition kayak with the Balogh Batwing rig. The whole thing is pretty cool, unfortunately it costs around $8000!
Please, let me know if anyone has any other interesting idea.
Robert
Ahh the fabled 50/50 rig
To be able to both paddle and sail well. That’s the dream.
The closest I’ve come so far is my Swift Osprey solo canoe. Both Talon and Sedna have some pics you can find from here.
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=meet&tid=532726
I was sailing on the lake yesterday evening and the only other boat out was a 420 sloop. She was sailing circles around me almost literaly. But then the wind died. So I dropped the sail, raised the boards and had a nice paddle home.
Wouldn’t want to paddle a 420 very far!
Kayak Sailing rigs
I have been in a couple of heated “discussions” With Balough concerning the price of the his rig. Mr Balough took extreme exception when I said “Some people have more dollars than cents”.
I maintain a true sailing rig can be homebuilt for thousands less, around $150.00 depending on how much scrounging and initiative you have.
Again, check this link:
http://www.vision.net.au/~jennings/sail/sail.html
These guys are sailing kayaks in Tasmania. Most make and install their own rigs. There are drawings and dimensions included.
http://members.tassie.net.au/~lford/
This link seems to be down right now. But a complete tutorial is included on how he developed and installed a double mast sailing kayak rig.
Tasmania sail rigs
Thanks for posting the links to the Tasmania guys - very impressive. Looks like they figured out how to build kayak sails a long time ago, and for relatively little money.
The thing is that the sail and mast are not really the problem. The problem is that when you sail any kayak, in particular a narrow sea kayak (under 28 inches), on a beam reach or upwind, the kayak will heel over to leeward considerably. To a point,and for a certain time, that’s OK. But when the wind picks up and/or if you are sailing for extended time periods (as on a longer crossing), counteracting the wind force by leaning to windward and bracing with the paddle becomes simply too tiring and uncomfortable to be a reasonable option. I don’t know how the Tasmanians do it. Maybe, they are just tougher. Or maybe, they sail mostly downwind or on a broad breach, at least when it’s really blowing. I can’t tell.
In any event, what everyone here in the US seems to agree on is that for extended sailing in a kayak on all points of wind, you need some kind of outrigger system. That’s where Mark Balogh comes in. He has designed an outrigger system that is very rugged, but light-weight (6 pounds or so), can easily be installed at sea, and creates very little drag. The problem with the Balogh system, in my view, is that on most kayaks, the outrigger system will be in the way of paddling, at least to some extent. His answer is basically to use a canoe paddle instead. Well, if I wanted to be a canoer, I would get a canoe. I just don’t like the idea of a canoe paddle somehow. Others may feel differently.
As far as price is concerned, I don’t think Mark’s rigs are overpriced. They are expedition-grade and handmade to order. He needs up to 6 months to fill each order - this is not assembly line work. So,I wouldn’t mind paying the $1500 or so for his rig, if I thought it was exactly what I wanted. Some people spend their money on big, fancy TV sets or SUVs, others spend it on kayak gear 
Robert
Golf umbrellas are not a great idea for
a sail. A big gust will turn one inside out, you have to hold them with both hands if there is much blow at all, and they aren’t easy to place where the wind does the best job. I’ve had a gust of wind pull one out of my hands, bye-bye umbrella, it sank before I could get to it. Still, I usually have one in my kayak and have been known to play with it.
The cost of sailing
I saw one of these http://www.openbic.com/ at New England Small Craft a few weeks ago. Pretty neat minimalist sailing craft. So I asked them how much?
$3K Yikes! Never mind that I’m at the extreme upper end weight wise.
Check out wind surfing sails and hardware. $$ Yikes again. Read the West Marine catalog $$! I paid $300 for a CLC Mill Creek Lug Sail. Pulled it out today for the first time since May. It’s a well made sail. But I don’t use it enough to justify the $.
If it wasn’t for folks like jjoven and others on the Canoe sailing Yahoo group setting an example I couldn’t afford to sail!
As it is I’ve rigged 2 canoes for about $250. Had as much fun rigging them as sailing.
Balogh’s stuff looks good, I’d love to see it up close and personal. I hope he’s making a living at it.