fitting sail to power cabin boat.

Has anybody fitted a small sail to a power boat,if so how was this done,I will have to make a propper and slightly oversized rudder and mount this on brackets to the out board motor and I think if I keep the sail size small ,I don't think the keeel will become a issue, all I want to do is idle along at a leisurly(slow) pace along the water,no intention of racing the America's cup,
I currently own a 24 foot cabin boat fitted with a 225 hp Evenrude.
Kind regards William Wright

Re: fitting sail to power cabin boat.

I wish you luck, but a sailboat works with a sail and a keel. They work exactly the same as an airplane wing. One without the other won't work unless you are simply looking for downwind runs and even still your control, regardless of the rudder you fashion, will be most likely ineffective. A sailboat pivots on its keel not its rudder. All you will ever do is slide sideways with the wind.

Toss in that your deck isn't set up to handle this type of load pushing down and you will have to fashion some kind of rigging, which will have to be fastened to the hull in some fashion, and I think you would be far better off pickin up a cheap sailboat.

Cool idea, but I think there are too many things working against you.

Re: fitting sail to power cabin boat.

THANKS VERY MUCH, for your reply I also asked this question at a local boating club meeting and one of the old timers gave me information regarding a leeboard. I then went down to our local book store and could not find any thing on the subject,I then went to our local second hand book store and found a book called " PRACTICAL BOATMAN" by Percy W Blandford which gave a lot of information on leeboards and adding sail to non sail boats,
the leeboard becomes the pivot point around which the rudder will work.You are quite right, all I want to do is use the sail for slow cruising and a form of propulsion other than petrol.I will not know if this project works until I have tried it, that saying that goes something like" it is better to try and fail rather than to have not tried and not known at all.I intend to keep the cabin cruiser as is but would like to see the outcome of my curiousity.
Kind regards William Wright

Re: fitting sail to power cabin boat.

There is no reason you could not do it. as mentioned above, the boat will not sail anywhere above a reach without a keel but it will sail down wind OK. Lee boards will help, but are a pain in the butt.. re-enforcing the hull to handle a mast is the hardest part. if you step the mast on deck, then you need to have a compression post in the center of your cabin down to the floor and some serious re-inforcement in the hull at this location.. but I admire you for wanting to try. you will save some gas if it works. but I think you would be better off selling the motor boat and getting a real sailboat..as it will never be safe in a hard blow or rough seas.... plus it will be quite expensive. masts,rigging and sails ain't cheap...

Re: fitting sail to power cabin boat.

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