aluminium dingy sail conversion

I have a 12 foot aluminium dingy with a planing hull. How hard is it to convert it to sail.

 

Waterballast, Quintrex did some in the 70s, painted 'em green & called them the apple dingy, didn't sail too good especially to windward & anything will sail(blow) downwind anyway, the thoughts got some merit say to set up a nice fish drift or to bring you home after a breakdown if the winds right, consider that sailing dinghys are pretty cheap on ebay or trading post & are allready set to go, I got a 12' paffin pacer on rego trailer that sails& rows well for $640A on ebay. Regards from Jeff

 

Aluminium dinghy sail conversion

It's been my experience that you can fit a sail to just about anything - even a raft - and it'll move 'down wind'. But as Jeff (waikikin) points out in most other pionts of the compass they 'sail' like a lump of 'sh*t'.
The first thing you'll need is some form of keel, a daggerboard, wayboards (see illustrations of the Dutch botters) or such, to counteract the force of wind against the sail. Remember the simple description of sail propulsion - squeeze an orange pip between your fingers - and zap...you have foreward motion. It's the keel which stops the wind pushing you sideways without foreward progress. Next experiment with different sail patterns. Suggest you start with something simple - a sprit sail or dipping lug; neither need tall masts. When you feel comfortable with the craft's handling then you can think of rigging a bermuda, gaff or whatever takes your aesthetic fancy. And don't forget to carry some 'shifting' ballast (Bags of sand are cheap). Stops you turning turtle. Good luck.