PROCYON project........a Bold experiment

[brian eiland]

Just the other day I saw reference again to the that unique vessel PROCYON on SailingScuttlebutt (http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/). This is 16-18 years after the project started....kind of old in this modern sailboat age!!

I don't think a lot of people realize what a ground breaking design this was. With this in mind, and some other sporatic references to this vessel on the web, I thought it might be interesting to start a subject thread on this vessel specifically, and that might bring together some of the scattered information that might be found.

Olaf Harken of Harken products has to be given the ultimate praise for having conceived of the idea, and then putting the group of people together go forward with such a bold new combination of new ideas. I was fortunate enough to know Olaf personally, and to be very interested in his project, as it involved considerable alterations to the ‘conventional’ sailing rig, a subject I have dealt with for a long time. (my mast aft, single-masted ketch concept)

From a few of their notes and materials I was able to gather on the subject;

THE PROCYON PROJECT

The PROCYON project was born out of a need to modernize sailing boats to meet the demands of today’s life-styles and help revitalize a slumping industry. The name comes from a bright star in the Spring sky that hovers over the sailing constellations.

The project was conceived four years ago and a set of criteria was established that the design must meet. The criteria are:

1) To increase the speed and performance of a typical cruising yacht between ten and twenty percent.
2) To increase the comfort of the typical yacht through less heeling and better creature comforts above and below.
3) To be able to rig the boat and have it ready to be underway in five minutes.
4) To be able to sail the boat under arduous conditions with a crew of two or three people.
5) To have a design that was futuristic but not outlandish.
6) To be cost effective.

A design and production team was formed that includes some of the top people and companies in the industry; in fact, only some America’s Cup efforts have rivaled the size and expertise of the PROCYON Group. This team has achieved the design criteria and is now building a yacht that will incorporate these concepts. It is a huge effort. In order to dramatize the concepts, a sixty-five foot boat is being built, even though they are perfectly viable on smaller boats.

The cost of this project is between 1.3 and 1 .4 million dollars, including all of the design and engineering work. It is being borne by our primary sponsor, Amoco Chemical Company, members of the design and production group, material contributors and some needed sponsors and shareholders still being sought.

The yacht will be named Amoco Procyon and will be owned by Procyon, Inc., which is comprised of members of the design and production team and additional individual or corporate members.

Amoco Procyon is scheduled to be launched in January or February of 1991 and will go on an extensive promotional and racing tour during the 1991 season, starting at the Miami International Boat Show. The boat will demonstrate the latest in technology in many areas including sailing for the physically disabled, recycling and solar energy. It will provide an exceptional platform for corporations to show off their products, and can be utilized for public relations, entertainment and other promotional purposes.

I'll leave you with one memorable picture right now. I have some more illustrations if I can get them to scan decently.

[brian eiland]

Amoco Procyon has a number of unique and, in some cases, patented features that influence its performance and handling characteristics. It also incorporates technology that currently exists in unique ways.


HULL
• A ULDB (ultra light displacement boat) hull that has a wider beam will give this boat great speed and, with her stabilizing factors and increased sail area, should be about 16 percent faster than a comparable 70-foot ULDB upwind. On reaches, she should be 5 percent to 10 percent faster and just as fast on a run.

RIG
• Patent pending Bi-Pod mast.
• No internal structure or mast going through the deck.
• Mast is hinged at deck with support arms attached to it so that entire mast can be lowered to go under a bridge.
• Roller furling mainsail is supported between the mast pods to give the mainsail a clean entry and roll up to desired sail area.
• Weight savings over a comparable mast is approximately 20% - 25% which amounts to about 250 pounds for the Amoco Procyon mast and has a significant effect on stability.
• No complex rigging required except a forestay with a furling system, a center mainsail furling system and a backstay.
• Unique new style boom is light and strong and does not require a vang because it is part of the boom.
• Mast and boom will be made out of carbon fiber for additional strength and weight savings.
• Patented mainsail and jib battens roll up to allow a roach on the sails... never before done.
• Self tacking jib for easy sail handling.


CANTING WING KEEL
• Keel cants to windward as much as 25 degrees to substantially increase stability and reduce heeling. Allows a much bigger and more powerful sailplan for increased speed.
• Large wings which extend about four feet from the center prevent leeway. The increased drag is substantially overcome by the increased efficiency of the reduced heeling moment.
• Keel automatically cants to windward upon tacking with electronic controls operating a simple hydraulic arm in a bulkhead. The significant amount of power required is stored up with a hydraulic accumulator system. Manual and semi-automatic operation is also possible.
• Safety systems automatically release keel to vertical position in the event of a false tack. Manual override is also provided

STEERING SYSTEM
• Dual steering stations are located in the center of the boat for full visibility with dashboard in front.
• Torlon® ball bearings, rudder bearings, and ball bearing sheaves and wheels will provide easy and sensitive steering.

INTERIOR
• A high-fashion interior design will give a spacious look with excellent seagoing accommodations.
• Air mattresses under regular foam mattress will allow beds to level out ten degrees for comfortable sleeping underway.
• Railings and handholds are being considered for safety in a rolling, pitching seaway.
• Unique Amoco fabrics that are highly resistant to dirt, weather and abuse will be used for wall and overhead coverings. Special Amoco carpet material will be used below deck.

HARDWARE
• All controls to operate the mainsail, jib and engine will be within reach of the helmsman.
• Hydraulic winches and a hydraulic jib and furling system will be used for easy handling.
• Most lines will be hidden for safety and to give the yacht a clean look.

SPECIAL FEATURES
• Handicap systems are being designed so that paraplegics can operate most functions and can move around below decks.
• Solar panels will be used to trickle charge batteries.
• A garbage recycling separator and mechanical compacting system will be installed.

OTHER FEATURES
• Water ballast may be used when desired to optimize performance and stability on long passages. Two tons of water will be moved to storage tanks at the gunwales.
• Futuristic topside styling retains basic traditional sailing yacht lines with a few twists such as a radar arch or bridge which will also house the canopy, plus, wrap-around windshields for steering stations.

Auto Pilot.

140 H.P. engine will drive her about 11 knots - three knots faster than normal for a yacht of her size.

• A special folding Gori propeller will be used for minimum resistance and maximum torque.

• Solar ventilators from Nicro will turn air over frequently

[brian eiland]

by Dick Cadwalader, senior editor

With sales ratios running 20:1, power against sail, ways to breathe life into the sailboat market are on the niinds of all who rely on the sport as a means of putting bread on their tables.

Recently, the sailing arm of The New York Times publishing group (Sailing World, Cruising World, and Sailing Scene) mustered some 200 builders, designers, equipment manufacturers, niembers of the marine press, and advertising professionals for a seminar that sought to identify the causes of and cures for sailing’s present doldrums. This event spanned a day and a half in Miami, Florida, just prior to the trade clays of the boat show there.

Many good minds jousted with the complexities of “the sailboat question,” approaching it from their own areas of expertise. As a result, the solutions that emerged fell into several categories, most notably marketing, education, and design.

The numerous presentations of the seminar served well as a rallying platform. Participants were charged with a desire to help win sailing’s battle for greater market share, and it will be interesting to see what concrete action materializes in coming months. In the interim, let’s examine the options proposed by the group, using the design, marketing, and education concepts as points of departure.

A Boat for the Future
Attempts to configure the sailboat hulls, rigs, and interiors of the future can quickly land a designer on either side of the visionary/crackpot spectrum. As often as not, such efforts only bring a designer well-deserved credit long after he could really use it..

With all modesty, Olaf Harken of Harken Inc., designer Britton Chance, spar manufacturer Eric Hall, and interior design and styling specialist Diane Atwood have ventured forward with a concept boat that they feel addresses many of the interests of a future boat-buying public. . The 65’ monohulled sloop is named Amoco Procyon and in one bite, the group has brought together a number of extant (but underutilized) innovations to create what is, in total, a radical as well as appealing prototype, one they hope will move into construction within the year.

Amoco Procyon is an improvement on her contemporary sisters in many ways. All sail is designed to be handled without difficulty. The main and jib are both mounted on lulf-style furlers, with the mainsheets out on a wishbone boom. A bipod mast of carbon fiber supports the rig, and it is mounted on double tabernacles to permit lowering for passage through structures with air-draft restrictions, such as bridges and high-power lines.

Perhaps her most serious departure from the norm is an articulated wing keel that can be pivoted to windward some 25° in the transverse plane to yield a higher sail-canying capability with a minimum of heel. This is a feature David Hubbard and Eric Goetz used successfully on the fast and narrow monohull Red Heiring, built in the late ‘70s for Van Allen Clark. (The idea of the articulated keel is at least 50 years old. L. Francis Herreshoff, a mentor of sorts to a younger Brit Chance, detailed his version of the keel and its advantages in a monograph entitled “The Sailing Machine” in his book The Common Sense of Yacht Design.)

In a nutshell, the Amoco Procyon represents a very positive step toward confronting the limitations of present craft while supplying future sailors with advantages that many believe will be attractive to buyers—notably, speed, comfort (minimal heel), ease of handling, access to more harbors, and progressive interior styling. The construction of this boat, which is already impressive on paper, is to be shared by several firms. Windship Trident Ship-works (Tampa, Florida) will mold the Amoco Procyon’s hull and deck, using materials supplied by the project’s principal sponsor, Amoco Chemical Company (Chicago, Illinois). Catalina Yachts (Woodland Hills, California) is slated to fabricate the interior and provide the finish work on the boat’s major components.

Regardless of the success of the prototype, the design concepts embodied in the Amoco Procyon are readily translated into much smaller, affordable boats, where they may be even more appropriate

[brian eiland]

Popular Mechanics even got into the act

[brian eiland]

Sail magazine with a nice rendention by Steve Davis

[brian eiland]

Note that most of the early photos and illustration depict a wishbone style boom. She ended up with quite another style boom in the final derivation.
(Unique new style boom is light and strong and does not require a vang because it is part of the boom.)

[Guillermo]

Brian,
What happened to Amoco Procyon?

[bhnautika]

Yes a boat full of innovation, but the market has seen and made its decision. The question that should be asked is why something’s get taken up and others not. For example would a designer/builder bother to go with a patented Bi-pod mast (did they get it?) when they can get a single stick anywhere, as time is money and nowadays supposed innovation costs.

[brian eiland]

What happened to Amoco Procyon?
She was on the market a year or so ago. I think she got sold, and the new owner is redoing the interior.


For example would a designer/builder bother to go with a patented Bi-pod mast (did they get it?) when they can get a single stick anywhere, as time is money and nowadays supposed innovation costs.
I don't think they ever carried forward with the patent on the rig. In fact I don't believe they ever intended to patent it, maybe only some particular detail on it that might have greater potential use thru out the industry. This was a proof of various concepts, not the prototype for a production vessel.

Besides what's the world about without some INNOVATION. If everyone just followed some leader how much fun would that be. And without creativity things get stale.

[bhnautika]

Brian I whole heartily agree with you the more innovation the better, my point was more the uptake of those ideas, what kills a great idea in the market place? My point of the mast was an example of maybe the “pat pending”( sometime used as a marketing tool) stop people thinking about and adding to the original concept.

[Doug Lord]

I learned about this great boat when doing research on my own version of a winged canting keel. And that aspect of the design is being used by several designers just in the last couple of years with Andy Dovel using it on Atomic and several other race winning canting keel boats, Julian Bethwaite using it on his new 79er, the Backman 29 using it and the kFOIL uses a retractable version of a winged canting keel. Lots of advantages in terms of getting rid of a forward rudder or a daggerboard or boards for extra lateral resistance in a canting keel boat.

[MAINSTAY]

As of April 2, the PROCYON lies in Tampa Bay and is up for sale per this ad.

"In 1991 this unique sailing vessel was considered by Sail Magazine as one of the top 100 sailing yachts of the century. Most of the concepts came from Olaf and Peter Harken. Concepts such as a bipod mast, canting keel, and water ballast system were unique. The goal was a strong but light boat that would perform well as a cruising vessel and display the many Harken products that are abundantly on this vessel. The vessel was manufactured by the Windship Trident facility in Tampa, Florida.

In the recent year she was completely refit on the interior with an absolutely gorgeous teak interior. The aft stateroom was reconfigured as well as several other areas. The original interior left much to be desired and thus the new interior look is a true welcome, as well as a new exterior paint job.

The original cost to manufacture "Procyon" was close to $2,000,000. She is now a true bargin to anyone who desires a unique, one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art performance cruiser at $895,000.
Ad Last Revised: 10/12/05"

Larry

[Vega]

The project was conceived four years ago and a set of criteria was established that the design must meet. The criteria are:

1) To increase the speed and performance of a typical cruising yacht between ten and twenty percent.
2) To increase the comfort of the typical yacht through less heeling and better creature comforts above and below.
3) To be able to rig the boat and have it ready to be underway in five minutes.
4) To be able to sail the boat under arduous conditions with a crew of two or three people.
5) To have a design that was futuristic but not outlandish.
6) To be cost effective.



It is a very interesting boat, but with a cost of 2M dolars and with an "original interior (that) left much to be desired " it doesn't sound cost effective to me. The design is also a bit....outlandish?

[MAINSTAY]

When new sail materials, or keel wings, etc give 3% to 5% increase in speed, I agree that a design that gives 15% increase is outlandish.

[MAINSTAY]

Perhaps there were development factors that contributed to the cost. We should be looking into ways to get the cost of the standing rigging down. QA 15% increase in speed is not to be dismissed so easily.

[Vega]

When new sail materials, or keel wings, etc give 3% to 5% increase in speed, I agree that a design that gives 15% increase is outlandish.

It is not what I meant. I was not talking about the global design of the project, that I have already said that I find very interesting. I was talking about the aesthetical design of the boat.

About the speed increase, it is not a big deal. Compare it with the "speed increase" (look at the polar speeds) on another advanced boat, this one designed by the Architect (Jean Marie Finot) for himself.
http://www.finot.com/general/index_ang.htm
This one, not designed with a commercial intention proved to be a success, with lots of boats built.

[Vega]

Sorry, wrong link:(

these are the right ones:

http://www.finot.com/bateaux/batproduction/alubat/cigale18/cigale18_angl.htm

"This boat was created by the designers for their own use. It is the culmination of their experience of sailing and building over twenty-five thousand cruising and racing boats.
The result may seem surprising but it is based on no pre-conceived ideas and a pragmatic and efficient use of new technology. Safety, strength, ease of handling, speed and on board comfort were the principal guiding factors."

http://www.alubat.com/english/boats/cigale18.htm

[messabout]

O.K. Procyon is/was a brilliant departure from the ordinary and it is a credit to the imagination of its' creators. All hail to them for the visionary pursuit. They get the credit for all that is good about the project. They also get to shouilder the blame for being narrowly focused damnable scammers.

Read the early postings of this thread and examine the announced premise. That was to develope a sailing boat that was to salvage the sagging interest in sailing. Is it not puzzling that these wizards chose to produce a megabuck boat that could be bought only by the most filthy rich ? Bill Gates could buy one of these, or maybe an oil sheik could too. What the heck, Oprah could buy one if she wanted it. Pray tell, how would this influence the grass roots buyer who is in the vast majority of prospective sailors ? If we want to give some hope to all those impecunious boatbuilders, we'll need to come down out of the stratosphere.

If there was any sincerity in the stated premise, then an intelligent marketing approach would have been forthcoming. Procyon for all its' cleverness is certainly not the spark to ignite wide spread interest in sailing. If there is to be a real effort to introduce sailing to a large segment of the population,it has to be done in such a manner as to be affordable to a significant number of buyers.

Sailing has become frighteningly expensive for boats as small as Optimist prams. How many 16 year olds can afford a good racing dinghy ? You gotta have a rich daddy. Some out there should get really clever by figureing a way to make it less expensive. There is your challenge for the creative mind.

If we want to promote sailing then first eliminate or at least diminish the stigma attached. I refer to the commonnly held belief that sailing is a pastime for effete snobs clad in nautical fashionware, who spend their leisure time at expensive yacht club bars. Megayachts, no matter how inspired, contribute to that perception. So do the slick magazines that concentrate on big buck stuff.

Sailing is also thought to be a languid sport for sissys. The public has no idea that a competant Laser or other small boat sailor is an athlete of outstanding ability, strength, endurance, and tactical intelligence. Not to diminish the capacity for pain of serious big boat sailors either. The public just does not know about these things so we have to tell them, show them, convince them. That will be done with small boats, not big ones, and certainly not with multi million dollar sensations.

So give me a break with the flimsy excuse for developing Procyon. Let the Procyon project stand on its' own numerous merits but don't try to con me with altruistic crap.

[sharpii2]

Brian:

I like the bipod mast idea. I have toyed with it myself. Its two vertues are:

1.) It can be deck stepped with very little tricky engineering and raised and lowered with little fear of cross winds.

2.) It provides a conveniet way to get the mast out of the way of the mainsail luff.

But I find the idea that the mast, with its TWO vertical spars and its numerous cross pieces, which have to be much stronger than spreaders, is actually lighter than a conventional mast.

It seems to me that that can be only possible if the conventional mast is made of conventional matterials and the bipod mast is made out of carbon fiber. If you made the conventional mast out of the same high tech materials, IT would probably be lighter.

All and all, the design seems to be very 20th century. It seems to be another "If you need to ask the price, you probably can't afford it" boat. Nothing wrong with that. But it tends to reenforce the illusion that sailing is just for the rich.

The bipod I have in mind would be made of much cheaper materials, much heavier, and, therefore, much shorter. It would support a ballanced lug with its luff set much further forward than is standard practice. The idea is to get rid of chafe and to keep the spars short as possible. I imagine (I haven't done the engineering yet) that it will be 1.5 to 2.0 times as heavy as a single unstayed mast of the same material.

I find it currious that we are STILL chasing power boat performance at a time when the spot market price of petroleum is going through the roof.

My main objection to sailboats is not that they are slow, but that they are inconveniet and expensive to keep. We need now, or we will soon need sail boats that are durable, handy, and inexpensive to own and keep. Come up with a sailboat that can beat a powerboat into and out of the water on a launching ramp and dosen't cost two or three times as much as a more conventional design and you will have a real winner.

People will soon forgive slow speeds when they find that traveling over the water at two minutes a mile is going to break their buget. If we go to rationing, which I expect to happen within five years, we may find it not two to three times as expensive to motor out on the water as it used to, but three to four times as much.

I believe that low cost, user friendly sailboats are the future of boating and think that you would be well served to put your considerable talents in that direction.

[MAINSTAY]

I like your criteria for a future sailboat

[globaldude]

[QUOTE=sharpii2]Brian:

I like the bipod mast idea. I have toyed with it myself. Its two vertues are:

1.) It can be deck stepped with very little tricky engineering and raised and lowered with little fear of cross winds.

2.) It provides a conveniet way to get the mast out of the way of the mainsail luff.

The bipod I have in mind would be made of much cheaper materials, much heavier, and, therefore, much shorter. "


I'm determined to build a bipod also and I was wondering what " much cheaper materials" you had in mind and what's short - for what length boat ??

I thought to build each "leg", from pipe - perhaps 3 - one large, but light wall and two smaller for & aft conected with lattice work, hot dipped galvanised in say 3 sections then maybe covered with an easly replaced canvas over it's entire lenght to give it's [ roughly ] foil shape fairing !!.

I also want to Hinge it aft , as I like what Brian says , re the merits of his rig.

[sharpii2]

[QUOTE=sharpii2]Brian:

I like the bipod mast idea. I have toyed with it myself. Its two vertues are:

1.) It can be deck stepped with very little tricky engineering and raised and lowered with little fear of cross winds.

2.) It provides a conveniet way to get the mast out of the way of the mainsail luff.

The bipod I have in mind would be made of much cheaper materials, much heavier, and, therefore, much shorter. "


I'm determined to build a bipod also and I was wondering what " much cheaper materials" you had in mind and what's short - for what length boat ??

I thought to build each "leg", from pipe - perhaps 3 - one large, but light wall and two smaller for & aft conected with lattice work, hot dipped galvanised in say 3 sections then maybe covered with an easly replaced canvas over it's entire lenght to give it's [ roughly ] foil shape fairing !!.

I also want to Hinge it aft , as I like what Brian says , re the merits of his rig.

Let's not talk length here, but displacement. That is a far more defining number. For that, I'm thinking 1.5, but no more than 2.0 tons. And the mast matterial I'm thinking of is wood, a matterial that is almost universally available and understood.

The boat would be 'big' enough for some useful cruising but not so big as to be a real burden should things turn out differently than expected. The mast will most likely be first tried on something much smaller than that. But that 'that' will be big enough to reveal serious structural problems of my scheme if they are to arise in larger versions.

Bob

[globaldude]

Ah Bob, we think along the same lines . I already have my " smaller " boat, a 28 ft Hartley with no rig and one version of, centre board ,has internal balast.

My 50 ft steel , flush decked cruising yacht, [which I'm at present building] also is designed with internal balast and centre board, for shoal draft .So the Hartley is similar in many respects, she even looks, sortof, like a scaled down version .

Yeah, so the hartley is my guiney pig re the rig , to get it right [ as right as possible - for my needs ] .

Ok my designed displacement is 18 ton, so what height do I build my rig to ??.
Is there a ratio ?, as I'll soon be asking the same question regarding the Hartley --- only I have no Idea what she weighs [ I'd guess at around 4 - 4.5 ton all up - 1.5t balast alone]. I do have the hartley plans kicking around somewhere so will look up mast height & displacement figures .

Bob can you show me any links to bipod related "stuff" as you/we all [hopefully] look at as much as we can & talk/listen to as many a knowledgable chaps as we can before we make up our own minds as to which way to jump , eh !. Somewhere in the future I'd love some help working out tentions on stays etc by some of the very clever members on this site, but that's a way off yet.
Pete.

[sharpii2]

Ah Bob, we think along the same lines . I already have my " smaller " boat, a 28 ft Hartley with no rig and one version of, centre board ,has internal balast.

...so what height do I build my rig to ??.
Is there a ratio ?, as I'll soon be asking the same question regarding the Hartley --- only I have no Idea what she weighs [ I'd guess at around 4 - 4.5 ton all up - 1.5t balast alone]. I do have the hartley plans kicking around somewhere so will look up mast height & displacement figures .

Bob can you show me any links to bipod related "stuff" as you/we all [hopefully] look at as much as we can & talk/listen to as many a knowledgable chaps as we can before we make up our own minds as to which way to jump , eh !. Somewhere in the future I'd love some help working out tentions on stays etc by some of the very clever members on this site, but that's a way off yet.
Pete.

Dear Global:

I think you should concentrate on the Hartly. If she has 1.5ton of ballast, she most likely displaces 4ton light ship (no gear or stores on board.) As for height of rig, that all varies with:

1.) the number and type of sails you intend to use. Gaff and lug sails usually need much less mast height than jib headed sails and more masts usually mean less height for each,
2.) the amount of sail in proportion to displacement you wish to carry, usuall expressed as the boat's SD number. Successful boats have had this number as low as 12.5 and as high as 50. For your purposes, 15 to 17.5 is a good range. (405 to 472 sft), and
3.) the length of your rig base. Will the ends of your rig stop at the ends of your boat or will they extend well past them. Since the bipod mast is most likely to be 1.5 to 2.0 times as heavy as a standard rig, I would suggest extending the rig a total of 25% past the ends (giving it a base of 35ft) to keep the rig hieght within reason

If you did that and used a jib headed rig, like PROCYON, you just divide your disired sail area by 17ft and that will give you your rig height. You then have to add your boom height to that number and that will give you a rough approximation. So let's try it:

472 sft/ 17ft + 4ft = 32ft (rounded up).

I used the larger sail area number because you will lose a considerable amount due to shackels, sheet blocks and deck clearance.

From your last post, I gather that your mast design is to be an 'A' frame ladder structure, which straddles the beam, with a smaller diameter spar running up the middle to attach the main to. Am I correct? If so, it should end up being immensely strong and have approximately half the tension and compression loads of a conventional rig with the same shroud base.

As far as bipod mast history and developement go, I can be of very little help. Such a thing is tried so infrequently (due weight aloft and windage concerns) that there is little data I know about. I first learned about them when reading about ancient Egyptian sailing ships.

Best of luck.

Bob

[brian eiland]

Couple of other bi-pod mast references.

http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1075/cat/500/ppuser/399

http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/4013/cat/500/ppuser/399

[brian eiland]

This is not specific Procyon info so I posted it on another subject thread, but I thought a cross reference was in order particularly as the monohull motorsailer vessel's rig looks so similar to Procyon's original configuration.

Wishbone Sailing Rig
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showpost.php?p=106915&postcount=31 (http://boatdesign.net/forums/showpost.php?p=106915&postcount=31)
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1999 (http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1999)

[brian eiland]

As of April 2, the PROCYON lies in Tampa Bay and is up for sale per this ad..... big snip
....Ad Last Revised: 10/12/05" Larry
Just today I was down at the Annapolis Sailboat Show and talking with Olaf Harken. He asked if I knew where Procyon was?? I don't, does anyone have recent info. Olaf would be interested to know.

[Vega]

... He asked if I knew where Procyon was?? I don't, does anyone have recent info. Olaf would be interested to know.

Take a look here:

http://www.bollmanyachts.com/photogallery.html

http://www.bollmanyachts.com/yachts/sail/65WindshipProcyon/index.html

[brian eiland]

Well I found a bunch of other literatures, etc I had hidden away on Procyon. So I will make several more individual postings to this compilation of subject matter in reference to Procyon.

Lets explore just a bit the reasoning behind her somewhat unusual interior.

One must realize that Amoco Corp became one of the very prime sponsors of the project. Procyon would become a seagoing materials showcase for Amoco’s products. This helps explain Amoco’s interest in the project.

Pleased with the favorable results of backing other experimental sports programs, such as a racing engine featuring its high-performance Torlon® thermoplastic, Amoco saw Procyon as an attractive way to prove how petrochemicals can spur innovation:
“This project allows us to demonstrate the breadth of our product line,” says Sanford Schulert, Amoco’s director of Marketing Communications. “And it’s comforting to know that we are dealing with the top people in sailing.”

In addition to its carbon fibers for the masts and anti-blistering agent in the gelcoat, Amoco products show up everywhere on Procyon. For example:
• Torlon thermoplastics make up all the boat’s fittings, ball bearings, and roller bearings.
• Purified terephthalic acid— Amoco is the world’s largest supplier—is the chemical intermediate used in making the boat’s strong, lightweight racing sails.
• Xycon® hybrid resin, used on hatch covers and on Procyon’s Boston Whaler dingy, provides impact resistance and superior surface characteristics.
• Solarex® photovoltaic panels help recharge batteries.

Equally significant was the extensive use of Amoco polypropylene fibers in carpeting, upholstery, and wall coverings in Procyon’s cabin. A radical departure from the teak and fiberglass look of most yachts, these materials resist mildew and rot, are easy to maintain, and save boatyards much of the joining labor required with extensive woodwork.
“There’s also an environmental consideration of trying to cut down on use of scarce tropical hardwoods,” says Diane Atwood, responsible for Procyon’s interior design. “We wanted to present an alternative to traditional interiors.”
Such materials also would allow production boatbuilders to customize interiors to a far greater extent, which is why Catalina will be watching reaction to the boat. “Is the public ready for this? Or do they still want varnish and teak?” asks Douglas of Catalina Yachts.

(Quite a contrast between the old and the new)

[brian eiland]

Design News wrote this article in June of ’91,

“Sailing Into the Future”
A unique vessel harnesses boating’s best minds to explore the outer reaches of design.

[brian eiland]

Two notable features here:

1) She was really the forerunner of the modern 'canting keel' concept

2) Her original wishbone boom had become a very unique sculptured boom that did not require either a vang, a traveler system, nor a topping lift.

[brian eiland]

Sail Magazine came along with another article in Jan ’92,

"Technology Goes Cruising"
Does Procyon point the way for cruising boats of the future?

(this article had a very nice photo shot of her unique boom, and a good overhead shot of her bi-pod mast)

[brian eiland]

Dear Brian:

Thanks for opening the thread on PROCYON and it was interesting to listen to some of the comments. By the way I am trying to find the boat and hope a reader has seen it and will let me know.

For those that are questioning the project and results I can only say that this project was designed to test new ideas since America was significantly behind Europe in innovative designs. We were not out to prove that a bi-pod mast or a canting keel or the other ideas were better, but to increase our knowledge to make sailing easier, faster, safer and more fun. It was an industry effort with a great core team and dozens of contributors of equipment. In general we were very pleased with the results, but certainly would make some changes if we did it again. (Note:Brian underlined these passages)

Here is a brief analysis of some of the main features:

Canting keel with wings: Very successful results and extremely simple, reliable and cost effective. We had a large Milwaukee Push pull cylinder that was not even visible in the boat, attached to a four foot long arm that was all hidden inside a foot wide bulkhead. Our original keel was a difficult 11.5 feet deep and we hit bottom so many times I was considering putting wheels on the wings (not really). The hydraulics never failed. Britt Chance said it was designed to hit a rock at 11 knots and not fail. He was right. The wings eliminated the need for extra foils which are not conducive to a cruising boat and the performance increase was some where between 1 to 1.5 knots on a beat or tight reach since we could add more sail with the keel canted. In very light air we would cant to leeward and normally we would let gravity cant the keel during a tack if we didn’t want to use power. Ten years ago this was considered unrealistic. Today there are a lot of new race boat designs incorporating canting keels such as the Volvo round the word racers. When a production builder does one with wings, I predict it will be as normal as a carbon mast.

One note: O.H. Rodgers designed a new 7.5 foot keel and added 500 pounds to the bulb. The old keel weighed 13,500 pounds (6,136 kgs). The new design for some reason did not lose performance which most likely indicates the old keel had more drag from the angle of attack of the wings.

Bi-Pod Mast: The idea was to have a clean entry into the wind like a jib, be able to roll the main up like a jib at the touch of a button, lower down the rig to go under a bridge and attach to the gunwales which are the strongest part of the boat. Because of the Inherent strength, a large amount of heavy stainless steel rigging was eliminated using only a backstay and head stay. Comparable carbon masts weighed about 0 to 10% more fully rigged.

The results were mixed but definitely worth trying again. Sail shape of the main was pretty ugly when rolled partially up, we had two disastrous failures that set the project back twice for a total of 14 months and took the steam out of the project. The first was a mechanical failure of bolts sheering off the aluminum bridge holding the pre-bent carbon tubes together at the peak causing the tubes to spring apart and come crashing down. The second was “the storm of the century in Miami with 100 knot winds which leaned the boat over so far the mast banged into a piling on the pier and eventually broke. The current mast is stronger, five feet shorter (from 90 feet to 85 feet) and we took the airfoil shape out since the boat wanted to sail all the time. With the new mast which has seen extreme weather, a mainsail built more like a jib, a simpler system for lowering the mast, an easier, lighter and less expensive method of attaching the boom and eliminating the boom pod would be desirable. It is a viable system and worth another try on a smaller boat to make the tests easier.

The Boom: It is not a wishbone as was originally conceived but a dramatic looking sculptured carbon piece of art that worked well. The vang was part of the structure and the goose neck and vang attached to a very strong 8” (200mm) diameter aluminum pod that went through the deck for attachment. It worked well because it was built so strong but not a great solution. I would favor the vang to be attached directly to the deck and the gooseneck to a cross beam between the mast pods.

Water Ballast: Very nice for upwind performance and more comfort in a seaway but not worth the complexity and cost unless one plans on long voyages. The hull shape is also a factor.

Interior: This was a love/hate interior. I asked Diane Attwood to design it since she had done some unique and unusual designs on power mega yachts. I did not want the same old stuff since that was not the purpose of the experiment and therefore stayed away from sail boat interior designers. It was basically a brushed aluminum interior with a lot of color accents in pillows and paintings and upholstery. Today it is a traditional wood interior with a spiral staircase.

Other: There were many other experiments like forward steering stations, the second Map Tech navigational system in the world donated by the late Land’s End founder, Gary Comer, only an alternator off the main engine to supply a massive bank of batteries, and total push button control of winches for main and jib and the furling systems all accessible from either steering system.



The core team was Britt Chance, naval architect, Eric and Ben Hall from Hall spars

Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas of Catalina Yachts who assembled the deck and built the interior. Charlie Miller of North Sails, Art Ellis and Dick McCurdy of Ockam Instruments. Diane Attwood designer of the interior and consultant to Britt on deck design. Amoco Chemical provided additional funding, materials and operational costs for the first year. I led the project and Harken, Inc. and our nervous banker financed much of it.

Our captain was Randy West who guided the boat for many thousands of miles from one venue to the other and entertained us all with his never ending stories. Procyon had over 20,000 visitors on board and many hundreds of volunteer crews. She was featured in almost all of the sailing magazines around the world and in Time, Business Week, Popular Science, and the New York Times in addition to dozens of trade publications.

It had its set backs but was and is a great sailing yacht and I hope I can find it.

Olaf Harken

[Guillermo]

great post, Brian.

[yipster]

some misfortune, some goals accomplished, some undicided
and sure is good reading harkens resumes and statement it was and still is a great sailing yacht.
question remains why in surch of push button comfort a canter and not a motor sailing cat

[witzgall]

Thought I would resurrect this old thread, as the boat is now on eBay.


http://cgi.ebay.ca/WINDSHIP-AMOCO-PROCYON-CONCEPT-YACHT_W0QQitemZ290143748914QQihZ019QQcategoryZ63731QQcmdZViewItem

[yipster]

40k seems a bargon

[Pericles]

This vessel is a 65 footer. More like $400,000.

Pericles

[sirius]

Proycon had an electrial fire I believe back in the late 90's early 2000's. It was sold through an insurance salvage company and purchased for restoration. Which is was restored and up graded by a small boat refinishing company in Ohio right on Lake Erie. The project took several years to complete but the end result was very nice. Sometime between 2002 and 2003 it was sailed down to Florida and was displayed at the Fort Lauderdale in the water boat show. Last I heard it was still in Florida sitting for sale. A lot of blood, sweat & tears went into her too bad she is neglected.

[Norman Brown]

If you look amongst the recent pictures you will find a yacht called 'Lionhart of Hartlepool' This has a whishbone rig on ither side joined as a 'A' frame. It is presently under construction.
All the comments etc on this thread have been very interesting. Putting Brian's comments on Procyon together with other 'A' frames, I can see he is hitting the nail on the head. The rig does not have the big compression forces of a Bermudan. Onlt the forestay and back stay create medium down load. The nasties trying to hold the mast streight are dispensed with. Hence the forces come way on down.
What I have done is to split each pole again. Giving them cross struts for stifness. Suddenly the rig is very ridgid. The weight has come way on down. Windage is very much on a par with the big mast and rig she would have had. As the carbon rig is slightly foil shaped I am hopeing to ballance drag with lift. As it is being built at the moment, only time will tell.

[Norman Brown]

For a Picture of the double wishbone 'A' frame being built on 'Lionhart of Hartlepool'. See the pictures gallery. Lionhart. Or look for 22nd Feb.

[RHP]

One for Brian:

Le Manguier

Tug of Arles; built 1968 Lorient (Chantiers Laperrière).

Now restored from the French Naval service (2002);

21.1 x 6.5 x 3.4 metres; 110 grt.

Baudouin 450bhp; 9.3 knots

Pacific Exploration, currently part of Bastia Tokyo.

Seen here at the Isles of Scilly (St Mary's Harbour).

4th June 2009.

[brian eiland]

Had to be a little tough deciding where to post that vessel :confused: ;)

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/motorsailers/motor-sailers-501.html

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wishbone-sailing-rig-1999.html

Sort of reminds me of this Greenpeace vessel
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wishbone-sailing-rig-1999-4.html#post161178

[RHP]

Brian you're right it was very difficult to decide where to post it but I wanted you to see it. A double 'A frame' sort of schooner built on such a heavy hull. What a strange combination. Probably should have gone in the wishbone schooner thread, same as the owner shouldnt have put the rig on this hull.

[tharron]

I am doing some research for a fictional book and was wondering what the reasoning behind losing the wing from canting keels,..ie Open 60's and 50's.

[brian eiland]

I am doing some research for a fictional book and was wondering what the reasoning behind losing the wing from canting keels,..ie Open 60's and 50's.
Do a search on this forum for "canting keels" in quotes. One subject thread you will come up with HERE (http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/keels-keels-again-10410.html)

[tharron]

Thanks for the information. What I am specifically looking for is an explanation why a winged canting keel doesn't work, keeping in mind that it would be an Open 60 as the subject. What I have come up with is that it is like an airplane with trim allocated to one wing or perhaps trying to turn your car left by opening your drivers side door. Is it an effect of a-symetrical co-effiecent drag. Any info would help.

[Nessumsar]

To: Olaf Harken

Your Procyon is for sale and currently listed on YachtWorld.com.

exact address: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1991/Windship-Sloop-1719774/Ft.-Lauderdale/FL/United-States

She is listed @ $699,000 USD.

I hope you get her back.

Sincerely,
Eric A. Rasmussen

In addition,

To: Brian Eiland

That Taller Wishbone Rig you are interested in, is for sale as well.

This is the listing: 47' Kevlar/Epoxy Sailboat, Price Reduced
Reply to: sale-c9n9f-1306508056@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-08-04, 8:36PM

PRICE REDUCED!!!! OWNER OUT OF STATE WANTS IT SOLD....35hp BMW D-35 diesel engine, 6'5" headroom throughout. One of two built in Port Townsend, 1990. 5 layers of Kevlar, incredibly strong hull. Fast ocean cruiser. Recession priced for fast sale. Boat can be seen on the hard at Nelsons Marina, 1500 Ferry Point, Alameda. Call Chad at 877-517-8281 or Art at 360-477-6585. Serious inquires only please. HURRY, THIS WON'T LAST LONG AT THIS PRICE...........

* Location: Alameda

This listing is now dead but was recent on CraigsList.org .

Hope You Find This Helpfull !

Sincerely,
Eric A. Rasmussen

p.s. Have you read Roger Marshalls book "The Complete Guide to Choosing a Cruising Sailboat" (ISBN 0-07-041998-1)?

On Pages 209 - 210 he outlines a Concept Cruiser with a Roller-Furled Cutter Rig that has a Forward Canted Bipod Mast. The main sheet is boomless. ER

[brian eiland]

....On Pages 209 - 210 he outlines a Concept Cruiser with a Roller-Furled Cutter Rig that has a Forward Canted Bipod Mast. The main sheet is boomless. ER
Just an outline....no illustrations??

[Doug Lord]

Thanks for the information. What I am specifically looking for is an explanation why a winged canting keel doesn't work, keeping in mind that it would be an Open 60 as the subject. What I have come up with is that it is like an airplane with trim allocated to one wing or perhaps trying to turn your car left by opening your drivers side door. Is it an effect of a-symetrical co-effiecent drag. Any info would help.
========================
Andy Dovel in Australia came up with the idea of fixed wings* on a canting keel bulb that eliminates the requirement for other forms of extra lateral resistance like dual toed in asymetrical daggerbords(VO70's),single daggerboards and CBTF(twin rotating foils)-he said it worked real well on Atomic and has used it on several boats.
I devised a patented system called KFOIL that utilizes a wing or wings that retract into the bulb to reduce resistance downwind. A company in Denmark may be using a similar system. Wings on the canting keel bulb opens up a lot of interior space that would be lost otherwise.

*Procyon was first with this feature but Andy's were much higher aspect ratio....

[Nessumsar]

Dear Brian,

Yes there are several illustrations of the rig from the starboard side, head-on and an overhead from the port bow isometric drawing, as well as an interior drawing from the same perspective.

209 & 210 (except for the index pages) are the last two pages in the book.

Sorry for the delayed answer but my Mother has been in the Hospital.

Oh by the way they had that Mast-Aft Wishbone rig listed @ $28,500.00 seems pretty cheap. Do you know how much it had sold for last time ?

The price is intriguing but I am really looking for a cat. A little hard to find the right boat at the right price on the west coast.

If you don't have access to the book I can scan those two pages for you and email them.

Sincerely,
Eric A. Rasmussen

[brian eiland]

If you don't have access to the book I can scan those two pages for you and email them.
Sincerely,
Eric A. Rasmussen
I don't have the book so scans would help... likely you could just post them here

[Nessumsar]

Dear Brian,

I hope I don't get in trouble over Rogers Copyrights.

Maybe he will get some more book sales !

Enjoy !

Sincerely,
Eric

p.s. Please let me know what you think.

[brian eiland]

I hope I don't get in trouble over Rogers Copyrights.
Maybe he will get some more book sales ! Eric
I think that is likely...more book sales. It is not as though you made an extensive copy job...just enough to create temptation.

BTW what is the date this book was published?

Interesting, I had not seen this variation of the idea before.

[Nessumsar]

Dear Brian,

This book was published in 1999 by International Marine (a Div. of McGraw-Hill).

Do you know how much that Tall Mast Aft Wish-Bone Rig sold for last ?

Sincerely,
Eric

[brian eiland]

..Do you know how much that Tall Mast Aft Wish-Bone Rig sold for last
I do not know the selling price.

I would suggest you have a look thru this other subject thread for more info specific to that vessel and her sister.
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wishbone-sailing-rig-1999.html

[jnbluejr]

Procyon is listed for sale at a boat yard in Ashtabula Ohio (Fantastic Finishes). I know that yard repaired the vessel after there was a fire onboard. It can be seen at: http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1991-Windship-Procyon-34263572 .

Thanks,

John

[brian eiland]

Here is an interesting project that preceeded Procyon by quite a number of years...not exactly after the same goals, but interesting in its own right with the use of a bi-pod, A-frame mast.

http://www.aquaspace-bonaire.com/ship.html

This vessel was just brought to our attention over on this other forum for multihulls. (http://www.steamradio.com/mailman/listinfo/multihulls)

"The Aquaspace was designed in 1978 and built in 1982 by Jacques Rougerie, co-worker of world-known marine biologist Jacques Cousteau. After having served as a Center of Marine Biology Studies, it now offers great sailing charter in the waters around diver's paradise Bonaire."

Interesting concept to combine an underwater viewing vessel with a sailing experience.

I wonder how long she has operated in Bonaire, as it speaks to her rig's durability if you know of the power of the trade winds down there.

[Koch]

Hi all,

Yes Procyon languished here in the Tampa Bay area for a while. I don't know what happened to her. I can confirm that OH Rodgers was the project manager in the building of the boat, and he had told me at the time that the initial keel canting design was faulty and he had to redesign it, and later did a shallower keel.

Off topic; the threads on the old tonners / IOR boats are fascinating, and bring back many old memories. I'll add a bit to them when I get a chance. While some of those old boats deserve their evil reputation, many were absolutely wonderful sailing and seaworthy yachts, probably the nicest being the Holland 40 "Regardless" (originally another name, I think?), which made several trans Atlantic crossings, nearly won the One-Ton Worlds (30.5) many years after being originally built, and won the SORC IMS Division in 1987 while still in IOR trim (and beating the then new IOR 30.5 IOR boats boat for boat in several races despite starting 20 minutes later).

[Newlight]

New member here. Was doing a search on Procyon and found this thread. I acquired a 1" = 1' model of this boat awhile ago and was searching for information on her. Are there any boat plans available for Procyon? I am attempting to rig the model according to original specs as she has been dissasembled and crated. Thanks.

[ddx77]

New member here.

I have "Procyon" here in Miami, Florida, available for sale (open to offers) or possible trades.

She is still in very nice shape, I will have a website together for her soon.

[Doug Lord]

Thanks-would love to see some pictures... Welcome to the forum!

[ddx77]

Thanks for the welcome! I will post them up tomorrow and get everyones opinion.

[brian eiland]

New member here. Was doing a search on Procyon and found this thread. I acquired a 1" = 1' model of this boat awhile ago and was searching for information on her. Are there any boat plans available for Procyon? I am attempting to rig the model according to original specs as she has been dissasembled and crated. Thanks.
Sorry I've been MIA for quite a few months now and missed this posting.

Did you ever get her rigged up?

[ddx77]

Thanks-would love to see some pictures... Welcome to the forum!

Here are some pics http://picasaweb.google.com/117664433615155680650/Procyon?authkey=Gv1sRgCJm7qK7Vlf-1owE&feat=directlink

I actually have it on Ebay too, I am sure at some point it will come up on the forum. She is still being detailed as you can see in some of the pics.

[ddx77]

Sorry for not posting sooner, this boat did sell again.

Thanks!

[brian eiland]

Just happened across this rather interesting A-frame rig on a 63 catamaran. I added to the forum discussions over HERE:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wishbone-sailing-rig-1999-11.html

...photos and videos

[brian eiland]

Just happened across this rather interesting A-frame rig on a 63 catamaran. I added to the forum discussions over HERE:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wishbone-sailing-rig-1999-11.html

...photos and videos

And now I've added a lot more to the A-frame mast discussions over in that other subject thread.