sail boat conversion

[wmbreck]

Hi,
I'm asking a question for my father-in-law who wants badly to sail but really does not have the cash to but any kind of sailboat. Only thing he has sailed is a snark and they are not the way to go on Lake Ontario and obviously have no room for more than one and you are basically laying in the water with the sail hitting you in the face being so low. I realize this will probably be seen as heresy here but we located online a 'kit' that converts a rowboat into a sailboat. The site is www.sailboatstogo.com Very interesting concept and looks like it would work. We already have a 12" metal boat, trolling motor and a 2 hp outboard to go with it. But I was wondering if anyone has seen any other versions of this? This thing is not cheap ($700+) which is probably what you could but a smallish used boat for. But should he decide to pursue this, I was just wondering again if it can be done a little cheaper.
Thanks!

 

[SolingSailor]

Re: sail boat conversion

For some reason, these conversion kits always seem to be more expensive than they should be. Basically, you need a good rudder (don't like the paddle version, get the kickup version), a leeboard to limit leeway, mast and sails and control lines, and reinforcing and attachment methods for all the above. I think you will end up with an inferior sailboat. For that money, a small usable purpose-built boat should come along for sale eventually. Or you may be able to build a conversion yourself if handy. It's not rocket science, and a little experimentation may give good results for relatively cheap. But it will never be as good as a real sailboat, even if a small one.

 

[skibrain]

Re: sail boat conversion

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=477082

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: sail boat conversion

get a sunfish it will be good spent money and theres so many you can get them for like 400 up to 700 at the max

 

[scoutabout]

Re: sail boat conversion

+1 on holding out for a real boat. I was in just the same situation as your dad, set a budget of less than $500 and for that I wanted a boat big enough for three, had both a main and foresail and (really dreaming here) maybe a trailer too. I was ok with something ratty as long as it was complete, could be used immediately and fixed up a little at a time. I sailed a bit with my dad when I was younger and wanted to rediscover the sport as well as teach my son.

It took about two months of trolling various online classifieds. Mostly boats with all wishes ticked where in the $1K range, but I kept searching.

I finally got lucky and saw this boat listed for $400 and for sale an hour and half away from where I lived. So I jumped in the car right away, went to check it out, and ended up getting it for $350 (and with - gasp! no sea trial...). It's called a Petrel and, while I had never heard of the type before or considered an aluminum sailboat even existed, it seemed a great buy (included a trailer!). It's 12 feet LOA and, near as I can tell, was probably built in the early to mid 1970s.

I am really having a good time with it. Sure the sails are blown out, the paint is scuffed, what little wood there is on it is falling to pieces, the running rigging is chaffed, and the floatation foam is waterlogged, making it heavy and probably far less spritely than it should be. But man, oh, man - it's so much fun to play with and I still can't believe I got on the water so cheap. It was a bonus to discover that the thing was actually designed by none other than Philip Rhodes - prolific designer of all sorts of craft, including an Americas Cup winner.

So, while the rowboat conversion is an interesting concept I agree you will probably spend as much as you need to on a proper little boat and end up with something that doesn't really work that well.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: sail boat conversion

ya i got my 16' sailboat for 500 great boat. i plan on even making it so i can sleep on it for a weekend or a night. And for scout about your running rigging you might wanna make that rigging a priority to make it so it doesn't chafe or rub on any thing. you don't want that rigging to break when sailing the mast will fall over and break.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: sail boat conversion

hold out for a real sailboat. I bought this one a few years ago for 1000 and it needed nothing. Good sails and rigging. Sailing season runs a little longer here up until about November 1st, but after that you can buy cheap.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: sail boat conversion

hey freddy what size is that?

 

[vetch]

Re: sail boat conversion

I'd agree with waiting and buying a "real" sail boat. There are many great deals availible on craigslist and other online online classifieds. This year I picked up a Aquarious 21 for 500 with trailer and full set of sails. Ofcourse the interior needs some serious help but the hull and rigging are sound.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: sail boat conversion

hey freddy what size is that?

17 ft

 

[SWN y MOR]

Re: sail boat conversion

Hi,
I'm asking a question for my father-in-law who wants badly to sail but really does not have the cash to but any kind of sailboat. Only thing he has sailed is a snark and they are not the way to go on Lake Ontario and obviously have no room for more than one and you are basically laying in the water with the sail hitting you in the face being so low. I realize this will probably be seen as heresy here but we located online a 'kit' that converts a rowboat into a sailboat. The site is www.sailboatstogo.com Very interesting concept and looks like it would work. We already have a 12" metal boat, trolling motor and a 2 hp outboard to go with it. But I was wondering if anyone has seen any other versions of this? This thing is not cheap ($700+) which is probably what you could but a smallish used boat for. But should he decide to pursue this, I was just wondering again if it can be done a little cheaper.
Thanks!

It can be done a lot cheaper.Check out polytarp sail www.polysail.com/index.htm Then any canoe sailing page.Reason? polytarp is cheap and works.Canoe sailing? tells you everything you need to know to convert a boat into a sailing boat.You can make a mast from tinber at local hardware store .Check out www.pdracer.com/ This page will show you everything you need to know

 

[walserjaw]

Re: sail boat conversion

Well I am here to tell it can be done. I have a 1960 Alumacraft FD. Alumacraft used to make lots of accessories for their boats, one of them was a sailing rig. I saw half of a picture and went to work. My father and I made a thwart, which holds the mast and leeboards. I had to used a PVC pipe for the mast, and had to make it longer and I made the sail out of poly tarp, and used my engine as a rudder, (which I don't reccomend). I am going to make a new rudder out of plastic and wood this winter. If you want I can send you a pic of the original. So far I have only $70.00 invested in the rig. I have a web site that will show you how to make all the parts, except the rudder. It was a blast this summer using it, and I just smiled at the snotty sail boaters who looked at me as if they were smelling onions or somthing. Here is the web site that has the designs for canoes, I just modified it and it works! (http://www.enter.net/~skimmer/building/building.html). The web sites in the post before mine are also extremely helpful.
The main thwart should be a large plank. I got a piece of white oak, longer than my beam by 4-6 inches and 1 1/2 inches thick. It was a heavy piece of wood, but worth it. I think the hardest part was how to clamp the wood to the boat, I wouldn't dream of drilling holes in my boat, so I just angles some blocks and drilled holes in the thwart. The set up is close to the wesites designs. Good luck, and don't waste your money on a sail boat if you have a boat already, this will work.

 

[laotou]

Re: sail boat conversion

I am building a square sail for my 16' power boat. I used EMT 1/2" electrical conduit to build the mast. The mast is bolted to a seat base on the boat. The sail and the mast have passed the land test with strong winds. I will perform a sea trial soon.