I’ve been hoarding sail rig bits and pieces for years so I’ll need to buy almost nothing to build up my sail rig.

No need to find or build a rudder I thought, the Old Town 16 foot Wahoo sailing canoe had one included.

But I sure didn’t like that ugly short aluminum rudder. Oxidized, had to hacksaw off the frozen bolt. Pinched a blood blister in my sweet bass fretting ring finger. I still hate it.

My refugee fiberglass rudder from a 17 ft catamaran looks better than the original. Literally one minute to drill the new hole, five minutes to bolt together. Used original plastic gasket, plates.

I can adjust the rotating tension with a wing nut and and lines tied to it can rotate it up or down depending on water depth.

The mast is a giant high tech carbon fiber Windsurfer mast I’ll need to chop down to fit.

The sail is a Port-a-bote folding dinghy nylon mainsail I’ll also need to cut to size. As a sprit boom rig of sorts.

I intend to cut along a line parallel to the current bottom at the same angle. About 16 inches to cut. If it ravels I’ll flame or heat seal the cut nylon.

I’ll use the Port-a-bote’s gooseneck boom for my sail at the same angle, angled skyward to clear the rear of the cockpit, like a sprit boom.

I’ll cut the sail first, try it mocked up at different heights with me sitting in it, before fatally chopping the sturdy mast.

I’m trying to avoid building much and I don’t really want to clutter the inside with a thwart for the leeboard(s).

On the other hand I also don’t much like the Old Town Wahoo’s side dagger board in sockets. The lakes I sail in are granite and require flipup board(s) and rudder.

But that pocket looks like a good spot to hang a wood or metal bracket to hold a pivoting leeboard, to me, no need to add a thwart.

Maybe I get really lazy and just build one drop in bracket thingee and board, then shift it side to side on each tack. Which are generally pretty leisurely. As Ernest would say, ‘Hmm… it could work’.

All text and images by todgermanica.com.