Published by the Open Canoe Sailing Group

Retractable Daggerboard (DaveS)

For the board which minimizes sideways movement (leeway) we normally prefer a leeboard on a sailing canoe, as it offers the best compromise of being free to kick up if you run into something, and is less intrusive in the cockpit than a centreboard. With our new sailing kayak, the Dunlin, we wanted to be able to paddle it efficiently with a double paddle. This meant that the leeboard could be in the way, so we decided to put in an offset daggerboard through the side deck. A standard daggerboard is very vulnerable if you accidentally run into a submerged object. I have seen boards badly damaged, or even worse, seen the daggerboard case cracked out of the bottom causing a serious leak. We have opted for a board that will kick up under the canoe if you accidentally run into something.

The first photo shows the board being lowered into the case. The top of the case is as wide as the case is high, and is then tapered down to the bottom, which is as wide as the board itself. The top of the board that fits in the case has the front of it cut back in an arc. This allows it to pivot up in the case if it hits something.

The second photo shows the board right down in the case, with a bungee cord cleated off, to keep the board in its upright position.

The final photo shows the board kicked up under the canoe. The top back corner of the board, being still in the case, remains captive within it. The bungee maintains a pull on the board, and after the obstacle has been cleared, the board will be pulled back into its upright position. The only down side seems to be that if you forget to retract it before running up onto a beach, you have to get out in knee deep water, tip the canoe onto its side and then retract the board.

The geometry of the case and the shape of the top of the board are quite tricky to get correct, so we first made a plywood mock up to check that it worked correctly. It certainly seems to work well and I think that after a leeboard, it is the next best thing for a canoe.

Who Are We? (KeithM)

Background?
Keith started to sail from about the age of 13, after his family bought a tiny dinghy. Since then he has always been happiest playing about with boats of all sorts - to such an extent that boating became part of his professional career in watersports coaching and management. Ann learnt to sail at evening classes just before meeting Keith. She wanted to try something different from her professional activities in the more conventional sports as a PE teacher. Together we have enjoyed a wide variety of boating pursuits such as dinghy sailing, power-boating, waterskiing and yachting as well as canoe trips under sail and paddle.

OCSG connection?
Keith saw JohnB's article in a canoeing magazine about a canoe-sailing race to be held on Ullswater in April, 1990 and, having already had a brief play about with a Grumman rig, decided to rig our own canoe and enter. Much to our amazement we won the race, which was from the campsite next to the yacht club, around Norfolk Island (near Patterdale) and back - a distance of some 13 miles! We are founder members of the Group and have become part of the furniture ever since.

Developments?
Started with a rig composed of a used small dinghy sail (a gunter of about 50 sq feet but reefable) with just a leeboard; various experiments, including such things as a side mounted rudder, Kevlar standing rigging and twin asymmetric leeboards, have resulted in a fairly high aspect Bermudan for racing performance. For cruising we have a very flexible rig that can set one or more of a 42 sq ft lugsail main, a 25 sq ft genoa, a 12 sq ft jib, a 65 sq ft spinnaker or a 15 sq ft "batwing" mizzen that can be brailed up using just control lines. This complex sounding arrangement allows a wide range of sail plans to be used according to the situation - from a tiny jib for downwind hoolies right through to over 120 sq ft for very light airs. Keith is one of the few who have obstinately stuck to a conventional tiller with extension (albeit with a remote linkage) rather than a simpler push-pull stick, arguing that he prefers steering the canoe to feel like the other craft he is used to. Canoe hulls have included a plastic Old Town Discovery 158 to start with, followed by the present and venerable royalex Mad River Explorer, which is a great all-rounder. He also has a plywood lapstrake fast and tippy hull bought off DaveS. Ideally Keith would prefer one hull and rig to do all things well but he has yet to find the right package! As for the sailing itself he feels that the standard of performance in the group has steadily improved over the years. Once upon a time he actually towed

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