How to Build a Canoe Sailing Rig

Turn your canoe into a mini-sailboat.

A day out with your canoe in the still waters or adrift in the rapids can be an exhilarating experience. Canoes offer a close connection to the water that few other boats offer. However, canoes can be modified to accommodate a sail, thereby creating a small sailboat for use in shallow water. A permanent sailing rig can be designed and set within the canoe, but it causes some inconveniences that few would want to overlook. Instead, you can build a semi-permanent rig allowing you the option of sailing your canoe without the out-of-pocket expense of a pre-built sailing kit.

Things You'll Need

• 6-foot, 1-inch by 3-inch oak
• 2 2-inch by 3-inch by 3-inch wood block
• 6 C-clamps
• Screwdriver
• Table saw
• Small hand drill
• Pencil
• 10 3 1/2-inch bolts
• 10 wing nuts
• Measuring tape
• 6-foot tube
• Glue
• Sandpaper
• Fiberglass hardening epoxy
• Varnish

Instructions

1. Locate the right spot for mounting the sail step, which holds the mast to canoe, connected at the bottom. The recommended place is slightly forward of the bow seat.

2. Build the sail step with wood. Measure the wood to two pieces -- 5 inches long and 7 inches long. Cut the wood to these lengths.

3. Drill a 2-inch hole in diameter through the 5-inch wood piece. Center the hole on the 7-inch wood piece, aligning it to a 1-inch fore and 1-inch aft.

4. Fill the 2-inch hole with fiberglass hardening epoxy, applying it to the longer wooden piece centered on the keel. This will allow you to screw in the step-up without damaging or piercing the hull.

5. Using the measuring tape, measure the widest point of your boat, adding a total of 6 inches to your measurement.

6. Build the sail thwart -- a fixed board at the base of the hull's interior -- securing 1-inch by 3-inch wood piece cut to the length of the 7-inch wood piece already in place.

7. Center the sail thwart over the 7-inch wood piece. Drill a 2-inch hole into the sail thwart's center.

8. Insert a 4- to 6-foot long plastic or aluminum tubing through the sail thwart. Secure it in place at the initial 7-inch wood piece affixed to the hull by the epoxy. This tubing will become your mast.

9. Line up the tube vertically with your framing square. Clamp the thwart to the gunwales (the upper edge of the boat's sides). Eyeball the thwart for tilt fore and aft. Make heavy marks at the thwart's underside on the inside and outside of the gunwales.

10. Lift the thwart away from the hull.

11. Cut a 2-inch by 3-inch by 3-inch piece of wood, shaving off 1/4-inch with your table saw. Place the wooden wedge under the inner gunwale on one side of the boat clamping it to the thwart. Repeat this step for the opposite side of inner gunwale.

12. Loosen the clamps enough to allow you to align them with the marks you made on the thwart. Drill into each block at the marks. Place screws into the bottom side of the blocks securing them in place. Place the thwart back into position at the clamps and snap it into place.

13. Repeat step 11 for the outer both sides of the outer gunwales. Secure them in place with your C-clamps.

14. Grasp the sail thwart and lift the boat. If the clamps to the wooden blocks and C-clamps are attached correctly, the boat will lift without a problem. Otherwise, retrace your set-up steps with the clamps to better secure them against the wooden blocks and gunwales.

15. Seal the wooden blocks at the sail thwart with a liberal application of waterproof glue.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful not to penetrate the hull when drilling.

• For a cleaner appearance, you can sand away any edges that are not flush with the gunwales.

• You can apply vanish to wooden areas after sanding them to a smooth surface.

References

• Canoe Sailing Magazine: Convertible Sailing Rig, Part 1