Da Tinker wrote:
I used the barber hauler to the aft end of the ama this weekend, in light winds. Great improvement in down wind sail shape & performance. I rigged it as one continuous loop from the biner clip around the main sheet, down to the rear ama padeye, across to the other aft ama padeye & back to the clip. The line is long enough that I can operate it from either seat. Secure with a round turn & half hitch around the post above the mesh pocket. This releases easily with an upward tug on the working side of the line.
Draw back of the unused line drags in the water, but I found it easy enough to tuck it up under the bungee on the aft side of the aka.
Next item - figure out a good wind indicator, while keeping it simple & quick to rig.
Thanks for posting your setup.
Sounds like a simple/effective mod. I'll try it later this week. I need to get decent downwind speed; as our daughter's family will be using a spinnaker, which we tried out today on their TI (same color as ours). The simple wind indicator that Hobie puts on their mast tip rotator for their spinnaker worked very well for us today. That might be a design for you to check out.
The spinnaker really does make the kayak move downwind. It isn't the solution for our TI, as we prefer the simple/clean setup which matches our primary fishing use (and we have a motor, if need be).
Here's a pict from today sailing Siskiwit Bay in Cornucopia, WI.