Modifying a sit-on-top kayak to be a seaworthy sailer

Robert Hess, Los Angeles, California

I have been planning to cross to Catalina, an island some 20+ miles off the Southern California coast, by sailing kayak for quite some time. After two years of dreaming, planning, designing, building, and testing, my plans finally came to fruition in June of this year. 

This series is an account of my first crossing to - and my ensuing circumnavigation of - Catalina Island. But first, I thought I'd tell you some technical details of my boat and sail rig. Let me start with the design criteria.

Design Criteria

To reach Catalina Island, I would have to cross 22+ mi. of open ocean with the Westerly sea breeze on my starboard beam. Being able to paddle only about half the distance, I would have to sail the remaining 10 miles or so. The problem with my existing setup, a Pacific Action sail sans leeboard, was that I made way too much leeway under sail. For every mile travelled towards the island, I drifted downwind for almost half a mile, depending on wind conditions and swells. Over a 10+ mi. stretch, this meant that I might miss Catalina Island altogether.

Based upon my experience from years of paddling and sailing in the Catalina Channel, my sense was that I would need a boat that fit the following criteria:

1. Efficient paddling for 10-15 miles in the open ocean, and ability to safely launch through mild to moderate surf.
2. Versatile sailing performance, i.e.:
-  the ability to sail on a beam reach in open water conditions for 10+ miles at paddling speed or better without excessive leeway;
- the ability to sail safely downwind - fully loaded-  in potentially steep ocean swells; and
- the ability to paddle-sail comfortably over long distances in very low wind conditions.
3. Good ergonomics, comfort, and the ability to dive off the boat and reenter.
4. Copious stowage for camping, sailing and free-diving gear.
5. Uncompromising seaworthiness: safety before speed.
6. Ease of use, portability, light weight/car-toppable (no more than 75 pounds total), sail(s) can be rigged/derigged on the water in most conditions.

Design and Building

Finding a boat and sail rig that matched my design criteria proved to be challenging. Having no prior experience with boat design, much less boat building, I was limited in my selection to commercially boats, sail rigs, and parts. 

I spent countless hours on the Internet researching and weighing available options. Some I dismissed out of hand, others got me thinking.

Hobie's then new kayak sailing trimaran, for example, the Hobie Islander was impressive, meeting many of my criteria except that it was not designed to be paddled except in emergencies.  It was also much heavier, about 110 lbs., than the weight I was aiming for, and didn't offer enough stowage.

Another contender, on the other end of the spectrum, was what is known as a Tasmanian sail rig. Traditionally used by hardcore sea kayakers around the windswept island of Tasmania, Australia, these rigs essentially involve a simple one-meter sprit sail mounted on a 1" aluminum mast sunk into the foredeck. When not in use, the sail is wrapped around the mast and stored in a plastic tube tied to the deck. I was attracted by their simplicity, light weight and ease of use. Plus they could be combined with almost any kayak, my preferred paddle craft. But it soon became clear that without a leeboard, a Tasmanian sail rig would not allow me to hold a course across the wind, especially over long distances like the Catalina Channel.