Accessories
Below find Outriggers, Rudders, Leeboards, Buoyancy, Paddles, Sea Anchors and Trolleys
Outriggers- £300
In the past we have had reservations about putting outriggers on boats which can be sailed without them. However many people seem to want them and as some outriggers we have seen have given cause for concern we have tried to address some of the problems. We now use them ourselves when we are sailing on exposed water such as on the West Coast of Scotland. We also occasionally use them in winter on blustery days when we don't want to risk a capsize.
Our outriggers are small and are mounted on a steamed and bent solid ash beam. They are normally carried high and clear of the water so this enables the canoe to behave normally and does not detract from the enjoyment of balancing the canoe. However, when you get caught by a sudden gust of wind and the canoe heels to excess the leeward outrigger will usually prevent a capsize.
One of the concerns of putting outriggers on a sailing boat is the idea that the outrigger will have a significant drag on it when it is depressed and travelling at speed. In theory this should cause the canoe to turn away from the wind, causing bad lee helm, which would be bad news. However we have not been able to detect this, having used them extensively in strong wind. They were designed to have low drag at speed and our experience has shown this to be true. We have had them fully depressed at speeds up to 10 knots without any bad handling effects.
For the novice, who is not used to balancing a sailing canoe, outriggers give a reassuring sense of great final stability, whilst allowing him to learn the art of balancing and sailing. For the expert this greater final stability allows him to sit out and drive the canoe in stronger wind knowing that a sudden gust or lull in the wind strength won't have him in the water.
The outriggers have a buoyancy of about 40lbs. This, on an 8ft long beam, almost doubles the righting moment of the canoe. If, and this requires profound carelessness, the canoe does capsize and turns turtle, the outriggers are small enough to enable it to be righted. They also make it easier to get back in and they keep it stable if you have to bail.
Of course there is always the possibility that outriggers can mask worsening weather conditions and that they give a false sense of security which leads the unwary canoeist into danger. The boat should be sailed with the outriggers clear of the water most of the time. If they are in the water that means you are eating into your safety margin and should sit further out or reef the sail
Although Solway Dory outriggers are designed to fit our sailing canoes they will fit many other canoes. However the outriggers are only as good as their attachment to your canoe so you should make sure they are sufficiently well attached to your boat. We usually bolt the outrigger beam onto a mast thwart or centre carrying yoke. To do this the gunwales must be securely fixed. If you are not certain how well they will take the strain we can supply extra reinforcing brackets. Please talk to us if you are not sure.
Our outriggers come as standard in a light grey colour. We have found that this colour does not stand out too much against the shape of the canoe. We don't think that outriggers enhance the appearance of a sailing canoe, but light grey seems less obtrusive. However, we can do them in a limited range of colours which may match your canoe.
Click here to read about capsize recovery using outriggers
Rudder- £160
Solway Dory offer the same rudder as we fit on our canoes for you to fit on yours.The blade is made from hardwood and is carefully shaped into a good hydrofoil shape. It has an uphaul line to allow you to raise it before you land, or if you want to paddle. The rudder is held down with another line that has a shockcord in it. This allows the rudder blade to kick up if you run into an underwater obstacle. The rudder stock has a side mounted tiller arm onto which you can attach a long push pull tiller. We can supply several different ways of attaching the rudder to your canoe. Because canoes have different shaped ends we need to know which make and model it is. It is best to talk to us when you are ordering so that we can be sure to give you the most suitable fitting.
Side Mounted Rudder £100
We have just developed a side mounted rudder. It has the advantage of being easy to fit as it just clamps on the gunwale behind the rear seat. The thwart has one of our leeboard brackets on the protruding end and a very simple rudder stock pivots on this. The thwart also has a torsion bar going along the gunwale to reduce the local stress on the gunwale. When the assembly is removed there are no fittings left on the canoe to interfere with with paddling.
The rudder blade is permanently fixed to the stock with stainless steel gudgeons and a pivot bolt. A side mounted tiller is operated by a long push pull tiller with a flexible joint. The plastic handled nut locks the rudder in its down position for sailing and will allow the rudder to kick up if you run into an underwater obstacle. The rudder blade is carefully shaped from solid ash into an efficient hydrofoil cross section, but has a simpler profile to keep down the cost.
The rudder can be locked up for coming ashore or for paddling. If the tiller is lashed to the gunwale to stop the rudder from turning, the rudder can act like a skeg to help paddling and keep the canoe on track in difficult strong wind conditions. Adjusting the rudder blade up and down you can alter the ammount of blade that is in the water to fine tune the skeg for optimum performance.
Long Tiller Extension and Fitting- £20
Alloy tubing adjustable extension with rubber grip and fitting for Solway Dory Rudder. It allows you to operate the rudder from the middle of the canoe and is adjustable for length.
Pivoting Leeboard- £80
This is the board that we recommend for a full spec sailing rig. It is 4ft long and 8ins wide made from hardwood. It is carefully profiled to give a highly efficient hydrofoil that will allow the canoe to sail close to the wind, when combined with an efficient upwind sail. We fit this board to all our sailing canoes. It is long enough to project well into the water when it is on the upwind side, so that you dont need to change sides with the board. The board will kick up with contact if you run into anything and it can be angled back when running or if sailing in shallow water. We make them with a hardwood pad to fit on the starboard (right) side of the canoe as standard. If you would prefer to have it mounted on the port (left) side please tell us and we can make it that way.
Leeboard Bracket and Thwart- £40
This is designed to mount a pivoting leeboard onto an open canoe. For most people we would suggest that it is bolted to the centre carrying yoke, allowing the sailing rig to be fitted just behind the front seat. The ash thwart comes complete with a heavy duty aluminium angle bolted on one end. This angle supports the leeboard bolt, washer and locking handle. We can supply all the inividual parts if you are making some of the parts yourself (p.o.a).
Clip On Leeboard- £60
This is the board that we would recommend to use with our Expedition rig. It clips on the leeward gunwale for use when you are sailing across the wind or trying to sail into the wind to prevent leeway. It is smaller than our pivoting leeboard as it is always used on the leeward side of the canoe and is designed for the smaller sail area. If you tack through the wind you need to lift it out and clip it on the other gunwale. It is the optimal profile to work on both tacks. It has a flat side facing outwards and a symetrically round side against the side of the canoe to give it lift. It is not as efficient at creating lift as our pivoting board but it is compensated by its small size and ease of stowing away when paddling. It is easy to adjust the centre of effort of the board by sliding it forward or backward on the gunwale. When it is in the correct position very little steering with the paddle will be neccesary. Ideally the canoe should just slowly turn into the wind if the paddle is taken out of the water (slight weatherhelm).
Side Buoyancy Bags- £20 each
Most paddlers fit end buoyancy into their canoes. These make it easy for one canoeist to rescue another. However if you plan to go out sailing on your own, then it is sensible to have a strategy for self rescue. If you are sailing then there is an increased risk of capsize, and as people tend to sail on large bodies of water you may be some distance from the shore. Although end bags will allow you to right a canoe it will come up full of water. If you try to get back into the canoe it will get completely swamped and will be impossible to bail. It also becomes very unstable as the water flows from one side to the other. Side buoyancy bags, secured tightly under the gunwale at the centre of the canoe, will float the canoe high out of the water when it is on its side as you right it. This will result in only a few inches of water in the canoe after it is righted. It is possible to climb back into the canoe over the side without upsetting it. Usually a bit more water will get in in the process but the canoe will still have enough freeboard to bail it. Also the bags prevent all the water flowing to the side and making it unstable. One bag is better than none as you can get back in over that side but two bags make it more stable.
See a demonstration of buoyancy bags in an open canoe on our video page
48" x 10" (116 x 25cm) 112lbs (50kg)
Sea Anchor £25
15" dia. x 28" long, supplied with rope and storage bag. Colours are available.
Paddles
Single Blade £60 - shown above left is our classic Otter Tail paddle in English Ash. Other styles are available to order. Long Double Paddle £120 - (shown above right) 9ft long made from Red Cedar and Ash with joint. Sailing canoes and open canoes are wider than the typical modern kayak and need a longer double paddle.
Trolleys £80
All dinghy racers know that scratches and dents on the underside of the hull cause drag and will slow you down. Sailing canoes are no different. We recommend that you use a Solway DoryTrolley for launching and recovering your sailing canoe, and for moving it up and down the beach. The trolley has 10inch diameter wheels with wide pneumatic tyres for moderately rough ground. It comes with a foldable stand to hold the trolley level whilst you load your canoe and a strap to secure the canoe to the trolley.
The trolley is small and light enough to carry with you on your canoe whilst you are sailing so that you can use when you land on another beach. A trolley will also save your back.
We sometimes use trolleys for portaging the canoe along the road from one lake to another when we are on expedition.Trolleys are available to fit all designs of Solway Dory sailing canoes, and will support most plastic canoes.
Boat Covers -£300
We make boat covers to fit over your solway dory sailing canoe. With a cover the canoe can be stored the right way up on its trolley. The mast fits along the centre line and supports the cover so that it sheds water.
The cover is made from high quality polyester and is kept taut by a cleated line that passes around the hull under the deck edge. Tie downs pass under the hull for extra security.