344 
Forest and Stream: 
THE SAILING CANOE AND ITS RIG 
HOW TO MANAGE THIS DELIGHTFUL LITTLE CRAFT WITH 
PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS ON BUILDING THE NECESSARY OUTFIT 
T WO summers ago my brother ana 
I bought a canoe, thereby acquir- 
ing something we had wanted all 
our lives. With the canoe came 
a sail, two of them in fact, a set of lee- 
boards and a rudder. The boat is an 
eighteen-foot “sponson” of a well-known 
make, and for general river use, I 
wouldn’t trade it for anything that I 
have ever seen — that is, in the canoe 
line. 
We were a little doubtful about sailing 
it, having been brought up with the idea 
that a canoe was the trickiest craft 
afloat, and though we both are fair 
swimmers, we did not relish being upset 
in the middle of the Potomac and having 
to tow our canoe in to the beach. Both of 
us are lazy, I am afraid. But not having 
to paddle was an idea which appealed to 
us mightily, so one breezy Saturday af- 
ternoon we stepped the mast, hoisted the 
sail and embarked on our initial voyage. 
Neither of us knew anything about 
sailing when we started, and that first 
afternoon was an education to us. Right 
off the bat we jibed, and the boom caught 
me a good one on the pate, raising a 
large knot and causing much sulphurous 
language. We had not tied the halyard 
properly, and a squall hitting us, blew 
down the sail just as we were trying to 
show off before three fair ladies in an- 
other canoe, much to our embarrassment. 
The leeboards came off and we went 
sailing down the river without them, 
and had to lower the sail and paddle 
back to pick them up. The canoe would 
not come about when we tried to tack 
and had to be urged strenuously with the 
paddle. Altogether it was a lovely af- 
ternoon, and my brother was disgusted 
(I was sailing the boat). One thing- we 
did learn was that it did not tip over as 
easily as we expected — in fact, we 
shipped no water at all — and the breeze 
was a good one. Also we had had a 
lot of fun. 
The result of this first trip was that 
we both became enthusiasts, and now if 
we have to paddle the canoe we feel very 
much injured. We have had as many as 
four in the boat, two girls and two men, 
and so far have not had a si_ngle ac- 
cident in the way of a spill. The canoe, 
when properly managed, makes a thor- 
oughly practical sailboat, and will stand 
a migbty hard blow. Running before a 
storm, I have had the bow lifted clear 
of the water from the force of the wind, 
and have also had the water curl up 
over the blades of the leeboards and run 
in the boat, we were going so fast. Run- 
ning with the wind she easily keeps pace 
with the average launch, even going up 
stream. It is great sport. 
We have been so successful, and are 
out in the canoe so much that she is 
pretty well known over a part of the old 
By WILLIAM D. LEETCH 
Georgetown waterfront, and I have had 
so many inquiries as to rigging the boat 
that I thought I would put what I have 
learned down on paper, in the hope that 
it might be of benefit to some other 
canoeist. 
'^HE outfit is simple, and if purchased, 
is not prohibitive to the average 
pocketbook. Most of it you can make 
yourself, with a little perseverance — some 
of it I will advise you to buy. It consists 
of a sail (lateen type, preferably) with 
mast and spars, and stepping for same, 
leeboards and rudder. This last is not 
essential, as the paddle can be used, many 
preferring it, but if you can make or buy 
a rudder by all means do so. It will 
certainly be worth your while in com- 
fort. 
If you are going to buy an outfit, let 
me give you a word of advice. Buy it 
from the people who made your canoe, 
/4 
•S/^otV/ZV'G 
if you know the make. I have found 
through the experience of others that 
you get more satisfaction by doing so. 
If you have an eighteen-foot canoe a 
lateen sail ten feet on a side is about the 
proper size. Anything larger is hard 
to manage until you are accustomed to 
It, and the one mentioned will answer 
any ordinary purpose and give most sat- 
isfaction. Do not be persuaded to buy 
a pair of leg-of-mutton sails and step 
one in the bow and one in the stern. 
They are nuisances and more of a novel- 
ty than of practical use. However, for 
bay or ocean sailing they are good on 
account of being set close to the boat, 
which keeps it from heeling over. Insist 
on a tall mast, at least nine feet for the 
above-mentioed sail. Ten feet is even 
a better length, as it allows you more 
space for adjustment of your sail, which 
I will explain later. Be sure you get 
deep leeboards, and adjustable ones. 
They answer the purpose of a keel on 
the canoe and prevent the boat making' 
leeway or skidding. Get the kind that 
are attached by a stick, and merely fit 
over the gunnels of your boat. Then 
if you hit a rock with them or beach 
the canoe they will tip up and let you 
slide over, and not splinter the gunnel 
or hook you hard aground. Also in 
racing they may be lifted out of the 
water easily, when running before the 
wind, reducing your water friction and 
adding to the speed of your boat. As to 
the rudder, any that will set well down 
in the water is all right. The whole out- 
fit when purchased should not cost you 
over $30.00. 
PNIRECTIONS for sailing are a diffi- 
cult matter to set down for a novice. 
The best way to learn is to put on a bath- 
ing suit, and provided you know how to 
swim, go to it. Otherwise I would 
strongly recommend carrying along a 
life-preserver, especially if your canoe 
is not a sponson. By no means take any- ■ 
one with you who does not know how ■ 
to swim until you have become thor- 
oughly proficient in handling your boat 
and know all of its whims and failings. 
The driving force is, of course, the ‘ 
wind and varies according to the direc- ! 
tion you are sailing in, the angle of the 
sail to the course of the wind and the 
strength of the breeze. Except when ! 
sailing directly before the wind, this 
motive force is made up of a series of 
resultant forces, best illustrated by the 
accompanying diagram. Let AB be the 
boat, GD the direction and force of the 
breeze, point D being at the mast on i 
which the sail pivots ; and let EF be the ' 
sail. Drop a perpendicular line to EF 
at D. From C drop another perpendicu- 
lar to this first line, intersecting it at G. 
From G drop another perpendicular to 
AB, intersecting it at H. Then HF 
will be the direction and amount of the 
driving force in this particular instance. ; 
By using similar diagrams and changing I 
the wind direction and force with the 
sail set, you will note the variation in 
resultant driving force. Also note hov. 
the driving force changes when the 
wind force is constant in direction and 
power and the set of the sail is varied. 
Another factor that enters into the driv- 
ing force is the area of your sail. The 
foregoing is a very literal explanation, 
and the writer will not attempt to go 
into the why and wherefore. The dia- 
gram is obtained from the' International 
Encyclop,Tdia, and it will be well for the 
reader to look up the subject of sailing 
in some competent treatise on the sub- 
ject. It is very interesting. 
There are a few don’ts to be men- 
tioned. Don’t hoist your sail until you 
have pushed off from the dock. Observ- 
ing this may save some paint on your 
boat. Don’t let your sail sit too low on 
the mast, so that when the boom swings 
