The placement of you and your sail rig in the
canoe is part science and part of the art of sailing
well. In order to sail safely and under control, it is
essential to obey the physical laws of balance. In order
to sail with aplomb under challenging weather conditions,
it is essential to understand how to balance your rig.
The best part about sailing a canoe is that you learn
about the harmony of the elements inside the canoe with
those elements outside the canoe. One note of warning: it
is not quick and not as easy as it looks!
Balancing the Rig
When you use a regular sailboat, the rig is already
balanced and ready to sail. When you install a rig on a
canoe, it is necessary to determine where to install the
rig so that it will be balanced and safe. Balance is the
ability to steer the boat in a straight direction and in
a stable, controlled manner with minimal stress under
varying conditions of speed and weather.
Let's say you have a complete rig and a canoe. Find
the center of the canoe and sit there. With your legs
facing forward, the leeboard thwart goes approximately
over your knees. When sailing, it is easiest to control
the boat if you sit near the leeboard thwart.
Mast Step and Leeboard Thwart Placement
The mast step should be placed in relation to the
location of the leeboard thwart and vice-versa for a
balanced rig. It is recommended that you start by using
secure clamps to attach the leeboard thwart to the
gunwales so that you can make adjustments.
Find the center of
effort (CE) of the sail. Mark the spot with tape. The
center of effort of the sail should be over the leeboard
thwart and then move it a little aft. If you cannot move
the sail aft, move the leeboard thwart forward. (You can
find the optimal position when you sail by fine tuning
through trial and error.) The leeboard provides the
center of lateral resistance or the CLR. An instructional
book on sailing will explain how the vertical
relationship of the CE and the CLR provides the driving
force to make the sailboat move forward.
The location of the mast step goes forward according
to the dimensions, or the width, of the sail. If you are
using your canoe with the seats in it, the back thwart of
the bow seat may be a good location for the mast step.
The greater the distance from the CE to the CLR, the
harder it is to control, or steer. Some people who use a
44 square foot lateen sail, depending on the width of the
sail, set the mast thwart about 26 or 27 inches from the
leeboard thwart, or 24 inches when using a Marconi
sail.
Sailing the Canoe
With a thwart for a backrest, a nice day, and enough
flotation to fill about half the canoe, check it out!
(Roughly, there is an inverse relationship between the
amount of flotation you have in your canoe and the amount
of flotation you may need.) Both pivoting the leeboard up
and down and moving your weight fore and aft are the
easiest ways to affect the balance of your sail rig. Fine
tuning can mean leaning forward or putting a leg on the
gunwale. You may want to use your foot to move the
leeboard up and down slightly as you become experienced
in your boat. Sailing with the hull flat, sitting in the
bottom of the canoe, is more effective than heeling the
canoe.
To bring the bow toward the wind move your weight
forward. It should not be necessary to paddle in order to
turn the sailing canoe around. Not only can you adjust
your weight and the sail, one at a time, but you can
adjust the leeboard by pivoting it up and down. To go
into the wind, or tack, put the leeboard in a vertical
position and lean forward.
To sail before the wind, raise the leeboard to a
diagonal and lean your weight aft. If you still have
trouble steering, then you can move the leeboard thwart:
towards the mast to get more windward helm.
Warning! Obviously, it is important to be able
to control the steering for stability and safety. If it
is hard to steer or the boat is hard to control your rig
may have lee helm. This dangerous condition means you may
zoom downwind mercilessly! Another fortuitous result may
be a broken rudder, capsize or collision. Lee helm is the
unbalanced state when the bow of the boat pushes to the
downwind side or to the lee. This happens when the center
of effort of the sail is forward of the center of lateral
resistance, or leeboard. To correct for this condition of
lee helm, you need to move the leeboard thwart slightly
forward of the sail's CE, an inch at a time. You want a
slight windward helm, which means that the canoe will
turn into the wind and stop if you let go of the sail and
steering. This is how sailboats are supposed to be
designed. Less this seems too simplified, it is
interesting to know that other variables which affect
balance include hull shape, size of the rudder, amount
and placement of weight inside the canoe, amount of sail
trim, wind and many other factors.
Fine Tuning In Light Air
On a fair day with steady winds, about 10 knots, the
leeboard straight down, try these maneuvers:
- Sail the canoe to turn into the wind and come
about. If your canoe is difficult to turn into the
wind and moving your weight forward is not enough, try
readjusting the leeboard thwart further forward, as
soon as possible! This condition is known as lee helm
and can be dangerous. In strong wind, steering the
canoe will be difficult and out of control.
- Steer the canoe dead into the wind with the
leeboard down. Let go of the sail and helm. The canoe
should stay dead into the wind. If not, move your
weight to find a good balance. If it steers into the
wind too easily and the tiller has a hard pull, you
have too much windward helm. It may be necessary to
move the leeboard thwart further aft.
- Steer on a beam reach, let the sail out 45 degrees
in light air. The canoe should sail straight with only
a light touch on the tiller.
- Sailing downwind, in 10-15 knots, the canoe should
steer straight without resistance from the tiller.
- Sail the canoe with a paddle instead of a
rudder.
- Sail the canoe without a rudder or a paddle by
shifting your weight: forward to go closer to the wind
and leaning aft to go away from the wind.
- At a later date, check the rig in heavier air for
balance.
- If you add or subtract a passenger, this weight
and its placement affect the balance. Repeat these
maneuvers. You may need to change the location of the
leeboard thwart.
Corrections
Readjust the leeboard and position of the leeboard
thwart until you find the optimum sailing ease. If you
need to move the leeboard thwart, just one inch can make
the difference!
Steering With a Paddle
This is a good way to test the balance of your canoe
in a light breeze. It is like learning to eat with
chopsticks. Once you get used to it, no problem! A
shorter paddle than usual is recommended. Be sure to
carry a spare! A wood paddle is the least slippery; cord
or a leather piece wrapped and sewn around the shaft at
the point of contact retards slipping.
Place the paddle on the lee side of the boat, or, the
same side as the sail. With one hand, rest the paddle
shaft on the gunwale and hook your thumb under the grip.
In light winds, under 10 knots, it should not be hard to
hold the paddle down. If so, shift your weight. Allow
time for the boat to react.! To steer, hold the paddle
blade in the water just as much as you need to in order
to go straight. If you find it is too hard to hold the
paddle down, it is either too windy or your sailing canoe
is not balanced.
To turn into the wind lean forward, shift the paddle
to the other side and hold it on the opposing
gunwale.
Further Reading
For more information on balancing a rig, see Chapter
Four ("Balancing the Rig of A Small Sailboat") in John
Gardner's Classic Small Craft You Can Build,
published by Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic CT, 1993.
