DIY Kayak Sail : How to Make Your Own Sail for a Kayak | A Step-by-Step Guide For 2022

Do you love to go kayaking every once in a while? It’s a lot of fun activity for sure. However, it can be tiring if you are kayaking for a long time. To reduce the stress from your arms, you can go for a sail on your kayak.

Now a days, you can easily buy a ready-made kayak sail through online. But if you are not willing to spend that money, then a DIY kayak sail is always an option. Don’t know how to make one? That’s what we are here for.

Here we will take you through a step-by-step guide on making kayak sail at your home. Let’s not blabber too much and get right into it. 

How to make a home kayak sail?

Making a kayak sail at home isn’t that difficult at all. With some proper tools and items, you can make it very easily. Before we get into the making process, let’s check out the things you will need to make sail for kayaks. 

Equipment needed for making a DIY kayak sail

You have to get the following items to make your kayak sail- 

• A curtain-like cloth or fabric. The sides of a tent usually make the best sails.  
• For the window, transparent plastic will be a great choice. 
• Two hose clamps. 
• Sewing thread
• Glue
• Hemming tape 
• Paracord 
• Pipes/ rods. Preferably made of PVC.
• Two elbows, caps, and bungee cords. 
• A long strap from any bag. 
• Eye pads for kayak
• Hold down strap 

Along with all this, you must have a sewing machine. That will make your work accurate and easier.

Let’s get started with the process now.

Steps to follow while making a kayak sail 

Here are the steps you will need to follow for making a sail at home- 

1. To get started with your homemade kayak sail, you have to begin by cutting the cloth. While cutting the cloth, you have to consider what shape you want for the kayak sail. The standard shape for any kayak sail is the V-shape. It’s also favorable for beginners. 

So, we suggest starting with a V-shape cut on the cloth. Then hem the whole cloth properly.

2. After hemming it from all sides, cut down the smaller end of the cloth. Then, put the transparent curtain or plastic you will use as a window inside and sew it. Please use hemming tape to sew the window. Because stitching the plastic directly can damage or tear it. Keep the sewing neat and cut any excessive parts. 
3. Now, you have to create some tunnel holes into the V-shape cloth. To do that, you just fold the cloth sides to create a tunnel and then sew them properly. For the circumference of the holes, you should measure them with the pipes that you will be putting inside them. 

When you are putting in the PVC pipes, make sure to use the glue to stay in place. It’s essential to keep them in their places. 

4. Next, you have to clamp the bungee cords and paracord. You will need to use the hose clamps to do this part. Also, you have to create a gap on both the edges of the broader side for using the hose clamps. 

After that, you will be tying the paracord to the hose clamps. You can use some glue here as well to make the bond stronger. 

Finishing off the kayak sail with adjustments 

Up till now, you have already made the kayak sail. All that is left is to make the small parts and attachments to go with the kayak. For that, you have to get to your kayak and make all the fittings and adjustments. 

1. To start, you have to take the strap of a bag and connect that to kayak eye pads. You can make holes on your kayak later on for the perfect fit, but we suggest using the eye pads in the beginning. 
2. Then you have to run the straps through the pipes on the narrower side. You can see that on the sail that you have made already. 
3. For keeping both the portions of the belt together, you will need to tie it with the paracord. Tie the cord on the camera straps and the open end. Don’t stitch those right away, as you don’t know if they are working or not. Finally, attach both the bungee cords to the hose clamps on the front. 
4. To make the sail work, you have to check if the paracord has formed a loop on the cockpit of the kayak or not. It should go through the hose clamps and the kayak eye pads. Keep two eye pads on the back of the cockpit, so the paracord runs through them. As for the other one, you can keep it near you for clear paddling. 
5. With that, you will be done with the strapping process. Take your kayak out for a try, then see what adjustments it needs with the strapping. You have to keep in mind that never take the paracord through the skirt groove because it can be very dangerous and have the opposite impact on your sailing. 

All these explained steps will surely give you a quality kayak sail without having to spend too much money. 

Final words 

While you are making a DIY kayak sail, don’t rush with the processes. Be patient with all the things you do. It’s important to have proper stitching, sewing, and hemming on the sails. Otherwise, it can be very dangerous for you. 

However, if you are not willing to put all this time and effort, you can always try out buying kayak sails. There are plenty of options you can go through. Buying the best kayak sail will be a difficult decision to make.  Having said that, if you enjoy DIY projects, then you will have a lot of fun doing this one as it’s not that difficult and doesn’t require many tools at all. It can be a fun project for you.