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Converting "Fly Fisher" into a sailboat.


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I was thinking of making a sailboat using the Fly Fisher as the base. Other than having to reinforce the frame to accomodate the stress from the mast and sail I think it will work nicely. One thing I am having trouble with is how to attach the daggerboard well to the skin at the bottom of the boat so it will be waterproof. If I attach the well before painting the skin I would have to fix it to the fabric with some type of waterproof adhesive. If I do that though the paint I put on will not be able to flow around the fibres and seal well. What I was thinking is that I could finish the frame without the daggerboard well, paint it, and then attach the well to the fabric using some kind of waterproof adhesive?

Anybody have any thoughts or ideas?

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lol,

I know there are people out there building SOF sailboats. I like the Annabelle at Gentry Custom Boats but since I have the draft for the Fly Fisher I thought I would use that instead. It has similar lines and, although a bit longer, fits into the style of sailing skiff I was thinking of putting together. I need something light that I could car-top easily enough. Do you have any designs in mind that would work better than the fly fisher (and are at the same price)?

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I am a sailor.  I have dreamed, raced, cruised and ocean passaged sailing over my entire life time.  Every sailboat, every boat period, is a compromise of parameters.  No design does everything well, but some do several things well.  Neither a kayak nor a canoe will ever sail well.  Yeah, I know, there are people who do it.  There are people who do lots of things.  That doesn't make it good.  I own a couple kayaks, a canoe, a sailing dinghy and a 27' cruising sailboat.  I won't pretend to know more about any of them than anyone else.  But I do know enough about all of them to speak with some expertise.  I have learned that to really enjoy sailing you need to buy or build a real sailboat.  Sit down and decide exactly what your parameters are.  What is your skill level?  Is taking on a hobby that requires a big learning curve your idea of fun?   Do you want to build or buy?  How many people will go with you?  Does it really have to cartop?  Or can you justify a trailer?  Do you want the boat to perform well on all points of sail?  Do you want to day trip? Cruise?  Camp/cruise?  Do you want to go fast?  Or is just getting around nicely?  Are you willing to exert physically to keep the boat upright?  Or do you want to lounge while sailing? Etc., etc., etc..  Only once you have figured all this out can you expect to figure out just what you need in a sailboat.  But what ever you do, if you expect to learn about sailing and really enjoy it, then build or buy a sailboat.

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Not trying to hijack Kudzu forum with other boats, but this looks like something maybe you could work with.

I found this boat called a Tboat. That I think could easily be made into a skin on frame, (and made a little more stylish) and with the outriggers it would be easy to adapt it to sailing with a small rig. I am thinking about building one this coming winter for my fiance since she doesn't like the idea of paddling a kayak(stability issue, she is a little bigger, and I showed her this and she said she would definitely paddle something that) The thing I don't like about it is the center of gravity would be high sitting on top, but I think it could be made more like a decked canoe and sit inside to lower the center of gravity, make a large cockpit with a homemade spray skirt to size. Looks like it would make a nice little stable backwater fishing boat too.

http://www.pocketyachtspot.com/

post-3940-0-03242000-1399514776_thumb.png

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Sorry Dave, I was not trying to be rude. I just didn't understand your first post. I certainly respect your opinion regarding boats and know that your woodworking skills are phenominal. I understand that you are saying converting a boat designed for rowing into a sailboat is not a good idea and I get it. The "Annabelle" is designed as a sailboat and would probably make a better choice. I also remember Robert Morris' book on SOF boats had a sailboat in it so I may have to revisit that option. As I will be on a limited budget and want a light 2 man boat to lazily explore local lakes I camp at I wanted to consider my options.

Msaxton, that is a very wild looking boat. I can imagine that as a SOF build too and will certainly check out the link. That being said I was thinking of something a little more traditional. My first idea was to build a small catamaran using SOF but I haven't seen anybody else doing it so I'm not sure how well that would work. A small sailboat will probably what I will end up doing.

Richard

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I didn't interpret your questions/comments as rude.  I just find that many people jump to conclusions about boats.  Some think that with no real knowledge of boat design they can make something work by guessing, or hoping, or wishing.  So many of us here are on limited budgets.  Even my 27 footer was a rescued derelict that I renovated at my former place of employment on a shoe string budget.  It just seems a shame to me to play guessing games when there is so much good info and so many good designs to work with.  Many people start trying to solve a problem before they even decide what the problem is or even researching whether others have already done it.  One click above the Kudzu section of this forum is a section on small sailboats (and a few power boats) designed by one of the best small boat designers in the world.  Even his smallest boats cost more than a SoF to build, but they are real sailboats designed for home building just like Jeff's kayaks.

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I was going to build a CS-20 originally. Sold my Cal 21 and built our new house. Decided to build another kayak to paddle while I built the sailboat. Tried my first SOF design and the rest is history. Finally sold my plans since it was obvious I would never build it.  I would live to find a CS-17 local at a fair price but that isn't going to happen.

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I will second those Core Sound boats. Lots of boat, there.

Also, Richard, people DO build SOF sailboats. They also build sailboats from plastic bottles, and concrete.

Dave is right about a good sailboat. It makes sailing fun. So do good sails.

I have built some turds.

Don't break too many rules until you learn them fairly well.

That pointy triangle boat looks like a death trap. I'd want my buoyancy further forward.

Then again, what do I know? I never listen. Just ask my mom, or wife, or kids...

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Richard, people DO build SOF sailboats. They also build sailboats from plastic bottles, and concrete.

Does that mean you wouldn't recommend using SOF for a sailboat? If so, what are your concerns? I've seen a couple of published plans from what I would consider reliable sources but not having sailed much I don't know what to look for. Your feedback, as well as the rest of the members of this forum is always welcome. :)

Richard

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Not trying to hijack Kudzu forum with other boats, but this looks like something maybe you could work with.

I found this boat called a Tboat. That I think could easily be made into a skin on frame, (and made a little more stylish) and with the outriggers it would be easy to adapt it to sailing with a small rig. I am thinking about building one this coming winter for my fiance since she doesn't like the idea of paddling a kayak(stability issue, she is a little bigger, and I showed her this and she said she would definitely paddle something that) The thing I don't like about it is the center of gravity would be high sitting on top, but I think it could be made more like a decked canoe and sit inside to lower the center of gravity, make a large cockpit with a homemade spray skirt to size. Looks like it would make a nice little stable backwater fishing boat too.

http://www.pocketyachtspot.com/

 

This would by cool with a jet drive, can't picture it with a greenland paddle

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Hobie builds a kayak-based trimaran - the Adventure Island single and double - that sails very well. The drawbacks to the boat are that it's HEAVY for a kayak. Most of the weight is in the basic polyethylene hull, but there's also a lot of stiffening and rigging. The sail alone is EXPENSIVE! The main hull is expensive. The research and engineering that went into the design and development is EXPENSIVE! 

 

It's possible you could engineer a similar boat, but I'm afraid Hirilonde is right. It would be a far bigger undertaking than it appears to be and you might not have what you want when you finish.

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Sailing kayaks that can make any speed, that means outriggers, are WET! Lots of spray and just a sloppy ride from what I have seen. I miss sailing and seriously looked at sailing one of my kayaks but the more I looked, the less I liked it.

 

I decided on a something designed for sailing. Make a deeper, taller hull with outriggers.  the more I worked on it the more complicated it to put together and take apart. Or I could trailer it. The more I worked on it, the more issues I ran into and while totally doable, it didn't keep with the easy to build, cheap and simple philosophy of my boats. suddenly it just wasn't worth it to me. So, for now anyway, I have dropped the idea. 

 

I still want a fast and simple trimaran set up but it just not on the radar.

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I've seen a catamaran made up of 2 kayaks and a sailing/boating rig also made with polyethylene. I thought the idea was interesting as you can either have a sailboat or two kayaks depending on your whims. A couple of Ravenswoods coupled with a sail, a dagger board, and a rudder sounds nice to me. Hey Jeff, would this count as 1 Ravenswood build if I make a catamaran out of it? jk lol

http://www.switchsports.co.nz/switch-multi/#http://www.switchsports.co.nz/wp-content/gallery/switch/color-range.jpg

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Sailing kayaks that can make any speed, that means outriggers, are WET! Lots of spray and just a sloppy ride from what I have seen.

Yup, and any good kayak design will always be wet at planing speeds.  Kayak are displacement hulls, they go through the water.  They do not lift up onto the water and plane when they exceed hull speed (square root of the waterline length times 1.4).

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