The day is done and you’re ready to head home but that four-mile paddle back to the launch is looking daunting. The wind is at your back so that’ll help a little but still wish you could just ride that all the way back.

With a simple sail rig it allows anyone to harness the power of the wind. In this article is a description of a simple sail rig that can easily be adapted to any kayak and is cheaply made.

This is a simple spinnaker downwind sail design. It is collapsible for easy storage and also easy to assemble on the water for use when the winds allow.

In picture 1 are the three main components of the mast and sail. These include the lower mast, upper mast and the sail. The mast is constructed of ¾” schedule 40 PVC tubing. A ¾” PVC coupler is used to connect the upper and lower mast when assembling the mast to full length. A ¾” PVC end cap is mounted at the top of the sail and also at the base. At the top of the upper mast a ½” eye screw is mounted so to have a tell tale to give wind direction. The sail is constructed of rip-stop nylon, six feet high and four foot wide at the base.

Picture 2 shows details of the mast rigging. Two ½” eye-screws are screwed into the lower section of the coupler. This keeps the coupler from coming off of the lower mast and also gives a location to mount the lower mast support lines. These lines are five feet of 1/8” Para-cord. At the top of the sail is a 1 ¼” stainless ring. This is used to clip into a spring clip mounted at the top of the upper mast. The two lower corners of the sail have six feet of 1/8” Para-cord lines that attach to cleats mounted at the cockpit to tension the sail when in use.

Picture 3 shows the mast, collapsed, as it would be stowed when not in use. The sail rolls up and can be kept in a pouch on the back of the seat or in some other small container. Picture 4 shows the mast fully assembled but stowed on the forward deck of the kayak. It still stays out of the way but is easily pulled free and rigged for use. In either form the mast and sail are easy to store onboard the kayak while under way and can be carried at all times to be used when the winds permit.

Picture 5 shows the rigging of the mast. A flush-mount rod holder provides a base for the mast. The mast easily slips into the rod mount. The lower mast support lines are then pulled back to the cleats at the cockpit and the sail raised upright and tensioned. In this position there is no stress on the rod holder itself and the mast becomes very rigid. Picture 6 shows the mast assembled and raised without the sail in place. The mast support lines are high enough to allow for paddling while the mast is in place. Picture 7 is the sail clipped to the top of the mast and the lower sail lines tied off at the cockpit to tension the lower portion of the sail.

Picture 8 is the sail in use. In this position it is held against the mast with a bungee cord on the lower mast. This allows for the paddler to quickly take down the sail and paddle. Picture 9 and 10 show the sail in use. These conditions were in light, variable winds but still provided enough to fill the sail. In picture 11 it can be seen that the sail can be shifted, in this case to the right, in order to catch the wind when it is not directly behind the paddler. This makes the sail very versatile as the wind can be quite a few degrees away from a direct tailwind, yet still provide forward movement. Picture 12 shows that the sail does interfere somewhat with forward vision but is narrow enough to lean to one side or the other to view what is in front of the kayak.

Adding a sail to your kayak can be a great advantage. In most cases the wind will favor your trip in one direction or the other. Being able to ride the wind for one way of the trip allows for longer-range trips that are faster and less stressful on the paddler.

If there are any questions on the mast, sail, construction or usage feel free to e-mail me at Michael_Uleski@hotmail.com.

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