Beau

To whomever read this thread and was curious, the rig previously described does sail. It's not elegant or refined but I've never been sailing before and I was able to sail this thing. It's easy to make and operate. If you have an idea you think may work, try it. Turns out out being open minded can pay off!

Hirilonde, I appreciate your input. I am no true sailor, so I have the fortune of not knowing what I'm missing on a proper boat in terms of speed, performance, etc. I'll be blown away if I can get it to hold any kind of course at a reach let alone a close haul. The main purpose here is to even see if it's possible. I've already started, might as well finish. Do you have any ideas that might make this ridiculous idea feasible?

Hello all, I'm trying to make a sailing rig for my inflatable Sevylor 4 person colossus. The idea is to be able to fit the rig and the boat in my car. Kayaks, canoes and any car topper sailboat would be preferred but for the moment I'm working with what I've got. Any help is appreciated and I thank you in advance. I'm looking to make a lateen style sail and spars supported by a T frame (two planks of wood perpendicular to each other). Since my "boat" does not have an inflatable keel or a v shaped hull (it's flat), I have two leeboards mounted to the frame which lies above the grey seat. I understand that the centroid of the sail and the leeboards must be aligned for balance, but what is the leeboard to sail ratio? I want to sail windward but on a soft inflatable this will be a challenge. Some sites I've used to explore this topic are as follows: http://www.boatbuilding-links.de/Jim-Michalak/sail-math-and-thoughts-of.html http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/4971-leeboard-aspect-ratio/ http://www.sailboatstogo.com/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Inflatable-Sailboat/ I don't have pictures of my rig at the moment, but I've attached a factory pic of the boat I'm working with. Any thoughts?