Drop-in Outrigger Plan for Canoes & Kayaks (some dinghies) Sailing Videos


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Video and edit by Daniel Caselli – Uruguay

The drop in outrigger can transform many unstable canoes, narrow dinghies and some kayaks into a stable platform for fishing or diving or convert your boat into a formidable sailing outrigger or trimaran sailing canoe.

Light outriggers to add to your canoe for stability. Fast sailing, Fishing or Diving: storerboatplans.com
  • Turn a Canoe or Kayak into a formidable sailing boat or a super stable fishing platform. Drop in Outrigger Plan info here.
  • Whizz Along in Armchair Comfort – or – the Ideal Fishing Platform (paddle/motor)
  • Diving or Snorkelling Platform
  • All Components under 10lbs
  • Everything removes from the original boat easily
  • 2 sheets ply

Specification

Hull length 2350
Beam 290
Hull Depth at middle of hull 265
Hull Depth from line joining bow and stern measured perpendicular to keel 340mm


These smaller and simpler outriggers are designed to be kept above the water most of the time.

But if a gust hits it gives the sailor of a canoe or narrow dinghy with a bit more time to react by easing the sheet (first!) and/or hiking out.

The “Drop in Outrigger” design explained below is bigger for full time sailing on the outrigger.

drop in mini outriggers for canoe stability

The first time I worked on this concept we took an elegant Strip Planked REDBIRD canoe and fitted it with this outrigger system.  All components are light and easily removable. And as with our other sailing canoe work very well.

With the additional stability we were able to cram on a significant amount of sail in a simple Lateen Rig. – about 7.5 sq metres (80 sq ft) for real sailing performance.   One of the advantages of the lateen rig is that the sail can be a backyard manufactured item.  We made ours out of a blue plastic tarpaulin – I think the total sail cost was about $40.  The Lateen even if cut completely flat develops a useful driving shape when loaded up by the wind.

The boat whipped along nicely and did not require a leeboard when the leeward hull was well immersed and the speed was maintained. Try to point high and low speed combined with leeway counters upwind progress. But point at 70 degrees and the speed greatly exceeds the upwind speed of a normal monohull and leeway reduces.

Unfortunately I don’t have any pics of Mr Webb’s Fabulous Redbird under full sail – but it was great fun. The photos of the black outriggers here are on Daniel Caselli’s Eureka Canoe in Uruguay.

Video 1- of the drop in outrigger Plan conversion of a canoe or dinghy into a fast stable sailing trimaran

The Bolger designed Teal is a lovely simple dinghy, but it can be an exciting handful in stronger winds. Video below: Jan Cudak added the outriggers to turn the Teal into a very pleasant stress free sailing outrigger.

You also see the little 12ft dinghy is sailing way faster than the original design.

It had a surprising turn of speed and was quite exciting to sail.


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This applies the dynamics of Proa, Trimaran and outrigger design to an existing boat.

Loads on the structure are limited by the modest ama volume. As the amas are loaded up speed is increased. However, when the load starts getting closer to the design strength of the crossbeams the amas start submerging. Thus providing feedback to ease the sail and back off.

With larger outrigger hull designs which do not submerge it is the load in the main hull of crew and gear along with platform weight that set the loads on the crossbeams. As this can vary it means the crossbeams have to be heavier to carry unanticipated loads.

We also have plans for other sailing canoes

Additional free pack for plan purchasers – basic sail and crossbeams for low Freeboard canoes

Test assembly on the lawn of the drop in outrigger kit on a Eureka Canoe.

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Portability of the lightweight drop in outrigger components

None of the components weigh more than 10 pounds (4.5kg).

Light outriggers to add to your canoe for stability. Fast sailing, Fishing or Diving: storerboatplans.com

Some downsides from the conversion – not serious but so you know.

The only downside was that the Redbird canoe hull, being a brilliant straight line paddling boat, just refused to go round corners easily – it just refused to tack through the wind. 

Either it had to be assisted by someone with a paddle – or the tack was completed by the boat picking up a little bit of speed in reverse then steered out with reverse rudder.  Not a big problem at all – and the speed in a straight line made it all very worthwhile!!

This depends on the characteristics of the original hull. If it is easy to turn the trimaran will too. Here one of my Quick Canoes with the the drop in outrigger components inside the hull for transport.

Storer Quick Canoe with the drop in outriggers inside the cockpit for transport

Outrigger hull construction is simple

The hulls are simple stitch and glue. Two panels, timber around the sheer and an epoxy fillet and glass along the keel line.

plywood outrigger hull (ama) assembly stitch and glue method

The crossbeams are simple laminations and look light and simple on the boat. 

The hulls attach to the crossbeams with butterfly nuts. Crossbeams are lashed into the canoe hull. The attachment point for lashings is a doubler glued to the canoe hull with a deck eye (saddle bolted through. 

For sailing versions the upper mast partner is built into the forward crossbeam and the mast steps on a simple block glued to the bottom of the boat.

Outrigger hulls from 4mm plywood

Any relatively narrow hull (under 3ft, 1.2m) is suitable, whether a canoe, kayak or rowboat. The crossbeams can be extended for wider boats by increasing the length of the flattish section in the middle. But there are limits as the distance between the gunwale of the main hull and the furthest point of the crossbeam should not exceed 1200mm.

In other words, the steering characteristic of the whole shebang is defined by the main hull.

The owners use it for holidays – it all roofracks easily because of the light weight – and for fishing.

There have been a couple of these built to make a canoe into an excellent fishing platform.  For that purpose they used a small outboard (2 or 3hp pushes a canoe along quite quickly) attached to a bracket on one of the crossbeams.  The outer hulls provide an extra level of safety as they are watertight.

Fitting a single outrigger hull only makes a tacking proa. The ends without the outrigger hull should project about 12 to 18″ (300 to 400mm) outside the gunwale and the two ends tied together with a piece of timber so they can’t move relative to each other.

The hulls and crossbeams can fit some small dinghies particularly if they are quite narrow and not too long.

Light outriggers to add to your canoe for stability. Fast sailing, Fishing or Diving: storerboatplans.com

The other advantage is that like the “drop-in kayak rig” when the outriggers are removed from the hull there is only the small block of wood acting as a mast step still attached to the canoe.

Because of the potential speed and power of sailing versions we recommend a rudder be fitted to the main hull.  Steering it with a paddle would just be too much work!  While a simple rudder makes things easy.

Powering with a Small outboard or Electric Trolling motor

Recommended power is a couple of horsepower maximum or an electric trolling motor with a couple of deep cycle batteries will give a good few hours moderate speed motoring.

Light outriggers to add to your canoe for stability. Fast sailing, Fishing or Diving: storerboatplans.com

It is possible for a motor or paddling configuration to use one hull only – a one sided outrigger canoe.  But the ends of the crossbeam without a hull have to have a tie bar between the ends.  This might potentially make a nice diving platform.  The outboard could be attached to the rear crossbeam close to the hull.

This outrigger canoe project below was to make a too unstable boat much more stable for outings and diving in the Philippines.

Light outriggers to add to your canoe for stability. Fast sailing, Fishing or Diving Philippines: storerboatplans.com

There are two free additions to the plan in a package available to purchasers. Email me with evidence of purchase.

  1. A flatter curve to the crossbeam for canoes and kayaks with lower freeboard.
  2. Drawings for an integrated sailing rig with mast supported by front crossbeam. This includes a sail design for polytarp or you can purchase a sail from our sailmaking arm;

Link for sails for Drop in Outrigger plan from our Really Simple Sails

Drop-in outrigger sails are available from reallysimplesails.com

Affordable sails for Storer Boat Plans - Goat Island Skiff, OzRacer, PDRacer, Ocean Explorer

15 thoughts on “Drop-in Outrigger Plan for Canoes & Kayaks (some dinghies) Sailing Videos”

  1. Hi
    Would something like this work on a dagger element 11.3? This is the kayak I already have
    I am only concerned about the deck curve, but I might be able to build frame under the arms to accommodate?

    Reply
  2. Hi Michael.
    No I wasn’t planning on altering volume at all, just adjusting the positioning of the beams to allow for more comfortable seating in the Larsboat.
    So the additional bulkheads don’t change the arma shape. They’re positioned to fix the beams onto them. No I’m not anticipating much adjustment. Maybe a foot or so either way.
    On second thoughts, think I’ll get a set of plans and once I’ve had a look send you my idea.
    Cheers and thanks
    Neil

    Reply
  3. Hi Michael.
    Sorry called you David who was also around at that time IIRC.
    Thanks for the reply. Was wondering if adding a couple of extra bulkheads and stretching the width between the cross beams to adjust for seating would be ok and if so, how much ‘stretch’ do you think would be the upper limit. i.e. how wide between the beams might be ok before the ply gives way and the outrigger flexes excessively for say 6mm ply?
    Thanks
    Neil

    Reply
    • Hi Neil,

      It won’t work. The volume of the outriggers is matched to the strength of the crossbeams. Giving them more volume is exactly the wrong thing to do.

      The beams will break. Thats the secret of the engineering – no matter the size of the boat or its sail area (within reason) too much load will sink the outrigger hull and the skipper will have to ease the sail to get it to surface again.

      It is a great solution for portability. If the outrigger hull is bigger so it won’t submerge then have to take account the weight of the main hull and rig when it lifts out of the water. And that means that there is a different solution for every vessel. Add a crew member and have to recalculate.

      This way the ama volume limits the loads on the crossbeams. It simply sinks when there is too much load.

      Reply
  4. Hi David.
    A long time ago, we met at a Duckflat Wooden Boats boat building camp outside Adelaide. I was going to build an F9A which I eventually did over a decade and then couldn’t afford to keep. Another life.
    Anyway haven’t built anything until now nearing completion of a Larsboat.
    Am really taken with your GIS but as an interim project was wondering how the drop-in Outrigger would go with the Larsboat.
    Your thoughts would be appreciated.
    Cheers
    Neil
    Geographe
    Western Australia

    Reply
    • I think it would suit the larboat very nicely. Just have to layout the crossbeam positions to match seating positions.

      The freeboard of the Larsboat is not large. But for people who buy the outrigger plans there is a flatter curve crossbeam drawing I make available on request. It also has a mast partner built into the front crossbeam and a drawing for making a very basic sail and spars. Could also decide to support the mast with the Larsboat hull through the deck.

      Michael

      Reply
  5. Sail plan does not indicate placement of halyard attachment on the yard or placement of an attachment for a down haul on the boom. I can’t derive this info from the drawing which is apparently not to scale. Any advice concerning the arrangement of the lines and points of attachment would be much appreciated. The amas and akas are beautiful and I am very pleased with them.

    Thanks,

    John D

    Reply
  6. Wondering if a person will need to make adjustments to ama size based on dimensions of canoe or is that info provided in plans? Plan is to add to my American Eagle, 16 ft sailing canoe with 42 inch beam at max. Thanks

    Reply
    • Please don’t Ed! :)

      The way it works is that the amas have about 170lbs buoyancy.

      When they go under that is the maximum upward load they can exert.

      The crossbeams are designed to handle this load.

      If the ama volume is doubled now there is 340 lbs upward load on the crossbeams amd they will probably fail.

      So the chosen volume controls the loads.

      On the other hand the current volume gives you a patient non complaining crew member similar to a crew person on trapeze.

      It is quite a lot of extra power and you won’t be disappointed with the speed.

      Best regards
      Michael

      Reply

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