I took the pedal drive prototype out yesterday in relatively light winds to see how our pop-up sail system would interface with the pedal drive. As expected, not very well. The flippers add enormous drag to what is otherwise a surprisingly swift sail, despite its tiny size. There’s also just way too much risk of tangling the control lines on the pedals. So for these reasons, when it’s time to sail I would likely pull the drive out and fasten it behind me, and then plug the drive hole.
Speaking of plugging the drive box, I did pull the drive out while I was sailing and it picked up a bit of speed, but for the most part the flipper drag was simply replaced by slot drag and there was way more splashing in the box than I am comfortable with. For this reason, the box cap is going to need to include a plug for decent performance. Fortunately, I built one of these, but it’s overly complicated so I will make another.
I raised and lowered the sail dozens of times to identify potential tangles and risks with the new hardware. This kind of practice is crucial because it helps to identify weaknesses in the hardware AND the software. Line management is especially important in any small boat.
I’ve been using this sail system for years, (it’s included in our canoe building plans) so not a lot of surprises there, I will say, however, that pushing a canoe against the wind with the pedal drive is a vastly more enjoyable experience, then doing the same thing with a canoe paddle and a J stroke!
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