High Performance MPX Foil/Self-righting Trimaran-The Test Model

Movable Ballast Auto Control System

For some time I've been working toward an automatic movable ballast control system and was discussing it with a guy trying to develop an auto system for an RC canting keel. I had forgotten this video and towards the end the guy takes the boat out and heels the boat by hand with the movable ballast system
following perfectly. I'm trying to contact this guy now that I recognize what a great system this appears to be.

This is what the German comment with the video says according to Google translate:
EOLISTE the company Obee -CAT . Since the model relatively quickly due to its small size tends to capsize , it is a Safe module , ie, an automatically controlled trim weight system equipped . This is a relatively safe driving is possible.
Professionals have the ability to override the automatic requirements of the Safe module manually.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u5_D3kRe6k

 

Very cleaver, almost like a "robot crew". looks like there is a lag in the angle of heel and the counterbalance moving into position, not a large one, and likely due to the inertia of the counterbalance. could present dynamic instability in choppy or rapidly changing conditions with the counterbalance chasing itself as the boat heals one way or the other.

 

Trapeze Power Ballast System

I'm looking forward to finding out if the system(electronics) is adaptable to my "Trapeze Power Ballast System" for the D4Z cat I'm building and also for possible use on the fullsize Crossbow fl.
Here's the cat:

 

This is something I spotted on gCaptain this morning. Another trimaran with a central T-foil! Ok, so it's a power boat:

The Austal-built trimaran ferry Condor Liberation arrived yesterday for the first time into Guernsey’s St. Peter Port harbor to begin mooring trials in preparation for the kickoff of passenger services later this month.

The 102-meter ferry came at a price of roughly £50 million to Condor Ferries and will provide ROPAX services between Poole, Guernsey and Jersey.

According to Austal, the vessel has a maximum speed of 45 knots, but will operate at a service speed of 35 knots while carrying up to 880 passengers and 235 vehicles. The ship features a central T-foil on the main hull forward and T-foil roll control fins on each of the vessel’s amahs to provide a more stable ride at high speeds.

 

In that particular case, the T-foil serves to dampen the vertical and pitching motions of the vessel due to it's very small waterplane area in the bow. It was found that wave-piercing vessels of that size have an unfavorable pitching period, which causes passengers to fall sick. Foils are there primarily to mitigate these effects.
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/logi...re.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6618132

 

Fire Arrow / T-foils

Thanks, Slavi. Foils have a lot of applications not necessarily involving speed.
The main(T) foil is primarily responsible for heave stability and a major player in pitch stability with the rudder(T) foil on the Fire Arrow.

 

Fire Arrow Foiler / MPX Foil System Testing and Development

This is an update of the testing status of the boat and the last one before new video and stills for 2015:
[/COLOR][/SIZE][/I]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Testing will resume with much more video as soon as my "crew" Dan is available. The boat is ready and I'm sure ready. Looks like mid April or May for sure to restart testing.
------

Testing Status as of 3/20/2015

It's interesting to note that this boat has been sailed a total of 1 hr 50 min with a total of 26 minutes and 38 seconds of sailing video uploaded to YouTube.
In that very short period of time, a radical foiler design using two different foil systems in a combination never before seen in the history of mankind was taken from light air testing to full flying foiling. This is a sort of Index so that if the reader is interested in reading about development milestones they can do so easily from this page:
Sailing History--( youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6S7JPG1d2uZ91lqt7ObyIw )

1) First Sail-6/17/14, page 91, post 1356. Total video time: 10:55. Total estimated sailing time:25 minutes.
video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0AHD34_-8c
video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74KEpcmgCh8
--
2) Second Sail/ Foil Assist-6/26/14,page 93, post 1393. Total video time 4:42. Total estimated sailing time: 20 minutes.
video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF7cy8AoFnU
--
3) Third Sail-7/10/14, page 102, post 1522. Total video time:2:58. Total estimated sailing time:30 minutes.
video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmXCdAlo4mk
--
4) Fourth Sail/ Full Flying Foiling-7/24/14, page 106, post 1589. Total video time: 7:48. Total estimated sailing time: 35 minutes.
video(long version)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YBOEolFqiE
video(short version)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mok3d4KiMI


Longest period of foiling=15 seconds-reason: Land
The boat would foil for hours in 5mph of wind or more if radio range wasn't a concern and if land didn't get it the way. She was rock steady in pitch and tended to roll a bit in waves always maintaining full foiling.
=====================
Milestones of Development: (click on page above)

1) Reefing, page 102, post 1527
--
2) Ama foil mods, page 104, post 1554,
--
3) i-flap description, page 105, post 1561,
--
4) Pictures of ama, main and rudder foil mods, page 105, post 1575
--
5) Pictures of painted foils, page 106, post 1578,
--
6) Summary of changes/fixes before first full flying video,page 106, post 1581,
--
7) Changes made since first full foiling video, page 109, post 1626,also see page 111, posts 1659, 1661 and 1662,
--
8) Removal of i-flap on port foil, page 109, post 1628 and 1630,
--
9) GCD and Reefing, page 109, post 1631,
--
10) Cutting mast for reefing, page 109, posts 1633-34,
--
11) Updated Specifications, page 110, post 1639,
--
12) Pictures of reefed rig, page 110, post 1642
==================

 

D4Z / AC 55RC-the "AC45" of the AC 62RC Class

Here are some pictures of the main and rudder foils ready to fly. These are highly experimental foils-surface piercing T foils -"Batfoils" for short. Each main foil also utilizes the iFlap(intrinsic 15 degree flap for early takeoff). These "flaps" may be reduced or eliminated after testing-or not. If the foils work, the shape and outward cant of the bottom of the foil will allow the windward foil to be clear of the water at a 4 degree angle of heel-significantly reducing drag.The vertical lifting portion of the rudder foil is horizontal at a 10 degree angle of heel-which is the target for fast foiling. And that angle of heel will be able to be controlled on this boat like never before because of the "Trapeze Power Ballast System" unique to the D4Z-more later.
click for best view:

 

D4Z--Trapeze Power Ballast System

The ballast system will allow the angle of heel to be controlled to keep the weather foil clear of the water(after the skipper gets the hang of it!). Ideally between 4 and 10 degrees angle of heel.
The ends of the rack are supported by thin line going to the shroud attach point on the mast. The whole rack pivots athwartship so as the weight moves to windward, the windward end of the rack becomes lower. An SS spring holds the rack level when the weight is centered. The weight should move from center to max out in a couple of seconds or less. And the whole rack will slide fore and aft very quickly. The System is easily removed except for the winches which stay. This system will facilitate experiments with the new foils and has the capability-when the ballast tray is fully loaded- of doubling the righting moment of the boat.
When I was 8 years old I built a 24" cat with hulls as similar to the Thai MK IV(Rod Macalpine-Downey JR) as I could get. I added a "trapeze rack", supported by the mast, sticking out on the port side of the boat and a little lead and let the thing go in a small(200') pond near our house on Pensacola Beach. The thing took off like a bat out of hell and sailed to the other side faster than I could run-no pitchpole, no capsize. That did it I was hooked. Another time my brother and I raced the little model against his full size Windmill and the little squirt won! No, not my brother- the cat!
So the D4Z is dedicated to my brother and to the first cat I ever designed some 58 years ago.

click for best view-

 

Movable Ballast Control System Electronics

As a followup to post 1966, the search is on for the designer of the electronics for the control system for the movable ballast used in the miniHobie.
1) posted "Help" in the German forum and that led to a website,
2) sent an e-mail from the website,
3) posted a comment on the guys youtube video giving the url of the two threads searching for this system.
4) Google translated(terrible) a couple portions of the website including the price list here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2180752&page=43
pages 43 and 44.
Maybe the guy will get back to me......

 

Foiling AC 55RC

The D4Z above is part of the AC 55RC wanabe class and a guy in Australia has taken the first steps to full foiling with a system he designed himself for his AC 55RC cat. This boat is actively under development:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzJQ_RkcDQo

 

D4Z /AC 55RC--proto for AC 62RC

Incredible news tonight about the Americas Cup. The new Cup Class-the AC 62 has been dropped in favor of a still to be named smaller boat.
For those that have been following the AC 62RC project along with the AC 55RC(D4Z)-that project will continue in whatever size the Cup honchos choose and it may actually benefit the RC project where it will substantially reduce costs as well.
The story is here: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/35th-americas-cup-foiling-multihulls-48428-16.html

>See the link above tonight for the latest update-it's looking like the "new" boat will be between 45-50'according to Pete Melvin. The model will probably be no smaller than 48" LOA and no longer than 55".

 

Radio Controlled America's Cup Class (D4Zproto)

For those who are interested in the Radio Controlled America's Cup Cat and its future due to the big change go here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2180752&page=46 or
here: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/pr...ational-ac-62rc-class-51540-2.html#post730430

 

Home, Sweet Home

Last Sunday morning I was transported by ambulance to Cape Canaveral Hospital in agony. I thought I must have food poisoning. Turns out I had an inflamed gangrenous gallbladder! They removed it Wednesday. One of the things that took so long is that their tests showed I had had a heart attack! Blew my mind since I had had no indication of that at all.
Home today and feeling so much better. But there is another side story. You may remember that about a year ago I was hospitalized with symptoms similar to but much less intense than this was. Same hospital, but due to a problem with Obamacare, my insurance policy would not be effective until February. Last years problem was in January, same hospital but with no insurance . Result: no cat scan and no ultra sound and no answer to the problem. In fact, the results seemed to show only a slightly inflamed stomach.
Flash forward one year,same hospital with insurance: excellent care multiple tests,cat scan and most importantly an ultrasound of the gall bladder that discovered the inflammation. I was told I had only a few hours left on this beautiful planet when I made the decision to call the ambulance-long past my ability to drive my car.....And the gall bladder surgeon said it most certainly should have been found last year! Sure explains a lot.
Just wanted you all to know.

 

Holy cow, Doug!
I am glad you didn't check out.