Convert your ordinary kayak into a sailing rig for under a hundred bucks. Detailed description and plastic welding demonstration. GeoCities website at the end of the video no longer exists, sorry.
Пікірлер: 221
@danieldudoit46167 жыл бұрын
9 years later I just want to say that you are a DIY LEGEND sir.
@coffeefish10 жыл бұрын
The flex in the mast is probably keeping you from capsizing. When the wind is strong and the mast flexes, that will de-power the sail. You add a stiffer mast and the boat will on it's side faster than you can say "oh shit."
@vulkrisАй бұрын
This video inspired me so much. Taking old and broken things and making them into something new and functional.
@zoffinger10 жыл бұрын
Not often do I see someone rigging out a cheap kayak as well as I do ;)
@Weeble_Warbles5 жыл бұрын
Lol I am not surprised to see you in this comment section. Did you ever make a kayak sailboat build?
@yamascott10 жыл бұрын
Your camera work captured the details of your project really well. I like your innovation.
@stevew2786 жыл бұрын
I wanted to say something 4 years ago but couldnt think of anything
@doctorcad15578 жыл бұрын
Thanks for posting your video. It was one of the few I kept returning to on youtube for inspiration and ideas for my own rig which I finished about a month ago(video posted today). I really like what you did here and it helped me to build mine. This is a great way for people to have their own personal sailboat that can go on the car top and be launched with just one person. Great idea! Thanks again
@RLZerr9 жыл бұрын
9 years and still sailing the same rig. Sail is a bit tattered now. I did change the rudder control mechanism. Shown in another video.
@Audfile7 жыл бұрын
can you cross the ocean like this?
@markquintonii7 жыл бұрын
Absolutely not, you won't be able to store enough food or water for such a long voyage on a 10 ft kayak. All these rec yaks were not really designed to deal with waves at all.
@effyoo60817 жыл бұрын
Audfile don't let some guy tell you you can't do it! YOU can do anything. What ocean are you crossing? I'll bet this would take me the 50 miles to the Bahamas from Wpb where I live. Would that not be "crossing ocean"?
@Audfile7 жыл бұрын
Eff Yoo Bahamas, sounds nice. I live North to where if I jumped off my boat shirtless for a nice swim it would be instantly regretted and I'd be unconscious within 20 minutes.
@Joewalshe389 жыл бұрын
Brilliant. Love the way you used what you can find but still went to the trouble of doing it right.
@RLZerr9 жыл бұрын
thanks. re-purposing is fun!
@kmattorney3 жыл бұрын
Wow...I am beyond impressed. I learned SO much about building and repairing (in general) from this one AWESOME creative invention. I have a 10 ft sit in Pelican and am thinking of some kind of sailing modification. Great idea!
@cubanlock1512 жыл бұрын
Man, this is great. Highly detailed, easy to do, no major modifications, and I really appreciate that you didn't try to monetize it by selling plans or something. Thanks!
@michaelwebb87889 жыл бұрын
I just bought a new kayak and was thinking about re-purposing my old one into a sail boat like this. Cool video and good ideas on display here for a DYI conversion. I was thinking about pedal rudder controls on mine. Thanks for the tips and tricks. Nice work!
@skyjss8 жыл бұрын
Excellent description and portrayal of how to make this thing work. Nice job!
@billybones588 жыл бұрын
Brother, I like your style. Making something out of nothing. Bravo!
@Iaapwm9 жыл бұрын
Brilliant video, thank you,, from Lismore NSW Australia.
@makenchips10 жыл бұрын
Just awesome - love your invention ship and craftsmanship - applaud your efforts! I like your simple overview on how you used your plastic welder and methods. I wish other would take the time also. Great inspiration - when you don’t want to invest a lot of dollars in a craft that you are not going to use all the time but want to do the same - thanks
@alienfromirth15 жыл бұрын
Thanks for putting this up! It inspired me to hang on to my old rotomolded CD Squall and outfit the thing for sailing. Only kayak sailing I have done was when I lashed the 2 halves of my spare paddle together in a T and tied my rain parka to it...
@satbum285010 жыл бұрын
Very nice work.. I love your ingenuity. Thanks for sharing!
@JohnDoe-lw3qn10 жыл бұрын
This is great. I may give this a try with my kayak. Thank you for sharing!
@FortYort7 жыл бұрын
This is incredible! I wish I had the skills & tools to try this out...someday. Also very cool to see that wrecked boat out on the water.
@RLZerr3 жыл бұрын
It finally got cleaned up and hauled off some years after the hurricane
@pattirayne12433 жыл бұрын
Amazing job and love your choice of musical outro!
@punasurf4697 Жыл бұрын
This is more complicated and larger than I need, but as a DIYer myself, you did an awesome job on this.
@1biskitrocksdrums10 жыл бұрын
Brother your a genius! !! Well done
@consumeless15 жыл бұрын
That's a really well done video, and a great project. I'll be using it as inspiration.
@unclejack1237 жыл бұрын
Very creative and well engineered project ...... JRW
@gregwesthoff62069 жыл бұрын
you did a great creating that sail rigging.
@davidmacleod76463 жыл бұрын
Well done, ingenious and fun!
@RLZerr11 жыл бұрын
John, you are right about depowering in gusts. I try to avoid sailing during unstable winds.
@redangelleo13 жыл бұрын
Great job! I love it when people invent their own freedom, and make it WORK!
@dddave99912 жыл бұрын
Nice ideas to solve problems. Well done. Thanks for posting.
@Pedroskini14 жыл бұрын
Wow, how cool is that ?! Great job, very ingenious.
@chrisortiz2640 Жыл бұрын
Wow! This is amazing! Now I want to make one!
@cristosanto8155 жыл бұрын
You are a genius my man! Thanks 🙏🏾
@MrJoeyBoombotz13 жыл бұрын
I enjoyed this video a lot. Very nice work.
@drewhon7 жыл бұрын
What a GREAT video. Thanks for sharing.
@dixieoutlaw4x415 жыл бұрын
great job! and excellent walk thru in the video!
@H20214 жыл бұрын
Fantastic job.you are the modern day Inuit, builing stuff from what is washed up on the beach great video.
@kitt2000car7 жыл бұрын
I'am doing something similar with my 8ft clinker style sailing dinghy. Adding a second sail which will act as a genoa. Zap strapped a second mast to the original one, As the new sail is taller then the main. Bow sprit and new mast made out of pcp pipe.
@chasingwaves114 жыл бұрын
Man that is awesome!!! Nice job man !!
@etwalgade2 жыл бұрын
This is awesome, I have been looking at doing something similar, and this was very helpful.
@RLZerr11 жыл бұрын
good luck with it and hope it works out. I look at it, if you get tired of paddling the same open waters endlessly month after month, year after year, adding a sail to harness all that free wind energy can bring the enjoyment back.
@1234superduper4 жыл бұрын
Nice sail rig. Good job.
@oldetavern13 жыл бұрын
Great idea and a well done video! Thanks for posting this :-)
@JosephMelia12 жыл бұрын
Great Job... You have inventiveness and skills,I don't know how you can keep upright without an outrigger while sailing though.I suppose,with your abilities it wouldn't be much of a challenge to add a leeboard and outriggers...Kudos to you sir.Good luck with it.
@oldetavern11 жыл бұрын
Great video! Very well explained :)
@fie123112 жыл бұрын
have done something like that and have experimented with kayaks canoes windsurfers and dinghyes and rowing boats so this video was just wonderful and showed Im not crazy all alone lol very good -keep up the good work Michael Denmark 54
@crazycarlsworld12 жыл бұрын
cool dude i just bought a watkins 25 and keeo her at broosk landing and i am just learning to sail. your project is something i could use as a ship to shore device at a reasonable cost hope to see you out there soon ,crazy carl
@ricardorios32327 жыл бұрын
muy buena idea, felicitaciones desde España
@JadedTheDragon11 жыл бұрын
HEY Ft walton ! very nice I'm in Crestview now but enjoy those beaches every year with the kids.. pensacola beach moved me inland after hurricane Ivan '04, happy sailing see ya out there man.
@Dave5126213 жыл бұрын
That really moves! Great ideas!
@mattybignose18583 жыл бұрын
Really informative - thanks!
@kimdannykim10 жыл бұрын
Very nice work and video
@JosephMelia12 жыл бұрын
Great job...looks like fun too.
@davidworld2k615 жыл бұрын
i love it best diy vid on sail modifying
@nicholasnoble14 жыл бұрын
@RLZerr Awesome! I actually got a aluminum mast now, its 3/4" but I found out it still bends, I found a wooden dowel that fits so I shoved it in there and that did the trick.
@RELAXPRIM4 жыл бұрын
Great job 👍
@RLZerr11 жыл бұрын
some kayaks do come with sail fittings, the more expensive upper end models. This kayak was a simple $325 model from a local sporting goods store.
@hdrjunkie11 жыл бұрын
that sir, is really, really, cool! thanks!!
@Beyondthebackyard-au3 жыл бұрын
Very nice build.
@stevek48677 жыл бұрын
excellent job
@RLZerr11 жыл бұрын
polyethylene. It's easy to weld. PVC is hard to weld as it's composition breaks down at temperatures just above it's melt point so is very tricky. You can weld ABS, Polypropylene and others with correct rod. PEX doesn't melt well and bond so don't use that tubing. Most kayaks are Polyethylene. Some are fiberglass. I've heard of Ram-X but have not played with it.
@RLZerr15 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the great ideas!
@brachino11 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing , Well done !
@jimvette0661010 жыл бұрын
Try schedule 80 PVC for the mast, it's considerably stronger than schedule 40 from the hardware store.
@bigeeee3348 жыл бұрын
I didn't look to see how long ago you posted but a easy fix ( instead of carbon fiber mask or aluminum mask) could be to find some metal electrical conduit that fits inside your mask. That might help the flex and be cheaper than other fixes
@DPJ599 жыл бұрын
Well done, and good job making video too. I am thinking of adapting an old Dagger Delta SOT kayak to have sailing capabilities, and may try to incorporate some of your ideas to fit with my own situation. I already own a Hobie Kayak sail (no longer have the Hobie kayak) that I would like to use for this.It has an aluminum mast that may solve the problems you've had with the flex in the pvc mast. (I understand part of your purposes was to do this with simple cheap materials). I need to find a way similar to yours to create a sleeve to insert the bottom of mast. I also own a rudder kit that I bought years ago (at great expense) and never used, that would replace the foot braces in the Dagger, for the steerage control. Not sure if I can use that or not, or if rudder size is adequate for sailing. If not, a version of your design may come in to play. A couple of things I wonder about with your design - I assume that you have to enter the kayak at a bit of depth in order to have the centerboard and rudder in place. Do you find this to be easy? Will one of the store bought outrigger accessories (with inflatable pontoons) sold for Hobies work as well as your centerboard? Or is a centerboard necessary to be able to tack up wind? (I have a lot to learn about the physics involved in successful sailing). Anyway, as I said, great video - I enjoyed watching. And thanks for taking the time to produce and share it with others!
@RLZerr9 жыл бұрын
When I launch will set up in about 16 inches of water, put on the centerboard and rudder first, tip the kayak about 30 degrees to get at the bottom easy. Then grab the sail already assembled on shore and install it last. No problem getting in , sit down back first into the seat. You do need a centerboard of some kind to sail 90 degrees or up to 45 degrees into the wind. Tacking back and forth at 45 degrees or so you can zigzag upwind. Without a centerboard you will always end up downwind any direction you can sail.
@crawford323 Жыл бұрын
I am quite fond of leeboards. Although more complicated, I think small leeboards would be rather fun and challenging.
@macrumpton15 жыл бұрын
Nice project, and really exceptional video. If you do change your rudder arrangement you might consider using a large door hinge for the pivot instead of the PVC. If you change the tiller on the rudder to a "T" and have the ropes go to the top ends of the "T" it should give you the leverage to get a sharper turn. It is quite impressive how well the boat sails!
@tlsimpao5 жыл бұрын
Brilliant work! I've got to see how you built the rudder.
@ymanganelli9 жыл бұрын
Great job!!!
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
When I first built this I did not have the orange 1 1/4" thick wall polyethylene conduit. The centerboard mount was a piece of 1 1/4" PVC pipe epoxied to an aluminum plate that was heated and slightly melted flat into the kayak. Extra polyethylene was melted and squeezed tight around the edges of the plate to seal it. this did eventually loosen and started leaking. Luckily shortly after that I found the conduit and replaced the assembly. I've picked up another scrap piece along a road recently.
@jjseandxcefree8 жыл бұрын
so basically it appears if you use the sail your kayak gets super tippy and you need the pontoons?
@jameschang43413 жыл бұрын
Very nice and fun too
@RLZerr14 жыл бұрын
@dmitrioguz Yes, that's why the extra layers and welds around the center riser pipe that holds the centerboard stem. Lots of force when at speed, as well as on the mast. The centerboard has broken off a few times and had to be repaired. Usually from running aground. I always have a PFD.
@moonolyth3 жыл бұрын
Great info on the pipe sizing.. a big deal for DYS. H.Freight has a good heating iron with blower. I'm surprised the JB is holding on to PVC did it work well for long?
@RLZerr11 жыл бұрын
in nice smooth winds that aren't kicking up whitecaps tacking is effective
@PimDonatz12 жыл бұрын
i followed your idea by welding plastic. This way i made a clamp for the ruder, and hole and foot for the mast. regards, Pim see : kayak sailing pim
@HighOnLife19855 жыл бұрын
You just solved my rudder steering problem. *gets down on knees; bows* I'm not worthy.
@dixee64985 жыл бұрын
Nice work 😀
@boneyxx9 жыл бұрын
Grate!!! Congrats!!!
@RLZerr11 жыл бұрын
David, I am on the other side of town. I like to go kayaking / sailing in the sound
@Shhaz4jec9 жыл бұрын
Well done...
@bongoslide4 жыл бұрын
Thinking you could use paddles as outriggers if you carry 4?As a white water kayaker I know how unstable a kayak can be.
@electrichospital12 жыл бұрын
Well done and very creative. How have you changed it since your initial design? Or how would you make it more robust other than stiffen the mast and boom? How does it point into the wind compared to Snark or Sunfish? Thanks for sharing.
@ScrambyEggs12311 жыл бұрын
I love it! gets my brain gears turning for project ideas for my kayak! is it easy for you to tack upwind in this?
@ArthurSteagallConde13 жыл бұрын
Fantastic! easy to do and it really works...lets improve a sulution for its structural weakness at the centerboard (my sugestion)
@starpilot1016 жыл бұрын
This is a good idea not sure why it's not sold as a mod kit. Or sailboat kayak hybrids. They are one of the most streamlined and easily steered boats perfect for small sails.
@TheBeaker5911 жыл бұрын
Flex in the mast is a good thing as it would depower the sail in gusts making it easier to stay upright.personally I think the area needing most improvement would be sail shape and cut. Good looking project though I like the centerboard setup thats pretty cool.
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
@PimDonatz Awesome! What kind of welder? I've also done a number of plastic welds on other projects using a large magnifying or Fresnel lens and sunlight. And a pair of VERY dark sunglasses! Must be careful as it can quickly overheat and burn so practice on scrap.
@akris250c9 жыл бұрын
Brilliant man
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
I'm thinking of enlarging the sail for more speed in low winds. I have a larger carbon fiber non-flexing mast now that I have yet to install. The current sail is about 29-30 sq feet now, maybe go larger as much as 40 sq feet without an outrigger. I want to keep it as simple as possible and feel confident body weight alone will keep it upright :).
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
Sorry late response. I've thought about changing the centerboard mount to a sleeve to fit the board so it can be pulled up to clear land and would be the strongest way to mount it. Just like in a Laser, Sunfish, Snark, etc. Successfully fabricating a functional sleeve from sheet polyethylene and welding it around a slot in the kayak would be a tough job with a small welder but is an idea to ponder, and I might just try it :)
@michaelcummins24649 жыл бұрын
I can see the necessity for the rutter but could you explain the reason behind using the middle aluminum plate. In the video you said it allows the boat to have power to go forward even with a side-wind, can you explain how in more depth. I'm really interested in learning how to sail and am thinking of trying this but on a canoe. Any thoughts?
@JulianRamirezChannel8 жыл бұрын
+michael cummins The centerboard (middle aluminum plate) prevents the kayak from moving sideways when the force from the sails is pushing perpendicular to the kayak.
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
Sorry late response. The hickory rake handle fits tight in the 1" heavy duty PVC mast but it still flexes too much. It has never broken though. I'm still sailing with it but now have a two and a quarter inch diameter carbon fiber mast that tapers down towards the top. It came from an old windsurfer. I want to use the existing 1 1/4 mast mount but haven't figured the best way to adapt it. I've been looking at some aluminum and PVC fittings.
@springing11 жыл бұрын
Very cool!
@kicknit797 жыл бұрын
great job
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
On plastic welding, a person could get by without a welder and plastic weld rod. Two polyethylene surfaces can be carefully heated to melt temperature and joined together for a superior bond. They MUST be the same grade of polyethylene though. You can join LDPE and HDPE (low density and high density polyethylene) but the bond will not be as strong. Most kayaks are HDPE. A plastic welder is best, but you can use a heat gun (larger areas) or a large magnifying lens (with dark shades and caution)
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
No, never any leakage. Even at the part that is blocked from welding from the top due to the seat being in the way. Two plastic surfaces welded together is virtually just as strong as the material itself, and it is reinforced with extra polyethylene as shown, and welded again. It's never cracked, leaked or otherwise come lose in 7 years. It gets bumped by legs, feet, cargo, etc.. The top of the riser tube is over 2 inches higher than the water will come up even with a heavy load.
@RLZerr12 жыл бұрын
@masterofsurvival Keeping the kayak light is a priority to me. I wanted it simple, easy to carry and launch from anywhere. I don't think a lead keel would be a good idea myself. No need worrying about tipping in a sudden strong gust. Once used to the feel of the rig and how it handles. The quick rudder and sail control is instantly responsive on such a small craft. Strong gust, just quickly turn into the wind more or let the sail out some. I've never tipped while sailing.
@davidhylton43054 жыл бұрын
A wooden dowel inside the mast will stiffen immensely doesn’t have t be all the way 2/3 perhaps . I used that design in the seventies on homemade sail craft inside thin aluminum should work for plastic as well
@Radnally7 жыл бұрын
Very elegant design. Would outriggers help at all?