Kayak - trimaran, trying to find the best first toy

My Dad and I built the CLC SHearwater double and are working on the sail kit. THe hopped-up one in the picture is the CLC Shearwater single most likely. That is a custom rig and the hull is carbon over okume instead of Fiberglass over okume.

 

I like this

all though its really only a concept sketch would be awesome if someone made it reality

http://proafile.com/view/magazine/article/hypersprite_5.5_transporter

I love proafile

 

The CLC sailrig allows you to remove the outriggers and sail and still have your kayak. It will just be a little bit heavier. Any rudder for sailing needs to be bigger than a kayaking rudder. Kayaks are fun because they are lite and easy to paddle. Adding anything that is heavier and in the way will make it a dog. Just take the sailrig off and have fun. The only criticism that I have seen about the CLC rig is that it does not easily tack. Probably a combination of leeboards too far forward and too small of a rudder. The Warren boat might have taken care of this with the fixed boards in the floats. The center board is what real single purpose boats use, its just going to be in the way when you take the rig off.

Don't expect anything to be perfect just get going.

The outriggers for the CLC are 100# displacement at the deck, don't expect to sail real fast or raise the center hull. Which means there is no reason for a much larger sail.

If you increase the size of the outriggers, beef up the cross arms to take the bigger load, beef up the hull to take the outriggers, add a bigger sail, with a bigger centerboard and rudder you will probably need to make the depth of the hull greater so you don't drive the bow underwater, etc., etc. At this point you just need to look at known designers Trimaran sail only designs, cause you just ruined the Kayak.

The wooden boat on the first page really looks good doesn't it?

Good luck

 

SMG's Ninja Pro

Hi Peter. I've tried a couple of times now, and emails to the makers of the Ninja Pro come back undeliverable. Do you have any other info on these? Similar plans out there? Anyone who's got one etc?

thanks, Steve

 

The CLC sailrig can be applied to just about any kayak. The amas have 100# displacement at the shearline, so is just a stabilized kayak, not able to fly the main hull. The standard sail was not designed by sailors, so if you want a kayak that can sail, it might be OK. If you want a sailboat from a kayak, get a better sail rig like the one above with the carbon mast and all the controls. The sailrig is generally criticised as being difficult to tack, the leeboards appear to be too far forward, one other issue is the typically straight keel line which retards tacking. Multihulls generally take some learning to tack well, but it is still possible. Its just that if you have other design issues it compounds the problems.

I really like the Warren tri, but there was a report of an Everglades Challange contestant who gave up before the first day, supposedly because that day was choppy and he complained that he was underwater all the time. Kayaks of all types have a very low freeboard.

If you watch the Ninja pro video you will realize that the amas are relatively small, the sailor has to continually back off the sail pressure to keep them above the water. When he is just on the edge of too much pressure there is a tremendous spray from both front and back akas which must really stop the boat. Larger amas would allow you to sail the boat to the potential of the sail rig. It is a really good looking boat though.

With all that said I still want one (kayak sailing trimaran) for my self. Just bigger amas, a good quality sail rig, center or daggerboard, and more freeboard (then it will not be a Kayak, I suppose).

It looks like great fun in a light weight package, but a very wet ride in a blow.

Marc

 

to Kootz

in regards to an email address for the Ninja Pro people
I will send you an email address that 100 percent worked a few months back when I was getting permission to use the photos on my site

Jerome Watts is his name
i am sure he will have details

i am not able to say if things have changed in the time since I emailed him

I did hear through the grapevine that these boats were being production built in Brazil

check your private messages

 

this was the email address that I used to get photo permission of Ninja Pro from my site

jeroen (at) g-forceyachts.com
substiture @ for (at) and remove the spaces and thats it
not sure if this is the same email address as you have been using

 

hi

one last email
here are some more email addresses fro ninja pro

http://www.sail-the-difference.com/home/deutsch/kontakt/

as to other plans
wharram melanesia you can definatly buy plans
chris white dragonfly.. you used to be able to buy plans (do not know if things have changed)
Kurt Hughes has a fast small trimaran too

In some ways, putting together a few sheets of 6mm plywood, and making something long and sleek and doing dimensions by eye is a valid technique too

 

That's great!

I did email Jeroen, he thought I wanted to buy the molds....lol...so hopefully he'll get back to me with just info re: plans.

I'm also waiting on Chris White's email re: dragonfly.

I'm going to download some design software recommended elsewhere on this site and see what happens....