Convert Laser to Contender???

Foiled Laser

I have wondered how one would foil a daggerboard and fasten it down, so it would stay put?

I can see the kick up rudder with lock underway...but the daggerboard seems to be another story.

Do not wish to hijack this thread, and could make separate topic...

 

----------------------
The daggerboard can be pinned so it doesn't move. On Dr. Bradfields new Osprey, the trailing edge of the daggerboard has a notch to receive a sliding aluminum plate held in place with shock cord. In fact, it has two notches for
two different flight altitudes. This is made possible by the design of the wand(altitude sensor) that is attached to the top of the board, so when flight level is changed, the wand is automatically adjusted. Bradfields system also incorporates angle of incidence adjustment.
On my first monofoiler, I used a pin that had two positions on the board and designed a rotating knob to adjust incidence.
Being able to adjust angle of incidence independently of altitude control is very important on any foiler.

Pictures: L to R- 1) port daggerboard on Osprey-click on image and note the two notches-one near the top of the trailing edge and one about halfway down,
2) Osprey flying, 3) 30' Mirabaud flying-some "experts" said that she would never fly. Not only does she fly but she beat a Moth at the speed sailing trials, 4) Moth
with "Veal Heel".

click on image:

 

Lasercontender

==========
SB, if you're interested in hydrofoils you should invest in this book:
"Hydrofoils Design, Build, Fly" by Ray Vellinga. It is available on Amazon.
Full of practical design information with a whole section on the Moth with a great deal of comparative data. It's the bible of practical hydrofoil design and building.
--
Keep this in mind: some so-called "experts" and other uninformed people will say this boat or that boat will not fly because it is too heavy. That is usually just nonsense: what keeps a boat from flying is a poor power to weight ratio. Almost anything will fly with enough power. A simple power to weight ratio that seems to work is W(weight in pounds) divided by SA(sail area in sq. ft.). It is generally applicable to foilers from 11' to around 30'. It is a quick and dirty assesment of the potential of a boat to fly. The numbers range from under 2.8(Moth-11', Mirabaud-30') to 3.1(R Class) or so for boats that have proven to fly. The closer to 2.8 or less the more likely the boat is to take off in relatively light air. So if your design is in this range and the design you are considering has the RM( righting moment) for the required sail area you'll be in the ballpark for foiling.

 

Check this out:
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=34065&hl=Laser&st=25
Steve basically describes step by step how to convert a Laser to a Contender ish boat... no foils though :/

And Doug that looks like it would be a super useful book!

A little nervous about modifying my Laser, but I'm kinda stuck on this idea now!! I think I'll give it a go this summer possibly.

 

=======================
Thats too good not to post here:

Posted 28 April 2006 - 03:58 PM on SA:

 

http://forum.woodenboat.com/archive/index.php/t-1089.html[/url]
Another site talking about this type of modification

 

So, so far, I'm probably going to go for at least a trapeze and spinnaker, maybe racks. I think foils would be a little out of my expertise right now. We'll see though. I could use the spinnaker from my Fireball. I think that'd be a good size for the Laser. Some people have also talked about putting the sliding thing like on an IC on the Laser. This would be cool, but not quite as awesome as the trapeze. This would also add a lot of weight. Having just the trapeze would keep the weight down. I could probably also make a "turbo" main sail out of an old sail and keep the old mast and boom. The real question is whether or not the mast can take the strain of having a trapeze, but I bet, with stays, it'll be fine. Moving down the mast, the next areas in question as far as strain goes would be where the shrouds connect and the mast step.

If I just put racks on, I could keep the original mast (no stays), but the racks would put on a lot of weight if I didn't make them out of carbon. If I want the boat to potentially be able to foil, I don't know if having the extra weight of racks would be a viable option. But then again, like you said Doug, almost anything can fly with enough power.

I was looking around and I saw a Opti that had been put on Moth foils. This would be cool, except I would end up paying more for the foils than I would have paid for the whole boat

 

I'm well on track to make my Spring 2050 launch date. For all the reasons that Cut Once mentions, this is not a high priority project. The design exercise is probably more interesting than the practical result would be.

Cheers,

Mr. Smith.

Oh, hang on, I'll probably be dead by 2050. I'd better bring that target forward a bit.

 

Souping Lasers

Okay, I may not be qualified to comment. I had a Laser for a short time, sold it, too flimsy and wet for me...

Still, it seems to me, given the hull and spars, it would be easier to foil the things than mess with the hull and spars, without major work.

Don't get me wrong, am all for making what little there is in that boat better, but as Clark implies in the above (not the warranty stuff) snippet DL put up, adding tangs and stays etc, seems more complicated than adding lift underneath by way of foils on the dagger board and rudder.

But have at it and relate the goods and bad here, by all means.

 

Interesting video from SA: Laser with racks- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C14ZwnsPw8M&feature=player_embedded#!

 

Laser to Contender

Interesting...two things I wondered about: Is the sailor hiking out on the racks too?


What about a dump? How do you get back in or on, as the case?


Thanks Mr. Lord.

 

Laser to Contender

On way into town to send some letters, on this cold January 2 morning, the above was on my mind and it got me to thinking, why not go one step further and add an outrigger to that rack set?

Now imagine that outrigger'ed Laser with a foil for a dagger board...

 

Now why did you have to go and try to put that in my head?

It's like saying "Imagine a John Deere tractor with a rear wing for downforce, 72 inch slicks, a 120 shot of nitrous and a disc harrow with titanium discs!". Bet it could do a sub-two minute quarter mile and be the fastest tractor in the field. Although a troubled mind COULD "turbo" a tractor, SHOULD anyone?

Laser actually did make a model with racks in the UK for a while. Laser EPS, but it did have detachable wings that extended the righting moment - and it was from Laser.

Cold? You don't know cold. -19 here this morning (before windchill makes it feel like -29).

--
CutOnce

(Bill in Ottawa)

 

Laser to Contender

Bill, Did that with tongue firmly in cheek, but now I am smiling. I thought the goofy TV Rednecker TV shows did turbo green tractors?

Sorry.

Still...?

Well, I do know cold, but not around here, and never liked it much...spent part of a night in a USA shelter half in -27 in wind in high Colorado...

Made my eve, have to have a toast on that...all the best, ice and all...sucks, doesn't it, the ice etc, I mean :}

 

Did'ja follow the link to the Laser EPS?

--
Bill