If this information on paddle craft choices for sailing does not help you, please contact the Falcon Sails shop. Phone calls are better as boat choice comes down to your personality and what you as an individual will like the best.  After having helped thousands of people rig sails on their kayaks and canoes, we are very good at this process and are very happy to help you.  Email will work too, but not quite as well.  It is like trying to explain to somebody what kind of transportation to use that has never driven a car or been in a car rode a bike or taken public transportation on top of not knowing where the person lives or what budget they have.  We will be very happy to guide you in the general direction we think will make you happiest, communicating any way you like, but with a few minutes on the phone we can usually effectively and efficiently provide some kayak choice ideas that would be good for you.

Our shop phone number US 1-419-800-0132
Our email address info@falconsails.com

If you rig one of your kayaks to accept your Falcon Sail, you can rig another one of your kayaks or canoes to accept your Falcon Sail as well.  It only takes some deck hardware, and then you will have 2 boats to choose from.  Rigging the 2^nd kayak for your Falcon Sail will be easier than the first kayak you rig.  A lot of Falcon Sailors will rig all their kayaks and canoes for their Falcon Sail.  That way, no matter what kayak they take, it is ready to sail.   Once a boat is rigged to accept your falcon sail you can move it from one kayak to the other in less than 2 minutes.

In general people from cooler areas are more likely to prefer sit-inside kayaks, and people from warmer areas tend to gravitate more toward sit-ontop kayaks. 

Both sit-ontop and sit-inside kayaks are great for kayak sailing and have their pros and cons.   Sometimes, sit-inside kayaks are easier to rig and for the same length and width are more stable because the seats are usually lower.  Sometimes sit-on-top kayaks have complicated deck shapes with difficult to access areas under the mast which can lead to some extra rigging work. 

If you can find a kayak with great access under the deck / where you want to install the mast, that is more desirable.   Typically sit inside kayaks are very straight forward and give you easy access to the area under the mast.  If you like sit-on-top kayaks, then do not let what we say push you to a sit inside kayak. There is a solution for rigging a sail on any kayak.  We are here to help you sail the kayak you like the most.

People have questions about Canoes and how to rig a Falcon Sail on one and about how they sail.  We help people rig Falcon Sails on canoes on a regular basis.  We have many customers who canoe many thousands of miles with a Falcon Sail.  Like any paddle craft they sail very nicely. As you know, conventional canoes / open canoes do not have a deck.  The best, most solid rigging job on a canoe requires a solid gunnel to gunnel cross-member to use as a mast base.  9 out of 10 people use wood to make a cross-member.  If you order a Falcon Sail with a complete rigging kit for your conventional canoe, your kit will include a 2.5 inch x .75 inch x 36 inch piece of hardwood to use as a cross member. It is not hard to shape and install, but it is commonly an extra step necessary to rig a Falcon Sail on a canoe.   If you have any woodworking skills, or just determination, you can fashion & solidly attach a cross-member / thwart in the perfect spot on your canoe.  Your canoe may already have a cross member and or seat and or a carrying cross member / handle and or an extended bow deck / or thwart in a location that will work well as a mast base rigging location.  Or you can use a Falcon Sail clamp on (aluminum) cross member.  The Falcon Sail clamp on cross-member kit clamps on in about 1 minute and is extremely solid (even more solid than necessary).  It weighs about 3 pounds 10 ounces, which is a lot heavier and is not as attractive as a wood cross-member, but the Falcon Sail clamp on (aluminum) cross-member is a reliable and very solid and easy option.

Canoes have some advantages.  One major advantage of sailing a canoe is, it is easy to move weight around to change your boats (center of lateral resistance) tendency to turn up wind or turn down wind.  Your goal is to give your boat a tendency to be neutral / not turn up wind or turn down wind.  It is nice to be able to adjust weight and experiment with this tendency when on the water.  Most often, with a kayak you need to land to make a weight distribution adjustment.  If you are carrying a load, after a few launches and landings, you will have an idea of what to do no matter if you do it on land or on the water.  With just a little bit of experience, you will know the advantages of loading your boat one way or the other.   One big advantage of rigging a sail on your canoe is they are very easy to rig.  Once you have your mast base location set up on your canoe, the rest of the rigging process is as easy as it gets.  If you use a Falcon Sail clamp on cross member, it will only take about 1 minute to have your mast base location finalized.

If a canoe stays within its weigh limitations, and has not become unstable for being overloaded, the more you load in a canoe, the better it sails.   Heavy loads do 2 things for canoe sailing.  They reduce windage above the water line and increase lateral resistance below the water line at the same time which makes your canoe sail immensely better.  In general, if you load a canoe as it was designed to be loaded, it will sail a lot better.  We have had many canoe adventurers give feedback confirming this dynamic.
                                             
Another point about conventional canoes is some canoes have more windage / exposed surface to catch wind. When sailing, less windage is a good thing, but more windage should not change your opinion of rigging a Falcon Sail on your canoe.  Some canoes tend to track not as well as kayaks.  This is not as desirable, but not a reason, to not put a Falcon Sail on your canoe.   So, canoes have a few minor drawbacks, but if you like your canoe, and want to put a Falcon Sail on it, you will have a good time sailing your canoe. The best boat for rigging a sail on is the boat you own and like. You can rig a Falcon Sail on the canoe you like, then rig your other boats to accept the sail as well.

Tandem kayaks and tandem canoes are particularly attractive for paddle sailing.  They are usually very stable, sail great, are the easiest to rig. Many times they are just more fun than a solo craft. A sail can bridge the difference between 2 peoples likes and enthusiasm. If one wants to paddle harder and one just enjoys the ride, the sail can provide the push needed to make up for a paddler that does not want to paddle.

One of our favorite kayaks to help people with are tandem recreational kayaks.  They make great beginner kayaks and sail great in tandem and single paddler modes.   We have a lot of sea kayakers and canoers enjoy sailing their tandem paddle craft.

For more capable paddlers and rowers a 16 to 18-foot-long and 21 inches wide boat can be a great choice.  The only real advantage of these kayaks are they are a little faster (less than 1 kph faster for normal paddlers), and they are tippy, which is great if you are conditioned to lean into steep waves when steep waves pass under you.  These boats are for more skilled paddlers looking for more exposure, going a little faster, further, and maybe camping.   They sail great, but not better than the shorter or wider kayaks. In general, they are not a good choice for inexperienced kayakers without some help and determination to advance skills.  

One exception to the rule (the best kayak for kayak sailing is the kayak you own and like), is if you have a kayak and you are not in control of it. You should have enough control of your kayak to paddle with no sail in the conditions you plan to sail in.  It could possibly be in a beautiful narrow tippy sea kayak or a tippy surf ski, or any kind of super tippy kayak you are just learning how to paddle.  If you want to sail in big open water and you have great control of the kayak and have great reentry / self-rescue skills a tippy boat like this is a fine choice.  If you are not a solid sea kayaker, a sea kayak can limit you to staying close to shore until you gain adequate skill. Keeping yourself limited to conditions that match your skill levels is a common-sense good thing for kayakers at all levels to do.  It is part of a smart learning progression.  Everybody has their limits.  Since sea kayaks are tippy, you should be a good sea kayaker to go far from shore with a sea kayak with or without a sail.

A sea kayak will encourage you to advance your skills quickly or maybe convince you to limit your sailing to light wind days to stay within your learning curve and comfort zone.  You can always lower a Falcon Sail and secure it to your deck 100% out of the way in seconds.  If your goal is to advance your sea kayaking skills, rigging a Falcon Sail on your sea kayak will be very beneficial. It will allow you to engage in challenging situations with the ability to drop your sail on demand in seconds to go back to a no sail / easier mode any time you like.  Having this learning tool allows one of the best methods of advancing skills available.  Once you become a proficient sea kayak sailor, most all conditions start to feel easy. If you are looking for a thrill you can always raise your sail.

If you are not in control and do not have people to kayak with, you must be careful with a sea kayak or any tippy paddle craft for both paddle only kayaking and kayak sailing.  You can never be too good at self-rescue skills.  If you can reliably always reenter your kayak if you are in the water, you are an advanced sea kayaker and ready for a lot of sea kayak sailing experiences.

Sea Kayaks have a few small drawbacks.  They have a little longer learning curve.  That longer learning curve applies if you have a sail or do not have a sail.  Sea kayaks take a extra thinking to give a neutral steering tendency / a tendency to stay on course / a tendency to not turn up wind or turn down wind.  It is not hard to adjust this tendency with a simple weight redistribution or adjustment of a skeg or an adjustment of a rudder.   A sea kayak with or without a sail needs a little bit of thinking to keep its steering tendency neutral / a tendency to stay on course.  This issue is not specific to kayak sailing as much as it is specific to sea kayaks when in the wind.   Sea kayaks introduce this tendency to the equation where shorter kayaks do not.  Hence nearly all sea kayaks have adjustable skegs or rudders and kayaks shorter than 13 feet rarely have adjustable skegs and rudders.  Sea kayaks are usually narrow and tippy which requires some extra skill.

If you can safely handle a sea kayak and you like sea kayaks, then your favorite sea kayak is the kayak we recommend for you to sail.  If you are not so confident, go kayak sailing with kayaking friends that can help you if you would like help. In this case sail when they paddle and stay close to them.  You will learn quickly.  Learning and improving your maneuvering skills is a big part of the fun.  A sail will make you a better and stronger kayaker.  On occasion, you will use your most powerful sweep strokes and rudder strokes to turn and then learn to use graceful balancing of forces to give your kayak a neutral tendency.   This is true with or without a sail. Wind tends to make things a bit more difficult no matter if you have a sail or not.  Adding a sail just makes you want to go out in the wind and expose yourself to these fun conditions.

A kayak can be flimsy and still be great for sailing.  A sturdier kayak is generally preferred over a less solid kayak.    If you have a kayak that is average or just particularly soft, it will be fine.  Light weight kayaks tend to be softer and less stiff.  There is a lot of tolerance designed into the Falcon Sail rigging kit for kayaks that are softer and less stiff.  Unless your kayak is as soft and flexible as an inflatable or folding kayak, rigidity is not an issue.  

If your kayak is softer / not really solid, it will be less tolerant for rigging imperfections and sloppy rigging.  If you have a soft kayak you should try to follow the installation instructions as best as you can and use the  deck stiffeners included with your complete rigging kit.  This is not a problem, but if you have a solid kayak, it is more desirable and will be more tolerant of a more sloppy installation.  All hard-shell kayaks (plastic, composite (fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon, wood / not folding or inflatable)) are plenty solid for a solid installation.

No matter what happens, if your rigging job is not adequate, it will reveal itself usually in the form of a mast that is not solidly standing.  These things are easy to fix. 9 out of 10 times adjusting the standing lines will be more than enough to correct a mast that is not standing solidly.  More solid kayaks are desirable, but there is no reason to focus on this.  Falcon Sails come with deck support struts, deck stiffeners, adapter blocks, large fender washers, and other large engagement hardware to keep things solid.  Your rigging kit will include everything you need.

If all things are equal and you want the easiest install job, try to avoid inflatable, folding, and skin on frame kayaks. All inflatable, folding, and skin on frame kayaks can be rigged with a Falcon Sail and will sail great just like any paddle craft.  Usually inflatable, folding, and skin on frame kayaks take more work and determination to rig a sail on them.  Inflatable, folding, and skin on frame kayaks often have more windage / more surface area for the wind to blow on.  More windage is not a good thing but is not a major issue either.  In any case, less windage is slightly more desirable than more windage. 

Inflatable, folding, and skin on frame kayaks typically require you to make a simple solid mast base board (usually made of a plastic board or varnished quality plywood) to attach to your deck, or extra reinforcement and may require some anchor points / tie down points to be added as well.  These things are not difficult but do require more knowledge & determination.  Falcon Sails will be happy to guide you and support you through the installation process.

Sometimes, just a bit of extra deck reinforcement / deck stiffeners included in a Falcon Sail complete rigging kit, will be all you need on an inflatable, folding, or skin on frame kayak.  On occasion these kayaks will have a solid mounting point that is ready to go and will be just as easy to rig a sail on as a hard-shell kayak (plastic, composite (fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon, wood / not folding or inflatable)).   Each boat is different. If you like, call or email the Falcon Sails shop to let us know the model of paddle craft you are considering, and we will respond with some comments that will let you know what is necessary for your kayak.  If you order a Falcon Sail with a complete rigging kit for any paddle craft, we will put together the best and most complete rigging kit we can and provide notes and advice for you, so you know what is needed to do a great rigging job.

Inflatable, folding, and skin on frame kayaks are plenty solid but typically require more work to solidify the rigging as necessary for “a nice solid enough rigging job”.  Hard-shell kayaks (plastic, composite (fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon, wood / not folding or inflatable)) are nearly always easier to rig and with equal effort will be more solid. 

If it is not a problem for you, stick with an ordinary hard-shell kayak (plastic, composite (fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon, wood / not folding or inflatable)).   If you want to sail your inflatable, folding, or skin on frame kayak we recommend you go for it, and we will be happy to discuss your exact boat / rigging situation to help you come up with ideas and decide what you want and what your plan will be.  If your only kayak is an inflatable, folding, or skin on frame kayak and you have some determination, you should put a Falcon Sail on it.  Contact us and tell us the exact kayak model you have, and we will respond with an opinion and ideas for that kayak.  We can put together a rigging kit for you that will include nearly everything you need. 

Just like everything else, we have rigging solutions for every situation you can imagine.

Falcon Sail rigging kits come with easy to set rivets so access to the inside of the kayak is not necessary.

If you have access to the area under the mast (for a faster & easier installation of the Falcon Sail deck support strut), it will be easier to rig. If the kayak does not provide access to the area under the mast, we will select the best solution available. There are plenty of solutions to deal with a kayak where you do not have access to under where you should rig the mast. A few examples are listed below.

A complete rigging kit for some kayaks includes a easy to install screw out deck plate to create easy access and a nice upgrade to your kayak. Some kayak parts lists include deck stiffeners as an alternative to our deck support strut.

For some kayaks, when we make a sail with a complete rigging kit, we will include a custom-made aluminum cross member and with easy to set rives for attachment and use as a mast base.   This allows the mast base to be held at the perfect level and location.  We make these custom-made aluminum cross members typically for kayaks that have a recessed front deck area.  

A rare slight exception to the general rule, (the best kayak for kayak sailing is the kayak you own and like), would be an overly complex deck shape. Occasionally designers of sit on top kayaks that make rigging a bit more work.  Even still 98%+ of all sit on top kayaks, are plenty easy to rig and sail great. There are very few unusual deck shapes that require more work to solidly rig a sail on it. 

After having helped people rig thousands of different kayaks with Falcon Sails, we have developed great rigging options to cover every situation we have come across.  We will always help properly rig a sail on your kayak. Most often we have a solution to make even complex shapes very easy to work with. A few rare situations will require a little more work to match an unusually complex deck shape. 

If you tell us what kayak you have, we will let you know the recommended rigging plan for that boat. If there is any factor or significant out of the ordinary situation, we make sure you know right away. 19+ out of 20 times, all you have to do is order a Falcon Sail with a complete rigging kit, and when the box arrives you will have 100% of the hardware you need for an easy and solid rigging job.  At the end of the Falcon Sail purchase process, you will tell us what kayak you have, so we can make the best possible kit for you.  If you fail to let us know what kayak you have, or we do not have enough information to make the best kit we can for you, we will contact you to get the information we need.

Another factor is, if you plan on hanging out with other kayakers, there is an advantage to have a kayak similar to theirs so you will tend to have the same pace and more likely to go out in and enjoy the same conditions.  If a kayak that is super way faster or super way slower than your friend’s kayak, it may not be as good as it could be if your kayaks were more similar.

Here are a few general rules of thumb for choosing a sail size.
If you have a narrow kayak (25 inches or less) and see winds above 10mph regularly, the 1.0 is the way to go.
If you have a super stable kayak / one that is over 28 inches wide and only rarely see winds over 15mph, the 1.4 would be a good choice.  If you have a decently stable kayak, and like big wind days over 15mph a 1.0 square meter sail is a great choice as well.
The 1.1 is a nice in between size.

No matter what kayak you have, all sizes are going to work nicely on a lot of days. No matter what size of sail you choose, you will find it works great in reasonable conditions.  

On occasion you may decide to go sailing on a windy day and you would like a 1.0 square meter sail.  On occasion, you may find a light wind day and decide you would like a 1.4 square meter sail. One of the beauties of having a Falcon Sail is all sizes of sails will work with your Falcon Sail rig.  If you would like different size of sail, you can order a Sail (With No Hardware) in another size and use it with your current rig.  As you have more fun with your Falcon Sail, you may decide you would like another size of sail. If you have 2 sizes of sails, you can change from one size to another in less than 2 minutes.  Currently we have 3 sizes of sails.  Every sail Falcon Sails will ever make will be compatible with whatever sail rig you may already own.

If you buy any size sail with a complete rigging kit, you can order another sail (With No Hardware) in any size you like at any time.  You can then bring all your sails with you when you go sailing.  This will give you a fast and easy sail-size change option ready to go.

All sizes of Falcon Sails are compatible with the Falcon Sail rig.  If you buy a Sail only of any size at any time, it will include everything you need to use it with your Falcon Sail rig.

Skill level does play a small role in the choice, but in general a smart advanced kayak sailor will be no more likely to go with a big sail than a beginner.

Advanced kayakers who go out in bigger winds are commonly  best served by a smaller sized sail. There is no reason to be overpowered.  On a big windy day, a 1.0 square meter Falcon Sail can push any kayak to its maximum hull speed, and for sure as fast as the strongest paddler can paddle a kayak if the distance is more than a 50-yard sprint.  In this case a larger sail will not make you go any faster.

In the ideal world you have all 3 sizes of sails.

If you buy a 1.0 square meter sail with a complete rigging kit, you can buy a 1.4 square meter sail only any time you like. And of course, if you buy a 1.4 square meter sail with a complete rigging kit, you can buy a 1.0 square meter sail only any time you like as well.  This flexibility applies to our 1.1 square meter sail as well.

All Falcon Sails hardware is modular and interchangeable.

We look at every order to make sure a customer who already has a Falcon Sail will be taken care of / and has all the hardware necessary if they order another size of sail.  We are not only selling the best hardware you can find, you are buying a service and the best experience we can provide.

The 1.0 sail only comes with a boom extension that will make it work with your 1.4 or 1.1 sail rig.
The 1.1 sail only comes with a boom extension that will make it work with your 1.0 or 1.4 sail rig.
The 1.4 sail only comes with a boom extension that will make it work with your 1.0 or 1.1 sail rig.

If you ever buy another size of sail / sail only to use with your current rig, you will have everything you need.
Changing sail sizes is easy to do.  With just a little practice you will be able to change out a Falcon Sail in about 90 seconds or less.

In any case, there is no sense in being overpowered as the 1.0 on a 15mph wind day, will push your kayak as fast as it will go, but still the 1.4 will be fine in decent wind and you can always lower your sail and secure it to the the deck of your kayak any time you do not feel like you are in 100% control.

Here is a video that shows how to change sail sizes.
https://www.facebook.com/falconsails/videos/768410241951446/

Here is another video that shows a sail change on a really windy day.
You can put on a smaller sail and also not even raise the sail if it is too windy for you.
https://www.facebook.com/100064028142315/videos/pcb.1087109789446612/908362431206451