Sailing the Passport— Better rudder needed

I bought the Passport 12 and the sail kit, eager to sail whenever the wind is decent. I have found several challenges that I did not expect, with my experience on a Super Snark sailboat as a kid.

I solved the problem of the sail curling like a taco by inserting a thin pole into the hem of sail. In fact, with a good straight sail, a strong wind brings the danger of turning over. I tried to bring the capability of the boat to handle the forces by buying the large sailing rudder. Unfortunately, the only one available will not fit on the Passport. Thus, in a good wind, the boat will drift instead of tacking with control. Has anyone here faced and solved this problem?

Hi. I just bought the sail kit for my passport 12. How do you keep the sail rope tethered to the back of the kayak? Did you install a pad eye? Thanks!

Shackle a small block to the handle line.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Sorry I didn’t see this question. There is actually a small indented bar near the rudder that I connected a caribener and a clip that allows the rope to glide smoothly. At first I threaded the rope through the handle cord, and that allowed way too much friction!

What type of clip did you use and size of the caribener? Im thinking about buying a sail too for my new Passport 2021 12.0

It was tricky to find a clip/caribener small enough to fit, but I did. I will try to send a picture of it next time I have access to you boat. As far as sailing, I found the Passport pleasant to sail between 6 and 10 mph winds. Beyond that, the small rudder wasn’t capable of handling the force.

6 to 10mph would be fine for me to sail in. I just wonder if I can roll the sail up by hand with not much problem without installing
a furling system, that just adds more ropes running around. I have a new 12.0 passport 2021 and thinking of buying the sail for it
too. Im just cruising the flats close in around the mangroves. Might be nice to relax sometimes. Sure wish the Price was lower for the sail.
For the price they should include the furling system but Im not sure I want the extra ropes and holes in the boat anyway.

Ahh. Furling! Yes, you are thinking well about your boat. I ended up making a homemade furling system with pvc pipe because of the trickiness with controlling the boat in two situations: one is in unexpected higher wind, and one is when sailing into a boat ramp type put-in spot.

You can roll the sail by hand if you have the balance and flexibility to scoot forward and grab the mast and sail. One time in a pinch I scooted up (I think I got on my knees) and plucked the mast out of the hole. I rolled it all up and set it beside me and peddled in. I keep a 6 inch bungee cord available to cinch the sail after wrapping it. But after that experience (the boat was spinning and threatening to tump me over), I got much more deliberate about being able to control and or furl the sail.

A better rudder would still solve most of my problems, and I am working with my salesperson on that. Typing answers on such an interesting subject is limiting! If you want to email me at [email protected], maybe we could connect more easily. I hope this okay with the forum, too!