New Kayak Outrigger Test Run

My Watertribe Kayak is starting to come together. Yesterday I took it out on to the Lynnhaven Bay for testing of the new outrigger design. I made a little video describing the trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6JbpfyuHZE

For this test I stayed in the Lynn haven Bay. The next step will be to go out in to the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay where the waves are bigger.  I have to find out how the design behaves under more challenging environment.

Watertribe Kayak Progress

The Watertribe Kayak Project is coming along. So far I have installed the mast, sail, rudder, daggerboard and associated areas to hold the equipment stowed on the deck. The mast, sail and daggerboard all came from E-Bay in the Wind Surfer Section.

The things that I still have to figure out or perfect are: 1) Sail Reefing – Watertribe rules require that you can reef the sail. The windsurfer sail has a sock that slips over the mast. I have installed reef points just above the first batten. The sock prevents the sail to fold on to the boom. I have cut a slot in the sock to allow for folding. Too much of a slot will ruin the sail shape. The distance to the second batten is much greater and the slots will not work. I might have to use a zipper or some other solution. 2) The rudder is home made. I do not have sliding foot pegs. Need to find some other type of system to control the rudder with my feet. 3) Sail works great at lower wind speeds. In higher winds or empty kayak the boat wants to go over. I need an outrigger to help stabilize the boat. It does not need to be too large.