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Expedition Sailing Canoe
----Plans have not been completed on this boat yet---
Specs:
LOA: 17′ 9″
BEAM: 26″ to 11′ 6″ with amas
WL BEAM: 23-1/2″
SAIL AREA: 58sqft
WEIGHT:
HULL: 60lbs
Total Empty: 125lbs
Max Displacement: 450lbs
Above: photo by Roger Warner. Indian River Hwy 152 bridge during the 2016 Ultimate Florida Challenge.
About the Expedition Canoe
The aim of the Expedition Canoe was to design the fastest and most practical boat that could be used in the 1200 mile Watertribe Ultimate Florida Challenge. A sailing canoe was chosen as the best platform due to it’s good performance under sail while at the same time being easy to paddle. One aspect of this expedition race is a 40 mile portage in which the boat must be transported over land. For this purpose, a specially designed wheeled cart was used and a 20lb folding bicycle was aboard for the entire race.Much of the design of the Expedition Canoe was inspired by Meade Gougeon and Hugh Horton and their development of small sailing canoes. Meade successfully raced in the Watertribe Everglades Challenge, and North Carolina Challenge and offered much support and advice during the design of our canoe.The boat is “tape” and glued construction (as opposed to stitch and glued) to avoid filling wire holes. The hull is 4mm ply with 4oz S-glass. Hatches are 4mm ply with rubber gaskets. Amas are shaped from blue foam and glassed. The freestanding mast is made from multiple pieces of aluminum tubing that come apart into 4 pieces. The leeboard, amas, outriggers, mast and sail will all stow internally in the fore and aft hatches for paddling and for the boat to be considered for CLASS 3 under Watertribe Rules. For the river portion of the UFC challenge the entire sailing rig was demounted and stowed.
Above: The County Compass mentions Alan and Graham, 2016
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Are plans available for the UFC Canoe?
A: Not yet. There are some changes that we want to make before we finalize the plans and also possibly produce a kit for the boat. She was deemed a bit too tippy for the average paddler especially when unloaded. For this reason, we are modifing the hull shape to provide a bit more initial stability so she is a good canoe AND a good sailing canoe.
Q: Are plans available for the UFC Canoe?
A: Not yet. There are some changes that we want to make before we finalize the plans and also possibly produce a kit for the boat. She was deemed a bit too tippy for the average paddler especially when unloaded. For this reason, we are modifing the hull shape to provide a bit more initial stability so she is a good canoe AND a good sailing canoe.
Below, the first sail of the Expedition Canoe just a few days before the 1200 mile race she competed in in Florida.
Videos from stage 1 and 2 of the Watertribe Ultimate Florida Challenge. Unfortunately the rest of the footage was lost but the Expedition Canoe performed flawlessly and got Alan around the course in 18 days 11 hours and 24min