Faster Reefing System for Cruising Dinghies
Goat Island Skiff group has developed a faster reefing system for cruising dinghies. No special fittings are needed so quick cheap and simple
Beth sailing canoe
This is a page of articles about the BETH Sailing Canoe.
Click here for specific plan information about the BETH Sailing Canoe
Venturi Dinghy Self Bailers for Cruising and RAID Dinghies, A good idea?
Venturi Dinghy Self Bailers and Does your Sailing Dinghy need them? – Storer Boat Plans in Wood and Plywood
Checklist for choosing and fitting Dinghy Self Bailers to sail boats. Why they suit some boats but not others. Suitability for different events and uses.
Controlling Sail Twist on Balance and other lug rigs.
Controlling sail twist on any boat is critical for performance. Here we describe two methods for getting more performance all round and safer handling downwind.
Build a Triple Canoe Storage Boat Rack for Kayaks and SUPs
I was looking for a suitable canoe rack to store 2 or 3 canoes above each other to make the most of the available space. But then I decided – make one!
Inexpensive Centrecase Padding Reduces Rudder Centreboard Maintenance
Centrecase Padding reduces centreboard maintenance by protecting the sliding surfaces of rudderbox or Leeboard case on sailing dinghies. We look at low cost ways for padding the centrecase to reduce foil wear and tear.
Andrew enjoys strong winds in his BETH sailing canoe
Discussion of handling light sailboats such as sailing canoes and how some hull design features promote good sailing manners at higher speeds. Taking pressure away from the sailor by making the boats light and predictable despite rough conditions.
Building a Light Performance Sailing Canoe isn’t Difficult
Assembly of the beautiful BETH Sailing Canoe. Photos of all the major stages.
BETH Sailing Canoe for sale – Narrabeen Lakes, Australia
Dennis, in Sydney, has been blitzing around in his beautifully built Beth sailing canoe for well over a decade. He now has to reluctantly let go of this lovely looking boat. It really is for experienced dinghy sailors, but is rewarding to sail and easier on the bod than a Laser!
Kanangra Photos – BETH Sailing Canoe in South Australia
A particularly beautiful BETH sailing Canoe Kanangra Launched in South Australia. Also some lug sail setup information
20 ways to boost Lug rig and lug sail performance! Rigging and Tuning.
All our lug rig information on one page. We have seen the change from the balance lug being almost forgotten to becoming the predominant rig for small self built wooden boat. This was the situation a hundred years ago. We can still use the cheapness and effectiveness of this rig to create boats with very quick and pleasant sailing characteristic.
Rigging guide for Goat Island Skiff – Efficient lug sails
How do you rig your Goat Island Skiff or other balance lug rigged boat? This page will be useful for everyone, but specifically assist Goat owners in selection of rope, rope lengths and show all the rigging details. We have also found a number of cheaper ways of doing things from our experience in the Philippines. Halyard, downhaul, outhaul, lashings, rope fittings, rudders, centreboard.
Finding downwind speed – Planing in OzRacers and OzGeese.
Planing and downwind speed is a practiced skill. But the 8ft OzRacer and the 12ft OzGoose have strikingly different behavour. Goose planes easily in light wind. OzRacer needs a lot more wind and jumps up and down in speed.
Choose between Swinging Centreboard and Daggerboard
A discussion about basic pros and cons for swinging centreboards. And dagger centreboards. Centre Board means the board is in the centre. Which is different from a Lee board which is too the side.
Achieve best Cost/Performance with Traditional Sailing Rigs – Balance, standing lugs and sprit rig sails
A guide for choosing cheaper alternative rigs. Balance Lug, Standing Lug, Sprit, Lateen and more. These rigs typically save a lot of money over conventional sailplans and set up right offer much the same performance. They respond to the same principles. Are boomless sails OK?
Cheap lug rig tuning and setup – simplify but sail fast.
In the Philippines imported boat parts look extremely expensive compared to local incomes. So we have worked hard to eliminate them as much as possible or replace them. What is easy, cheap and good for racing performance? The result is a big way to save money.
All Videos – Canoes – Paddle Electric Sail
Canoe Video resource. Paddling canoes, Electric canoes, Sailing Canoes. Drop in rigs to make any canoe work as a sailboat. Videos on building, Paddling and sailing canoes
What is that crease in my lugsail, How to diagnose and fix.
Getting rid of a familiar crease in many lugsails.
Reefing a lug sail, New fast method, quicker Than ties and Tingles
How to reef a Balance Lugsail. A neat trick of using shock cord (bungee) for the intermediate ties makes it much faster to tie in a reef as well as remove the reef after. it also minimises the risk of damaging the sail if something major breaks elsewhere.
How does the BETH sailing canoe go in mixed fleets and handicap racing?
BETH sailing canoe – The designer has lots of fine things to say about the sailing performance of BETH – but Andrew Barclay has been racing his against mixed fleets in British Columbia where she sails equal with Laser Radials in light wind and gradually outclasses them in stronger.
I provide some tips about getting a bit more from the boat.
A UK Agent for Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans – Fyne Boat Kits
Fyne Boat Kits has an excellent reputation for customer service and quality.
I am happy to announce that they will be gradually phased in as the UK Agents for storerboats kits, plans and materials.