sail size for OT yankee

Gil Cramer

The wooden canoe Shop, Inc.
A customer's 16' Old Town yankee has an Old Town 75 sq. ft. sail rig. The sail did not come with the canoe, but was ordered from Old Town later. The mast seat has been split around the brass ring, and the mast has some scratches probably caused when the seat split. Even though I'm not a sailor, this sail appears much too big for this canoe. The canoe has always been in the family, and the current owners have never sailed the canoe. From the looks of the almost 40 year old sail, nobody else sailed this canoe much either. What is the appropriate range of sail sizes for a 16' yankee for a novice sailor? Thanks for your help. Gil
 
The Old Town catalogs usually listed the 45 square foot sail rig as their standard size along with 40, 55, 65, and 75 square foot rigs. I learned to sail with a 75 square foot rig on a 16 foot long canoe but it is not the easiest way to start. I would suggest a 40 or 45 square foot sail rig for a novice sailor.

Benson
 
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