Introduction: Inflatable Sailboat

One day I wanted to build an inflatable sailboat but I had no money, so I tried a cheap solution, I used PVC pipe.

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Step 1: Materials

An inflatable boat, I used a Intex Seahawk 300 inflatable boat bad either will work, just adjust the measurements and fittings.

Frame and rudder

3m PVC pipe 40mm Brown
6m PVC pipe 32mm Brown
2 elbows 40mm
1 T 40mm
2 T 40mm/32mm
2 elbows 32mm
2 connections threadable 32mm
4-bladed paddle plastic

Sail

2.5 m aluminum tube of 1 3 / 4 "
2 x 3m aluminum tube of 3 / 4 "
6.5 m ripstop nylon 250 or a 3 x 4m polytarp
sewing nylon line
A ring of 1 1 / 2 "internal diameter (metal, wood or reinforced plastic)
4 stainless steel clamps 3 / 4 "

Miscellaneous

Screws
Nuts
Washers
10m of 6mm rope
expandable polyurethane

Step 2: Frame Construction

For the frame I used PVC pipe 40mm brown, impressed so strong it is.

I used a tee to cup the mast and elbows, to paddle into brackets I used two T 40mm/32mm.

As you can not do a tear in the middle of the boat to put a daggerboard, inflatable boats are used in these two Daggerboards side, I used the paddle blades that I had from the time he wanted to make the pedal boat, had to take the curvature of shovels, I boiled water and plunged the shovel for a few minutes in boiling water, there was only pressing the curve instead using a towel, and used PVC pipe 32mm brown, elbows and joins threadable, so I can easily dismantle the bowlines, and at the time of sailing is just tighten the nut and is tack in position. Note that the distance between the mast and the bowlines depends on the shape and size of the candle in the position of the bowlines sail should be at the point of sail's greatest strength, in my case coincided with the support of rowing because I would still make sail.

Step 3: Make the Sail


So I went to the sail, I used nylon parachutes, those used to make backpacks and kites do not know if it is actually used in parachutes. I bought 3 meters of white, yellow and blue, I used everything could have been 1.7 m of the colors used on the sides. Can also be used to light the canvas sneakers that is relatively lightweight and durable, the United States has a similar material called Polytarp both have two layers of fiber-reinforced plastic inner, the difference is that the canvas has Take the fibers in a single Politarp sense and has two layers of fibers, one in vertical and horizontal in the other also can skip the step of joining the panels as it has in large measures.
I went to the garage of my father and stretched out the fabric, cut the fringe on the length and attach with double sided tape, 1 cm, most of those thin anyway, so I cut around to make it easier to mark the design of the sail, I I used the measures that the very Lucket Jim, owner of SailBoatsToGo emailed me, only converted to centimeters.
I'll try to explain, I cut the pipe 1 / 2 "in the middle, it comes with 6m, so I got two halves of 3m, uni parties with a screw and used as a ruler to mark the fabric, when I realized that mark I could not score with graphite, so I used charcoal, not good, dirty everything, I urge you to buy a tailor's chalk (not sure if still there), marked with a triangle base and 3.6 m in both sides of 2 , 89m (very basic high school trigonometry), done that, scored the curve gives the profile of the sail, for it scored four intervals of 30.5 cm 2, after 22.5 and 30.5 cm over 4, I started the edge less than 10cm perpendicular to March, following the measurements were 11.5, 12.5, 14, 15, 16cm, then goes down again 15, 14, 12.5, 11.5 and 10 cm, marked points, I drew a curve connecting these points, did the same thing the other side. I marked the openings for accessories and cables, are 3, I made a 5x20cm rectangle on the left I made two, one at 28 cm from the vertex and another 280cm apex, more or less in the center of the straight line and curve on the right side I scored a 124.5 cm from the apex.

I cut everything, and double-sided tape pasted d along a straight line, also pasted at the base of the triangle to make a bar. The top corner I cut a little, or not let the tip so that the tubes could be placed.
My wife used to stitch a common sewing with nylon line, the whole process with two zigzag seams, sewed the first union of the panels, then stitched reinforcements at the corners and openings and also sewed the bar at the leech, there it was time to glue the rounded edge with the straight part, that time has to be careful because this will form ruffles, then we have to distribute the gathers evenly throughout the tissue, but when the sail is ready to have a frown too large can cause turbulence and lose efficiency. There was just sew the curve. Finally sew strips of nylon type strap backpack, one in each corner and two on top, forming a dowel to tie the cables that stretch the sail.
A tip, the needle is sloppy with the glue of the double-sided tape, then wipe the needle with alcohol when you start to ooze, so the line is not stuck.
After the sail was sewn just insert the tubes, cables and tie it all go, to tie at the end of the boom and sprit I used stainless steel clamps at the junction of the tubes tied right into the screw.

In the space closest to the vertex I tied a ring of wood that passes through the mast, the more space I tied a cable that will pass through a pulley attached to the top of the mast and the space they left I tied the sheet.

Step 4: Make the Rudder

The next step was to build the rudder, I'm using the steering oar, I call the rudder / paddle, I used PVC pipe of 32mm, cut two tubes of 1.20 m and fit rowing blades without buckle, made the two rudder / oars.
For support, I used another tube of 32mm, I measured the width of the boat and left more than 20cm on each side to operate the power steering / rowing. I made two holes to pass bolts into the slots of the support of the boat engine, I used two plastic screws to repair a bathroom exhaust I had here. I also made two more holes about 5cm end of the tube to move the pivots of the wheel / paddles.
For the pivot of each rudder / paddle I used a dowel for a 10cm nylon, stuck to pass bolts so that the bottom bracket is a bolt just above another, thus fixing the pivot on the bracket and a far more support to attach the clamp that holds the cable from rudder / paddle, I used nylon washers repair the same discharge to facilitate movement.
The clamps I made with PVC, I cut 4 strips of 40mm tube, warmed and made to bend, then stuck to the pivot and set up the cable to hold the rudder / paddle.

Step 5: Ending


I filled up all the pipes with polyurethane expandable to not get water.
You should tie the frame and the loops of the boat.
Inflate the boat enough for when you put it in water, the lowest temperature will drop a little air pressure inside the boat.

Use life jacket