Viola 14 Performance Sailing Canoe Sailing Dinghy Hybrid – Video

Viola Canoe lightweight stability with dinghy performance (Medium) modern and lug canoe rigs
A Performance Sailing Canoe with Stability

The New Viola 14 Sailing Canoe is based around a much more stable platform than the average symmetrical sailing canoe. Photo right.

This leads to power for sailing similar to a sailing dinghy and ability to raise the sail and/or mast while the canoe is afloat.

And less surface drag in light winds and less slowing down in waves in stronger wind.

Viola 14 Plans $100

Specification Viola Sailing Canoe

Length – 14ft
Beam – 40ins
Hull weight as specified – 75lbs
Masts – Aluminium standard tubing set up as 2 piece to fit inside the boat
Sails – 3 options. Squaretops have one reef that can be set up on the beach. Balance lug has 3 reefs that can be set up on the water.
4.7sq m Squaretop Laminate Bermudan Rig with laminate sail and sleeve luff
6.0sq m Squaretop Laminate Bermudan Rig with laminate sail and sleeve luff
6.3sq m Balance Lug with 3 reefs.

All sails available from our ReallySimpleSails.com

Viola 14 Sailing Canoe with a stable planing dinghy hullform. DIY

Video image can take a moment to load.

Docile handling at speed, waves and any angle of heel

The asymmetry with flatter sections aft makes the boat fast with a performance curve similar to a fast light sailing dinghy. At 75lbs is IS a fast light sailing dinghy with similar handling. But, sailing canoes are well known for having very nice steering characteristics. The hull has similar volume each end and the centre of buoyancy doesn’t shift far aft as the boat heels. That is heeling the boat doesn’t change its steering characteristic.

Something we learned from our first boat plan, the very famous classic but fast BETH design. You can push boats with balanced volumes very hard and they track straight and happily.

You can see the very neutral tiller angle in every video shot. It is always light with a positive response to tiller movement.

Viola 14 Sailing Canoe for RAIDS, Expeditions and Distance Events

The stability is also important because Joost in the Netherlands was planning to join RAID events which are different in the country of dykes and windmills. They sail along canals and under fairly frequent low bridges. So he had to be able to stand up to lift the mast out for very low bridges.

Vioal 14 sailing canoe amongst the larger boats of the Dorestad RAID event

Whether the wind was light or very strong the Viola did very well compared to the much larger boats in the event.

He uses the 6.3sq m lug rig version on the Viola 14 sailing canoe for RAIDS and expeditions as the sail can be reefed from large to small while sailing. Or it can be dropped completely for a paddling section of the course. All three rigs are in the video.

Viola 14 Canoe Stitch and Glue Construction

The Viola Sailing Canoe comes from 4 sheets Gaboon plywood. They must be a minimum 8 x 4ft (2440 x 1220) for easiest building.

Viola 14 Sailing Canoe is stitch and glue - 75lbs hull

The basic five panels are cut. Then stitched together. We plan to have kits available in the USA and UK shortly.

Viola 14 Sailing Canoe building interior - 75lbs hull

Stability for Reefing and getting the Mast Up and Down

The third photo is the sailing canoe’s namesake, Viola getting back in after a practice capsize. She hasn’t done much sailing since her dinghy days 20 years ago. Her comment was “what a simple and easy to sail boat”. And then Joost asked Viola to do a trial capsize.

Stability of the Viola 14 Sailing canoe with standing crew

Viola 14 Plans are available for $100 on Duckworks and my other agents.

Several Canoes? Then you need a triple storage rack to build yourself