Barnacle Bill Magazine January 2016 | Page 18

Sailing Canoes

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Canoes cost less

Canoes typically cost less than boats. Why? well, simply because they don't require much in the way of .

Sailing canoes are the same, they are considerably narrower than boats although often longer. They don't require a lot of sail footage to drive them, they don;t need powerful motors. Because canoes are narrow, they can be pretty fast under sail. Whether you decide to buy a ready made boat or build one from scratch, the finished boat, the plans, purpose built masts and sails are all a lot cheaper than those designed for a boat.

5 reasons why

At Barnacle Bill Magazine we are passionate about lowering the bar to access boat adventures and sailing. Given the cost, transport and deployment issues that are associated with boat ownership, could sailing canoes be the answer for getting on the water cost effectively, quickly and easily? Here's 5 reasons why a sailing canoe could be the answer.

Sailing canoes can be multi purpose. Take a Canadian Style Open Canoe, these are remarkable boats, they are able to carry lhuge loads in proportion to their weight. The basic design was for getting furs and supplies across the great water routes of Canada. Therfore the boats had to be light enough for one or two men to carry but able to carry up to a tonne of cargo and crew.There are dozens of designs of open canoes out there, however, don't pick any old one if you want to use it for sailing. Hull design which is great for paddling isn't always the best for sailing. However, there are designs that can be suitable for both. This gives you numerous options. You can head off on holiday with the kids and on the roof of the car you could have a canoe, paddles a sailing rig and even an outboard or electric motor. This allows you to paddle, motor, fish, explore and sail all from the same boat set up.

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"Selkie" Waterman 16' Canoe designed by Selway Fisher and built by Osbert Lancaster in 2003. Osbert used her extensively on the Firth of Forth. She has been coverted for rowing with the addition or rowlocks and her rig is an "Expedition Rig" supplied by Solway Dory and is of ketch rig with two balanced lugsails. You can clearly see the udder and the lee board. Photo by Osbert Lancaster

Keith Morris of the OCSG has rigged his canoe for

ease of use, performance and safety. Photo Copyright Keith Morris

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Go to page 28 for a sailing canoe buyer's guide.