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 Post subject: Set up time?
PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:41 am 
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:38 am
Posts: 3
I'm really interested in a tandem sailing kayak (outfitter or oasis). I'm wondering how long it takes to set up the sailing kit. As well, how long does it take to break down and become a 'regular' sail?

Cheers!


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 Post subject: Re: Set up time?
PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 3:15 pm 
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:17 pm
Posts: 679
Location: Auckland NZ
Not sure exactly what info you are after here.

There are only really three parts to the sailing kit: mast, sail with batten and sheet (in case you aren't familiar with the term, that's the rope used to pull the sail in/out).

On shore set up is a case of leading the sheet through the various padeyes on the deck of the boat, dropping the mast with the sail rolled up around it into the mast base (a cylindrical receptacle built into the hull of the boat), attaching a bungee cord fitted to the bottom of the sail to a hook on the deck of the boat (stops the mast falling out if the boat turns turtle) and tying the sheet to the sail. Then you are pretty much ready to go. At most a couple of minutes all up once you know what you're doing.

You can speed the process up a bit by leaving the sheet in situ on the boat.

If you take the whole kit part when off the water (i.e. take sail off mast, batten out of sail, sail rolled up, mast broken down/stowed in bag, sheet taken off both sail and boat) set up will take a bit longer - maybe 5 minutes.

If you set up the sheet, attach it to the rolled up sail on the mast and stow the sail&mast on deck ready to deploy on the water, then the on-water set up is ~20 seconds to pick the mast/sail up, raise mast to vertical, drop mast into base, pull sail out, attach bungee cord, settle back into your seat and sail away (to applause from beach/crew).

Take down time is pretty much the reverse of set up in each case.

You can also complicate matters and increase setup/takedown times with extras such as additional sails, roller reefing/furling, stowing mirage drives (replacing with drivewell plug for greater sailing speed) etc but the basic sailing kit is as simple and quick as set out above.

One thing I would definitely recommend is micro blocks (pulleys) for the sheet lead (to reduce friction in the sheet - essential to depower the sail in a hurry to avoid possible capsize) and a longer sheet than that provided as standard but these are not expensive or difficult additions to the standard set up and don't affect setup/takedown times. There are many posts on these forums describing these mods.

Finally, you haven't asked for any input into your hull choice but in case this may be useful I offer the following. I have sailed both Outfitter and Oasis (also Adventure, Outback and AI) quite extensively - neither tandem is going to offer particularly "sparkling" sailing performance (compared with either a single seat Hobie or an Americas Cup yacht) when fully laden using the standard Hobie rig - there's just too much weight to be pushed along by such a small sail on such a bendy mast, HOWEVER, they are both capable enough sailers and both can be modified with extra sails etc which is fun and really improves their sailing abilities (as does a go-for-it attitude in a stronger breeze). IMHO the Oasis is the better sailing performer unless you and your crew are lightweights. I feel that the Oasis also has more "modification potential" - several people have added an additional mast-base to turn theirs into a schooner with significant improvements in sailing performance - that said I modified my Outfitter with stays and a jib that I use on my Adventure (a much less invasive modification than an additional mast base for a schooner). The other consideration, though, is that the Oasis is quite a bit longer than the Outfitter in the event that storage of the longer boat is going to cause a problem.

Hope this all helps.


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 Post subject: Re: Set up time?
PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 8:35 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:46 pm
Posts: 3017
Location: Escondido
grosmorne wrote:
I'm really interested in a tandem sailing kayak (outfitter or oasis). I'm wondering how long it takes to set up the sailing kit. As well, how long does it take to break down and become a 'regular' sail?
No time at all really if you stow the sail on the mast. Simply stick the mast in the receiver, connect the mainsheet (I use a snap hook with the sheet pre=routed) and off you go.
Image

It's easy to carry the sail along side and erect it when the wind shows. It takes about a minute to set up on the water and about two minutes to take down and stow.
Image

Image


In addition to Stobbo's suggestions, here are some illustrations for some rigging ideas to make it easier and quicker to sail.

Quote:
You have lots of options. Here's a cleat mounted directly to the padeye. Note, this is a swivel cleat. You might be better of with a non-swivel version as these tend to let your line twist around itself if not completely de-biased beforehand, thereby jambing your sheet:
Image

I copied Apalach's forward block concept so I could pull the sheet back rather than forward, as pictured here. The other way works fine too though.

Image

You can get a snap hook to attach/detach your mainsheet quickly:
Image

You can make a matching quick disconnect "tail" to secure your furled sail:
Image
Image

Here's a simple loop attached to the forward hatch to help secure your mast when stowed (location would vary slightly by model):
Image 8)


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 Post subject: Re: Set up time?
PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:03 pm 
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:38 am
Posts: 3
Thanks for the replies -- I'm glad to hear it's not overly long, just in case conditions change 'last minute' - which they tend to do! :D

Edit: I'm new to the community, and I appreciate the depth and detail of the responses. Very helpful.


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 Post subject: Re: Set up time?
PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:23 am 
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Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 7:09 am
Posts: 31
One thing that is great with the sail rig is you can leave it furled and take it with you. If you want some sail, deploy it. if not leave it rolled. With a furler it takes only seconds to deploy it on the water.
We take ours even if we dont plan to use it. It takes less time to put up and route the control lines than it does to put the seats in the boat, strap the paddles on, put the water bottles in, lock in the drives, sunscreen up and don our PFDs. Even with all that it only take 5 or 10 minutes to get on the water. Oh, plus putting the sidekicks in and blowing them up, but that only adds a minute or two. I am still looking for ways to streamline the process but over all it is not too bad.


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 Post subject: Re: Set up time?
PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:08 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 1:55 pm
Posts: 84
Location: Burbank, Ca
The longest part of setup is the initial "out of the box" build. Spend the time on your lawn to tweak it and get it right.
I can have my AI in the water in two minutes tops now

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2011 AI in Red Hibiscus
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 Post subject: Re: Set up time?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:48 am 
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Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 10:34 am
Posts: 134
Location: Portland, Texas
Hi,

I have a 2010 Oasis which I sail all the time. It's a great, forgiving boat to sail and as the others have said very easy to set up. I almost always put the sail on the boat and if I want to use it I just unfurl it on the water. When I'm going back in to land I just furl it back around the mast and take the boat in with the peddles or paddles. Couldn't be any more simple or easy. Here's a couple of pics with the sail.

Image
I usually set everything up before I launch.

Image
Here's a picture on the open water taken from a SOB kayak (SOB means Some Other Brand).

Image

Image
Here's a close-up of a very slow run up a small inlet.

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Roger
2010 Oasis
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