Captain's Blog

Wherein SailboatsToGo, LLC owner & manager Jim Luckett records a running monologue on portable sailing

Captain's blog, Sept. 11, 2005  --  I wish I'd started this blog at the beginning of SailboatsToGo, a little over two years ago, but better late than never.  This journal will have no formal purpose, nor regular publication schedule.  I'll write when I have time, inclination and something to say.

User Reports

Michael S., a New Jersey customer, writes today with the following: 

"Last weekend, I took my sailboattogo on the Potomac River in Washington DC - I launched from Gravelly Point, which is adjacent to Reagan National Airport, and "in the shadow" of the Washington Monument, Capitol, and Jefferson Memorial.

The boat handled well, despite very large waves.

An inflatable sailboat must be a rare sight on the Potomac; as one power boat sped past me, I watched as the sole passenger grinned at me in disbelief - and then snapped a picture. I distinctly got the impression that he wanted to record the sight because otherwise no one would believe him!"

Mike has the Sport 400 inflatable hull with our sail kit.  He also gave us a nice testimonial which I recently added to the testimonial page.

At the same time I added a nice little user report that came in last year from a customer who calls his HF360 (Sevylor 12-footer inflatable) with our sail kit "The Nautical Frog,"  I guess because of the color scheme.

We love getting user reports and photos, so keep 'em coming and we'll share some of them here and elsewhere on the website. 

New Products

We'll soon (maybe today) be adding several new products:

•  HD ("hydro-dynamic") stabilizer floats.  These are more streamlined than our standard foam floats.   The foam floats will continue to be offered.  Most people should buy the foam floats, because they are cheaper, lighter and more compact.   But, in applications where you expect the float to be buried in the water a lot  when you are moving (such as with kayak sailing), the HD floats offer reduced drag.   Some may want to use them in canoe sailing -- a Canadian customer just ordered them as part of a canoe sailing setup because they look cooler, he said -- but my feeling is most of the time you can keep the floats out of the water by shifting your weight to counter the force of the wind on the sail when sailing a canoe.  Being bigger, they are more bouyant than the foam floats, so if you want maximum stability, these are for you.   More Details Click Here. 
• The Sevylor "Runabout" (SVX330) with sail kit.  This is a very cool addition to the lineup.   The Runabout is a Zodiac-type hard transom boat  -- so it can take up to a 10 HP outboard and has a big upturn at the bow for riding over waves -- but it also has an inflatable transom so you can reduce weight by leaving the hard transom at home when you are going motorless (which is all the time, for me!).  Thanks to a tough, non-stretch outer skin that contains the inflatable air chambers, this is a nice stiff boat.  The floor is inflatable.  Both main air chambers and the floor have one-way Boston valves.  

All of the above pictures show the Sevylor SVX 330 Runabout with SailboatsToGo sail rig and a custom sail.   In 3 pictures, you see a custom dacron lateen sail, which we offer currently in your choice of colors (lettering optional).  The lower right shows a prototype of a cat rig sail that requires a different mast and boom.   We're considering offering this in the future.

The Runabout without sail rig retails for $799.  With 45-s.f. nylon sail and the rest of the rig it will be $1299.  This includes foot pump, carry bag for the boat, inflatable transom, wooden transom, rowing seat and oars.   

Captain's Blog, October 8, 2005 -  Adding 14-ft. Inflatable Sailing Kayak to lineup:

Fall is a great season for innovating.  Business slows down enough to have some time to catch my breath, but sailing conditions are still good so I can test new things.   In fact, this time of the year offers some of the best sailing where I live.    Recently Carol S. called me from Idaho, introduced herself, and said she and her husband were working on adapting their Sevylor SVX200 inflatable kayak ("River XK2") for sailing.   The SVX200 is a high-end inflatable kayak -- double hull construction, almost 14 feet long, Boston valves on all air chambers, D-rings galore, twin rubber strakes underneath to make it track well -- that sells for about $600.  I'd been thinking about trying it for sailing for a long time, but hadn't gotten a round to it.  Carol S. said their experiments were yielding promising results, but they felt their home-made sail was not good enough, so she bought one of our sails (a few weeks later she emailed that the new sail made a big difference).  Anyway, this got me going so I ordered myself one of these kayaks and put our kayak rig on it.   I was very impressed with this boat.  I made some surprising discoveries:  (1) This kayak tracks so well, it can even be sailed without leeboards.  Most boats need leeboards to convert the wind's sideways force on the sail into forward motion, or else you just skitter sideways.  But I was able to sail across the wind and upwind, without leeboards.  Yes, I slipped sideways somewhat.  And yes, it sailed upwind more efficiently with leeboards.   But the surprising fact was I could sail to any point on the lake from any point on the lake without leeboards.   (2)  The hull is so rigid I could almost forget it was an inflatable.    This led me to design a custom rig just for this hull that does away with the usual telescoping side rails connecting the front and back crossbars.   There is nothing metal between the front and rear crossbars, so you can paddle, sit on the side tubes, hang a leg or an arm over the side, hike way out -- all without any interference from the sail rig.  This boat with sail rig is now our item #2020.  (3) Despite being a "kayak" this boat is stable enough to sail without outriggers.  This saves $99 off the price, reduces drag, makes the rig more portable, and gives you the fun of sitting way out on the windward side to keep her upright when the wind blows hard.  Of course, if you want outriggers, we offer them. Here are some pictures and a video link:

	In paddling mode.
	Rob sits up on the windward side tube to balance the force on the sail.
	Beached.

My friend Rob and I took it out today, despite a light on-and-off drizzle and gray skies.  The winds were sometimes pretty good.   Sailing with both of us aboard was no problem, and when the wind blew hard we really zipped along.   Rob really get's off on sailboats that require you to shift your weight to keep them upright.  He likes to hike out, in other words.  He pronounced this boat "Best of the inflatables."  My favorite is still the Intex Seahawk Sport 400 (being wider, the Sport 400 feels more spacious, and being lighter, it's more portable) but I like this River XK2 a lot too. ( By the way, Intex has discontinued the Seahawk Sport 400.  For now, we can scrounge them from various industry sources, but some day they will become unavailable.) 

 January 14, 2006

New products:

• Braces for Foam Stabilizer Floats - It happens rarely, but occasionally we get reports from customers who are using the foam stabilizer floats with a canoe or kayak sail kit and the floats are twisting, so they no longer point straight ahead.  This doesn't happen for most users, but if you push them hard through the water, it can happen.   So, we've created an accessory that you can easily add to keep those floats pointed straight ahead even in hard use.  Item 6006 on canoe or kayak page.
• High Seat for Canoes  -  You wouldn't think a seat would make such a difference for sailing fun or fishing convenience, but this new accessory really does.   For sailors, this new seat makes it a lot easier to slide your weight to the side opposite the sail, to keep the boat more upright.  Fisherfolk & paddles will like the higher seating position.    Details.
• Clamp-on rudder mount -  Zodiacs and similar hard-transom inflatables need a couple of eyebolts on the transom to accept our rudder.   But some folks don't want to drill into their transom.  Now we have the solution for them -- a clamp-on device.  You just slide it over the transom and turn one knob to clamp it on tight.  Now you're all set to put on the rudder just by sliding the rudder pin through the eyes.  Item 5029 on "Inflatables" page.    Details.

March 12, 2006

Back from the Caribbean and did we ever love the new sailing kayak based on the SVX200 River Xk2 from Sevylor!!!!  

In our October 8, 2005 entry we announced this product and we gave it good reviews.  But we didn't fully appreciate this baby until we got it out in the wind, waves and sun of the Caribbean.   WHAT A BLAST!    It's fast, it goes upwind well, and it's a thrill to ride.  You must see the videos (click a link):  Video 1        Video 2  

The winds were ripping, so we could sit up on the high-side air chamber and fly.   If a wave slopped some water in, we just laughed, as it quickly drained out again thanks to the self-bailing cockpit.    This boat comes with good kayak seats, which are great for paddling, but leave them on shore when your sailing in a good wind because you'll be sitting up on the sides and hiking out with a big grin on your face, not sitting centered down on the floor.     But if the wind dies, no problem paddling back to shore, because this boat paddles so straight and easy, and our special sail rig for this model leaves the sides totally unencumbered -- nothing to get in the way of your paddle.    

Yesterday, Sunday, the phone rang right after breakfast.   It was a fellow who saw my friend Rob sailing the SVX200 in the Caribbean (the caller had stayed at Cinnamon Bay and Rob and I and our families were staying at Maho Bay, but we all sailed over to Cinnamon one day, taking both the K105 and the SVX200 and that's when the caller saw it).   He remembered "SailboatsToGo.Com" off the sail, went to the website when he got back to the frozen north, and got my phone number (978 263 7598), because he had been very impressed with the SVX200.    It turned out that he lived nearby here in Massachusetts, so he came over in the afternoon to talk inflatable sailboats.   He's still lusting after the SVX200, but he wants something that can take a family of four (sound familiar guys? -- you want the Porche but you settle for the minivan because you're a responsible family man!) so he's leaning toward the Intex Mariner instead.   I suggested he get both boats and one sail rig.   The sail rigs are not identical between the two boats, but they are 70% the same, so it wouldn't cost much extra to put together the extra parts needed for a rig that would work on both.

What else is new? 

Scrounging up Seahawk II and Seahawk Sport 400 Boats

- We scored a shipment of 17 Seahawk II inflatable hulls.  These are almost clones of the Seahawk Sport 400, so they make great sailboats.  And we are able to offer them at a lower price (item 2021).    When these 17 are sold, we doubt we'll find more as they are discontinued.   Although Intex never made a motor mount for the Seahawk II (and it lacks motormount fittings), there is an independent supplier that has made a motor mount for them.   He sells them on Ebay.  Just enter the search string "Seahawk II motor mount" at the ebay home page if you're interested.  I'm not, so I don't know how good they are.  We've also found more Seahawk Sport 400's (also discontinued by Intex) so we're able to continue offering that model as well for a while.  They're getting scarcer and more expensive, so don't hesitate if you're interested in one.

                 Seahawk II with a custom dacron sail

The ice is finally off the ponds around here, so we took a Seahawk II out yesterday.   She's a sweet little craft, just like the Seahawk Sport 400.   

Sail for a Porta-Bote

-  There's a guy in Ardsley, NY, (I grew up in the neighboring town of Dobbs Ferry) who has been calling and emailing about his Porta-Bote.     He's a previous customer, in that he once bought stabilizers for his Hobie sailing kayak, and he says they worked out very well.   But he wanted a bigger boat, so he sold the Hobie and bought a Porta-Bote.   But he didn't buy the Porta-Bote sail rig, because it didn't look good to him.   I've heard this from several Porta-Bote owners:  The P-B sail rig is bulky, expensive, complicated and doesn't sail very well.  I can verify the latter complaint, as I sailed alongside -- or I should say round and round -- one that was sailing on a local pond last Fall.  I was in one of my inflatable sailboats and the only way I could have a conversation with the Porta-Bote sailors was to orbit their boat, it was so slow.  To be fair, the winds were very light and for all I know they would have outsailed me in a stronger breeze (or maybe not).   So anyway, this guy drove all the way up here from NY to have me adapt one of our sail rigs to his Porta-Bote.    It was easily done, while he waited.  All we had to do was make longer crossbars, and use the full-length side rails we use on most kayak sail rigs.   We look forward to hearing from him soon on how well it performs.  

Update 4/19/06 -- Well, we heard, and the news was not good.   The customer reports it just didn't sail worth a damn.   So, I suggested he send the rig back to me and I'll give him a refund.   Now my curiosity is up -- what is it about the Porta-Bote hull shape that would make it so unsailable?   I'd be interested to hear from others with experience sailing the Porta-Bote, and anyone who has one who would like to come see me here in Boxborough with his/her boat, let's get together and go to a nearby lake with my rig and see what we can learn.    There seem to be many Porta-Boters who would like a more portable, more effective sail rig than Porta-Bote offers, so I'd like to solve the puzzle.  But I'm not likely to buy myself a Porta-Bote any time soon, so I need someone to provide the guinea pig.  I promise - no damage, no modifications to your boat (bote?).   Jim@sailboatstogo.com

Kayakamaran

- We've spruced up the kayakamaran page a bit and added a second kayakamaran video. 

4/19/06 -- Someone wrote in and suggested putting it on two sail boards.  Cool idea.  We'll wait until the water is a little warmer and give it a try.

Three Sail A Canoe -- New video.   We had a very fun time giving 2 ladies a somewhat wet by exciting sail in the canoe on Easter weekend, and made a silly video out of it.   If you have a fast connection, check it out:   www.sailboatstogo.com/videos/three_sail_canoe.wmv .   It shows off the hydrodynamic stabilizer floats nicely.    And for a perfect end to a perfect sail, when we hit the beach, there was a couple waiting for me there who were visiting the U.S.  from Quebec, traveling around in a pcik-up camper.  They looked over the rig, whipped out their credit card, and bought one from me, right there at the water's edge!

A Motor for your Inflatable Sailboat?

7/2/06  I'm not much for motors but I understand they have their place.   I want the least motor that will do the job, so I've been playing around with the smallest of small electric trolling motors:  The Sevylor SBM.   I found I could easily mount this on the Intex Mariner or Intex Seahawk II or Seahawk Sport 400 with a little adaptor that I made.   This adaptor is much less bulky and quicker to set up than a full motor mount, and the Sevylor SBM is smaller, cheaper and lighter than any other trolling motor.  (I'm sorry, did I say "cheaper?"  That's "more cost effective" in biz-speak.)   I am powering it with one of those "jump starter" power packs, which I find much more convenient than a conventional battery, because it has a handle, a state-of-charge indicator, and on-off switch, and a cigarette-lighter type outlet that I use to plug in my boat inflator.   Also, it's small and light.    I find with this combination I am able to motor for about 45 minutes at full speed.   It's very easy to switch from sailing to motoring and vice versa.  I just raise the motor up and tighten a little thumbscrew when it's not in use.    This setup might be just the thing for those who want a little auxiliary motor for getting home if the wind dies.  It would not be the thing for pushing a fully loaded boat into a strong headwind.   But under most conditions it will push you along at what I would guess is about 2 1/2  mph.   Yep, that's "full speed!".

See the little motor sticking up behind Betty's head?  That's the Sevylor SBM electric.  We're in the Intex Mariner, and we're sailing, not motoring.     When I'm sailing, I slide the motor way up like that, so the prop does not drag in the water and slow me down.  It has a mount that allows it to slide up and down and a collar with a locking screw you tighten and untighten with your fingers to hold it up. We'll soon add the mounting adaptor to our catalog, and I suppose the motor and a battery as well.  - Jim  7/3/06

Jim Luckett & his wife Betty MacKenzie out for a sail.

 September 2006 -  Adding Rigs for Rigid Dinghies

There must be a lot of folks out there with dinghies that they row or use with a small outboard for fishing, tending a larger boat, or just messing about.    Now they can clamp a sail rig on said boat and sail it!

See our new sail rig for dinghies (click here)   Some folks may want to buy a rigid dinghy expressly for the purpose of making it their sailboat.   We picked up a Lowe Sea Nymph aluminum fishing boat on Ebay and were quite pleased with its portability, over-all construction and sailing performance.