Building a simple rig is an excellent beginning woodworking project. Some Boy Scout troops make sailing rigs and use them for camp outings. Scouting magazine in May-June 1991 published an article on this activity. The rig does not have to be fancy to start sailing. If you want to build a rig, some boards from the hardware store are a first step.
Hardwood is best for the leeboard, leeboard thwart, mast, mast thwart and mast step.
Hardwoods includes oak, mahogany and maple. A piece of wood for a leeboard thwart can be four inches wide and one inch thick. A mast thwart can be six inches wide and one inch thick. A leeboard is a board which hangs over the side of the canoe to prevent the canoe from side slipping under sail. A leeboard can be made from one solid piece of wood or by laminating several pieces of wood together.