easy floater

[marshmat]

I saw an article about ten or twelve years ago about a pretty elaborate trailerable sailing yacht. The thing had a hydraulic canting keel, split down the centreline with the two halves hinged on a common axis. You could lock them together underway, and split them side-to-side for shallow water. Half the keel and half the bulb would flip 90-degrees up on each side, looked a bit like an upside-down version of the tail of an F-104 Starfighter. Then things got really interesting- a tire would clip on to each bulb half, the rudder would tilt up to reveal a trailer coupler, you'd back your truck down the ramp and haul the thing right up onto the highway.

I never saw a production version, though, and haven't heard anything about it since that article- 1997, maybe.

[ancient kayaker]

There are a lot of lakes that have launching ramps with no parking nearby. The concept would be handy for that. But I think the boat would be compromised by being made legal for public road. Perhaps something less ambitious?

Eliminating the trailer has been done before. A small sailboat for home building in the UK years ago had a castoring road wheel attached to one end for trailering.

My own sailboat eliminates the launching trolley by having a wheel that slots into the daggerboard trunk and I use the oars as handles: instant wheelbarrow. The last issue of Wooden Boat had a rowboat with a similar arrangement.

Maybe you could get one of those electric hand carts to pull the boat along; suitably geared down it might be able to handle the launching ramp slope.

[wardd]

the boat im thinking about is in the 30 foot long 8 foot wide category

and im not far from the atlantic ocean east coast usa 30 miles or so

and here if it has wheels and lights then its a home made trailer and covered under auto insurance

[Petros]

Originally Posted by wardd

another idea i had was to make the extendable keel with a square tube with aluminum ribs that slide up and down it with cloth of some king forming the shape, sort of like a cloth covered airplane wing when extended

I have sketches of such an idea I did a number of years ago. My idea was to make a simple retacting keel to allow easy trailering, but to have a high aspect ratio foil keel. There would be lead weight at the bottom, with a deep keel you do not need as much weight to get the same amount of righting moment, also making trailering easy with a smaller tow vehicle.

Along your concept I think it makes it too complicated and heavy. If you keep it simple and light, it will be faster to launch off a trailer and you will not need a large tow vehicle. Most mid size cars and cross-over SUVs will tow 4000-5000 lbs. So if you have a fully retractable keel, and an empty wt of under 3000 lbs, it will be easy and fast to launch or tow. Add a large dia hollow mast you will not need any stays, cat rigged and boomless fully battened sail, you have a simple rig. the mast and sail will be up in minuts, and you will be underway.

Keep it simple, keep it light, keep it affordable, keep it fun, and you will sell a lot of them.

[lewisboats]

Why not just buy that RV that drives into the water and has it's own props and inflatable pontoons. Then shove up a few hundred square feet of sail (using it's awnings for sails of course) and away you go. You shouldn't have any problems going sideways in any direction you want.