it sounds like you’ve not set it up to its potential.
i found almost exactly the same thing as you but realized my mistake.

you thus need to make sure that your mast is slightly leaning foreword and not back !!! if it is leaning even a tiny bit back that will cause the boat to do what you mention..

now to every one…ive made comments about this sailing dinghy before but now Ive got used to it i have to say I’m very impressed with the thing considering the price and portability etc.Ive just got home from a few hours sailing it on the sea and i just love it.

I tried my Aquaglide rigged as sailboat at 3 occasions and all it did was turn into the wind by itself and drifts backward. The stronger the wind, the worst it gets.

There is a design flaw somewhere and I don’t know yet what it is!

Unfortunately, we had an very light offshore wind and a bit of onsetting current. I haven’t sailed that much, but it became painfully obvious that sailing upwind was going to be problematic. For about an hour I made little if any forward progress in the near dead-calm conditions. I actually drifted back into the shore twice and had to get my wife to push me back out. After nearly an hour, I think I travelled maybe 500 yards upwind. Finally, I got a bit of wind off the starboard beam. I tacked and actually was able to get her to turn. During the short downwind run back to the beach, the boat seemed to move okay and responded to the steering.
one question i would like to ask though is pumping it up.

Overall, I was happy with the easy set up; but was disappointed with the boat’s perfromance. That said, I am going to assess that it was just not a good day for sailing. I’ll make a final judgement when I take it out with stonger winds.

Some helpful hints:

Getting the keel fin and rudder in and out of the tube is not easy. I found an better way of doing it. Just lube the shaft with some tanning butter or some other slippery substance. It will slide right in and out for you.

I was a bit concerned about ensuring the mast would sit secure in its insertion point. It seems very easy for the mast to fall out if not secure. I tightened the three straps pretty snug and added some more air.

Next time, I might try just holding the outhaul strap and sheet it by hand.

one question i would like to ask though is pumping it up.
should you pump it until the inner expands enough to make the outer fabric tight?

im kind of frightened of damaging the inner by over inflating it because the inner seems quite tight and the outer just hangs on it rather then getting pulled into the shape of the inner part..

Tks,
David.

I was in the middle of the lake and had to swim to the shore, towing the Aquaglide. When I discovered the problem, I removed all the plastic hooks and ATTEMPTED to reassemble the sail boat. I had to wait for a person who was walking along the path to come along and hold the mast up while I fastened the webbing. The rest of the sailing was uneventful.

SOLUTION TO PUTTING IT TOGETHER BY YOURSELF:
1. Get THICK METAL D-rings (the kind climbers use) and attach them to each of the web stabilizing straps.

2. Put the hull in the water and then put the mast on. I think this saves dragging the keel/rudder over the ground with the sail attached. If you are a BIG STRONG GUY, maybe you can just pick it up! I’m a not-so-strong woman. I also remove the mast while it’s still in the water.

I learned one tip from a website this morning: If you want to know where the wind is from, get an old cassette tape and tie a few knots (every few inches) and then tie it so that about 9″ is trailing. The knots are to keep the tape from sticking when it gets wet (learned the hard way after the mast fell off). I tied mine to a few places on the mast, but I decided that tying at least one to each side of the boom would be a better idea.

A FEW COMMENTS:
1. I still don’t know if I had it blown up tight enough. I pumped until it seemed that air was going out the relief valve of the pump.

When the three stabilizing webstraps are cinched firmly to keep the mast straight, the rubber thing the mast is on was depressed about 3″ below the top of the cover. This seemed to work, but I don’t know if it’s right.

2. I launched and landed on a beach that was mostly small pebbles and they got inside, between the cover and the liner. I can’t figure out how to remove them, but they also don’t seem to hurt anything.

3. I learned that even though the directions say to inflate to 50% (and not more) to insert the keel or rudder, I found that about 70% and dipping them in water makes them go through really easy.

4. RUDDER: Once in the water, I couldn’t tell if the rudder was sticking out the back like it should or facing the wrong way (remember the above post, I’m a novice) so today I painted the side that should face me with red nail polish (an admitedly girlie solution) and it worked like a charm.

5. DRYING: It takes a long time to dry, so plan where you might be able to let it dry out in your garage, house, or on your deck (check the forecast).

6. QUESTION FOR REAL SAILORS: How tight should I attach the sail to the mast base? How tight should I attach the the end of the sail to the boom?
WHAT I DID: I fastened the bottom of the sail as tight as I could pull. I fastened the end to the boom loose enough to “fill” with air and touch the boom. It seemed to work better than yesterday when I had it very tight.

CONCLUSION: I am still HAPPY because this meets my desire to sail and to not have to store a boat or tow a trailer or lift something on the hood of my van. I transported the bag of parts and the hull on a hand truck from my van — why strain before I even TRIED to put it together alone? My kids said they would have given up after my several initial attempts to put it together (they were readding the directions and providing some muscle) They are proud of me and I am proud of myself!

Yesterday I finally sailed it and I can say it was WORTH IT! I got stuck once in a corner of the lake, tipped over once, but it was easy to right. I also noticed its tendency to weathervane into the wind. The directions say to inflate it until VERY FIRM, and I think I did not inflate it enough yesterday. I’m going out today by myself and I hope to sail it one last time for the season (because I am a cold water wimp) I will let you know If I could get it together by myself.

Even though it comes in a carrying case that easily fits all the parts, I recommend that you get a separate bag (parachute style bag) for the hull and to make sure it is dry. My two arrived with mildew because the former owners put them away wet–you wouldn’t put a tent away wet, so don’t put this away wet either!

Happy sailing!

My sense from windsurfing in stronger winds is that it will move pretty good and will tack fast. I don’t expect it will sail into the wind very well, but that’s to be expected given the hull shape, weight, and limited keels.

The aquaglide ‘hull’ is a single-cell inflatable, you’ll get a wet ride but it’s not likely to sink as there’s no place for water to pool. Material quality is well above average compared to consumer inflatables like Coleman. I use it primarily in the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway where water is generally calm to a light chop. The rig isn’t really suited to open water (nor are most other small sailboats) unless wave conditions are light.

- Virgil

Saw one of your pictures and it shows the potential of water coming inside the aquaslide especially if you are on the heavy side.

Will it hold up for “rougher” waters like the pacific and atlantic oceans? Did you use it in a lake as a sailboat and windersurfer by your friend?

I’ve sailed since as a child, but don’t have the space to buy a hobby cat/laser/sunfish and this aquaglide seems like an answer.

2 Adults would be tough, but an adult + child (under 10 years old) is no problem. Our kids are still young to grasp the sailing concept, but they love to have us set it up as a ‘raft’ and let them paddle around with a couple of oars.

I’ve started to learn the windsurfing aspects and this has a lot of potential. One of my friends with actual windsurfing experience was able to cruise around pretty easy.