911- WE ARE BUYING TOMORROW! 2 people sailing Tandem?

Please excuse the newbie questions as we are only just deciding which model to buy.

We are very interested and into the Tandem/Outfitter concept for many reasons.

But I have a real concern about being able to sail with two folks on board. Seems like the guy in front has to sit pretty up right to keep from leaning back on the mast.

Since one of the big draws, for me at least, is the ability to sail together, are we making a mistake in thinking the Tandem or Outfitter will work for tandem sailing?

Thanks for the help guys,

Carl Jackson

Hi Carl,

That's a tough question. All the sailing is done from the helm, so the crew would have to find something else to do. The sail is small, so you should look at it more as auxilliary power, especially with the extra weight of two people in a heavy kayak (don't look for a lot of speed). In gusty winds I think it would be hard to coordinate the balancing effort, since the kayak reacts so quickly to wind variations.

We have a tandem (older model with no sail capabilities) and an Adventure that I've sailed several times. But I have no actual experience sailing the tandem. If you're going to buy a tandem anyway, it would sure be great to try a sail before you purchase it if you can work that out with your dealer. If not, come over to Lake Hodges or Mission bay and you can try my sail on your new tandem! Perhaps you can negotiate an "option" price!

Thank you sir. I appreciate both of your replies and the offer to borrow your sail.

This information helps. We will let you know what happens, and if the opportunity presents itself, we will be in contact.

Thanks again,

Carl Jackson