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

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by Doug Lord, Dec 28, 2010.

  1. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Fire Arrow Test-Extreme Light Air:


     
  2. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    WOLF daughter of fire arrow
    Latest Update 12/28/18
    ==================
    WOLF specs(tentative) :

    LOA 14.8'
    Max Beam 16'
    CL ama hull to CL ama hull-14'
    Target weight 175-190lb
    SA-(mast length 24' all carbon wing mast)
    --upwind: 167 sq.ft
    --downwind: 267 sq.ft
    --max pressure before depowering/reefing: 1.79lb/sq.ft
    * NOTE-see bottom of this page for max pressure comparison with an F18.
    RM-max righting moment=4460ft.lb..

    ------------------------------------------------
    Advantages:
    1-Singlehander- Excellent upwind and downwind performance with 220lb crew. Minimum crew weight 120lb.
    2- Will foil in 5 knots of wind with 220lb crew .
    3-Carbon rotating wing mast, carbon cross arms and carbon foils.
    4-Retractable foils(from cockpit). Mainfoil retracts flush with bottom and tips are designed to not dig into sand. Rudder foil retracts above bottom. Ama foils retract above waterline when boat is level.
    5-Extremely comfortable sliding seat on each side. Allows crew to move 1.75' outboard very quickly.
    6-Uses the Fire Arrow Foil System(like Fire Arrow, Gitana 17, Banque Pop, Macif and Maserati)-- the same as the original system first used on the Test Model- except the larger boats use two rudder t-foils on each tack. WOLF has two UptiP ama foils-one used at a time-and one wand controlled mainfoil for very early takeoff and capable of substantial downforce- all working with a single rudder T-foil. Downforce can be virtually instantaneous adding RM in response to gusts.
    7-Foiling throughout the wind range -including very light air-the essence of 3D SAILING!
    8- Assy Spin/Screecher retracted under the front deck.
    9- Boat folds from max beam to trailerable width in about 4 minutes. No waterstays.
    10-Mid (wish)boom mainsheet so sheet is always in forward hand and extention tiller always in aft hand.
    11-Quickly self-draining cockpit-large scuppers with backflow flap.
    12- Planing ama hulls designed for incidental contact with water at speed and for inadvertent contact at slow speed.
    Adjustable angle of incidence of planing surface of each ama simultaneously. Angle of incidence of ama foil has to be changed when this is done. Planing surface starts at +4 degrees.
    Uses Two-Stage Amas-see attachments below. They consist of a planing ama hull(Stage One) coupled to a "curved piece"(Stage Two) that provides extra buoyancy in the event of a knockdown. Curved piece facilitates high dihedral crossarms which keep the crossarms clear of the water.
    13-Planing main hull.
    14- Aerodynamic surfaces added to forward and aft crossarms. Adjustable flaps added on rear cross each side. Jib foot and forward part of main foot to be sealed to deck.
    15- Adjustable crossarm dihedral for prototype to facilitate testing.
    View attachment 144386
    -------
    ==================
    ---
    Memorable quote from JG Baker, Designer and Builder of the Monitor foiler in the 1950's:
    " The main need is to lower the wind velocities required for flying in order to increase the opportunities for high speed travel"

    ================
    --- Fire Arrow Foil System-first of its kind on any trimaran. Elements developed first by Fire Arrow include:
    1) the first trimaran in history to use uptip ama foils,
    2) the first trimaran in history to use a single wand controlled main foil capable of downforce,
    3) the first trimaran in history to use Two Stage Amas.(see below for Two-Stage Ama pictures)
    ====================
    =======================
    View attachment 143156

    View attachment 143157

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2019
  3. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Fire Arrow Foiling System Testing and Development(same Foiling System to be used on WOLF.)

    Updated Fire Arrow Foiling System Advantages( equally applicable to WOLF) :
    Note-see Maserati video below for Fire Arrow System working on a 70' trimaran
    -original 9/30/16


    One of the great advantages of using a properly designed UptiP foil on a foiling trimaran ama is SIMPLICITY: on the Fire Arrow the ama foil has NEVER needed to have the angle of incidence adjusted while sailing as is common on many uptip foil applications. And if the foil is properly designed for it's application ,it's efficiency will be apparent. As shown in the pictures below the lee ama flies before the main hull, but as soon as the boat speeds up and the main hull flies, the lee ama altitude remains the same. That illustrates that the lee uptip foil is working PERFECTLY in two different load and speed cases.See pix "A" and "B" below.
    The Fire Arrow uses a wand controlled main foil which controls the altitude of the main hull and the angle of heel of the whole boat. Further, and this is very important: the wand controlled main foil works with the single rudder T-foil in a bi-foiler arrangement and the two together control the ride angle of the lee ama uptip foil. That prevents pitch excursions caused solely by the lee ama foil.
    The way the mainfoil works is that as soon as the main hull flies the mainfoil begins to unload with the lee ama foil gradually taking the majority of load. That allows the mainfoil to work with the rudder T -foil to control the pitch of the boat with far more pitch authority than on a conventional tri. And, using a wand controlled(or similar) foil on the daggerboard allows the main hull to fly MUCH SOONER than it would if it had to wait for wind pressure to do it.
    The mainfoil can also develop substantial downforce* increasing the righting moment in response to gusts. All this is done 100% automatically making for a simple, robust system that requires ZERO crew attention!
    * with downforce, the main foil(at a 10-17 degree angle of heel) works similarly to a Moth foil with Veal Heel generating a component of lift to windward. See illustration below.
    -------
    The vertical portion of the ama foil is at +3 degrees AOI. The vertical portion of the daggerboard is at zero degrees. So the uptip ama foil is developing lift to windward to allow leeway coupling and develop lateral resistance for the boat particularly upwind.
    In stronger conditions, when the main foil develops down force( upwind) and the leeway components are greater than the vertical portion of the uptip foil can effectively handle, there is a small extra component of lift to windward(due to downforce)-while the vertical portion of the ama foil is still working at 100%. The daggerboard is designed to be unloaded by the lee ama foil to reduce drag and facilitate leeway coupling.
    However, it should be pointed out that the ama foil will still provide substantial vertical lift with little to no leeway coupling-like can occur off the wind. Lift substantially(and automatically) increases upwind because of leeway coupling.
    ----
    Testing clearly shows the progression of the boat to full foiling from the problems encountered at the beginning-the last video is 100% proof that the foil system worked perfectly. See the 9/16 video of Maserati to see the basic Fire Arrow system in use on a 70' tri. We reached a major milestone with the boat foiling in a 5 mph wind while using two different altitude control systems simultaneously. July 24th, 2014 was a major accomplishment for the boat after a great deal of development-and we will build on that. Next step is to build a fullsize prototype-WOLF.
    ----------------------------------------------
    Attributes of the Fire Arrow foil configuration:
    1) allows an oversquare trimaran to foil in very light air,
    --
    2) allows full foiling upwind and downwind completely automatically without any adjustments by the crew,
    --
    3) allows for retractable foils controlled from the cockpit,
    --
    4) allows the vertical portion of the lee uptip ama foil, with an AOI of +3 degrees, to unload the daggerboard(AOI zero degrees) for reduced drag.
    --
    5) the foil system has considerably greater pitch authority than any conventional trimaran,
    --
    6) allows automatic control of the angle of heel of the whole boat,
    --
    7) allows automatic control of the ride angle of the lee ama uptip foil.
    --
    8) allows mainfoil(bottom of daggerboard) to automatically unload as the mainhull flies ,dramatically reducing drag.
    --
    9) allows automatic gust response with instantaneous increases in righting moment as required.
    --
    10) allows a "Two Stage" ama that provides back up buoyancy if needed but allows the part of the ama that would normally make incidental contact with the water, to be as small as practical.
    --
    11) allows windward uptip ama foil to be left in it's sailing position and still be clear of the water. Windward foil does NOT need to be retracted as does the windward uptip foil on most other boats using uptip foils reducing crew effort substantially. (example: SuperFoiler and most cats using uptip foils)

    =================



    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2019
  4. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    The following thread contains excellent comments by Guillaume Verdier and Laurent Prevost(VPLP) on the use of downforce from the main foil as well as the use of the main foil to increase or decrease RM*:
    Ultims 2018-2019 https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/ultims-2018-2019.60107/

    * similar to an original concept done automatically with the Fire Arrow/WOLF Foil System-- developed for Fire Arrow from 2010 and tested in 2014.
    ======================================
    For future reference: Hollow Sections aft on ULTIME Trimaran Amas https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/hollow-sections-aft-on-ultime-trimaran-amas.60102/ See the following thread along with this one:
    The new SUN FAST 3300 with a double concave line https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/the-new-sun-fast-3300-with-a-double-concave-line.61651/#post-846198
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2019
  5. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    WOLF daughter of fire arrow-- it may be possible to design a t-foil that has similar characteristics to those of an uptip foil: that is-automatically maintain the flight altitude of the hull it's attached to with no moving parts and the foil would not function like a surface piercing foil,in other words, little to no dependence on speed for altitude control. The advantages would be at least two: 1) to move the center of lift of the foil substantially outboard when used in a trimaran ama application,and 2) simplicity.
    Possible problem/complication: increasing lift for low speed takeoff........
    Lee foil on a trimaran ama :

    Automatic T-foil alt contrl.png
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2019
  6. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Foilers! Charles Heidsieck IV discovered alive . This boat was probably the first trimaran to use a foil on the daggerboard. Any resemblance to the modern foil systems on Gitana, Banque Populaire , Macif and Fire Arrow/WOLF ends there , however. The foil on the board was not adjustable under sail(as far as I know) and there were no rudder T-foils on the amas or main hull-and uptip foils for the amas had not yet been invented. Also, the boat performed poorly due to it's excessive weight and was unable to fly.
    More on the story in this latest issue of FOILERS! Foilers ! https://foils.wordpress.com/
    Cool Pictures, though:

    Top photo by Christian Fevrier:
    Trimaran charles-heidsieck-iv-photo-christian-février.jpg

    Trimaran---Charles heidsick.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
  7. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Fastest Trimaran Design in the World(using a foil system similar to the one developed by and used first on Fire Arrow) :
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2019
  8. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    UPDATE of post 2840:
    WOLF daughter of fire arrow-- it may be possible to design a t-foil that has similar characteristics to those of an uptip foil: that is-automatically maintain the flight altitude of the hull it's attached to with no moving parts and the foil would not function like a surface piercing foil,in other words, little to no dependence on speed for altitude control. The advantages would be at least two: 1) to move the center of lift of the foil substantially outboard when used in a trimaran ama application,and 2) simplicity.

    Possible problem/complication: increasing lift for low speed takeoff: Changing AOI for low windspeed takeoff may not be possible with a flap, so changing(shifting) rake angle for low windspeed takeoff may be the only solution.
    Lee foil on a trimaran ama-potential shapes for testing:
    Latest shape--
    Automatic T-foil alt contrl.png

    Earlier shape--
    T foil-new- autoT.JPG
     
  9. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 16,679
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    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    WOLF daughter of fire arrow
    Latest Update 1/19/19
    ==================
    WOLF specs(tentative) :

    LOA 14.8'
    Max Beam 16'
    CL ama hull to CL ama hull-14'
    Target weight 175-190lb
    SA-(mast length 24' all carbon wing mast)
    --upwind: 167 sq.ft
    --downwind: 267 sq.ft
    --max pressure before depowering/reefing: 1.79lb/sq.ft
    * NOTE-see bottom of this page for max pressure comparison with an F18.
    RM-max righting moment=4460ft.lb..

    ------------------------------------------------
    Advantages:
    1-Singlehander- Excellent upwind and downwind performance with 220lb crew. Minimum crew weight 120lb.
    2- Will foil in 5 knots of wind with 220lb crew .
    3-Carbon rotating wing mast, carbon cross arms and carbon foils.
    4-Retractable foils(from cockpit). Mainfoil retracts flush with bottom and tips are designed to not dig into sand. Rudder foil retracts above bottom. Ama foils retract above waterline when boat is level.
    5-Extremely comfortable sliding seat on each side. Allows crew to move 1.75' outboard very quickly.
    6-Uses the Fire Arrow Foil System(like Fire Arrow, Gitana 17, Banque Pop, Macif and Maserati)-- the same as the original system first used on the Test Model- except the larger boats use two rudder t-foils on each tack. WOLF has two UptiP ama foils-one used at a time-and one wand controlled mainfoil for very early takeoff and capable of substantial downforce- all working with a single rudder T-foil. Downforce can be virtually instantaneous adding RM in response to gusts.
    7-Foiling throughout the wind range -including very light air-the essence of 3D SAILING!
    8- Assy Spin/Screecher retracted under the front deck.
    9- Boat folds from max beam to trailerable width in about 4 minutes. No waterstays.
    10-Mid (wish)boom mainsheet so sheet is always in forward hand and extention tiller always in aft hand.
    11-Quickly self-draining cockpit-large scuppers with backflow flap.
    12- Planing ama hulls designed for incidental contact with water at speed and for inadvertent contact at slow speed.
    Adjustable angle of incidence of planing surface of each ama simultaneously. Angle of incidence of ama foil has to be changed when this is done. Planing surface starts at +4 degrees.
    Uses Two-Stage Amas-see attachments below. They consist of a planing ama hull(Stage One) coupled to a "curved piece"(Stage Two) that provides extra buoyancy in the event of a knockdown. Curved piece facilitates high dihedral crossarms which keep the crossarms clear of the water.
    13-Planing main hull.
    14- Aerodynamic surfaces added to forward and aft crossarms. Adjustable flaps added on rear cross each side. Jib foot and forward part of main foot to be sealed to deck.
    15- Adjustable crossarm dihedral for prototype to facilitate testing.
    WOLF concept model  6-1-17 002.JPG

    -------
    ==================
    ---
    Memorable quote from JG Baker, Designer and Builder of the Monitor foiler in the 1950's:
    " The main need is to lower the wind velocities required for flying in order to increase the opportunities for high speed travel"

    ---VPLP on the daggerboard main foil:
    " On these big boats, when you ease a sail, it is a pain because it takes so long to grind it back in. But here you press a button and the angles of incidence change. And with the foil on the daggerboard you can use it to alter the flight according to the wind. If it builds, rather than easing the sheet you increase the righting moment by increasing the angle and conversely, as it eases you can reduce it and let it fly more."


    ================
    --- Fire Arrow Foil System-first of its kind on any trimaran. Elements developed first by Fire Arrow include:
    1) the first trimaran in history to use uptip ama foils,
    2) the first trimaran in history to use a single wand controlled main foil capable of downforce,
    3) the first trimaran in history to use Two Stage Amas.(see below for Two-Stage Ama pictures)
    ====================
    Note that ama is flying before main hull-note ama flight altitude:
    MPX Fire Arrow-First Full Flying Foiling --ama altitude--A.jpg

    Now that main hull is flying and speed and load are significantly greater than in "A" above, note that ama flight altitude is the same! Due to the ama UptiP foil design:
    MPX Fire Arrow-First Full Flying Foiling---ama altitude B.jpg

    =======================

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2019
  10. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    New Update to an Old Story:
    Finally discovered that Macifs test boat actually did have a lifting foil on the daggerboard(thanks to Vincent Lauriot Prevost of VPLP) after incorrect information on catsailingnews. This makes the 24' test boat(a converted Diam 24) the smallest manned trimaran to use a system very similar to the basic Fire Arrow Foil System. The same foil system as used by Maserati, Gitana 17, Macif , Banque Populaire , Fire Arrow and WOLF!

    Macif Ultim Trimaran- to be relaunched in July 2018 https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/macif-ultim-trimaran-to-be-relaunched-in-july-2018.60521/page-2#post-846666 posts 21 & 22

    Original: Lifting Foil on Trimaran Daggerboard- Martin vs Maserati https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/lifting-foil-on-trimaran-daggerboard-martin-vs-maserati.57552/
    Post #3 and #9

    Macif test boat featuring ama UptiP foils and an adjustable lifting foil on the daggerboard along with rudder T-foils:
    picture by Alexis Courcoux
    Macif Test boat.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2019
  11. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    The Original:
    MPX Fire Arrow.jpg MPX assembled 2 008.JPG MPX_Foiling--_Foil_Assist-Flying_Main_hull_Over_Powered_009 - Copy.JPG MPX_Fire Arrow-3D SAILING-7-24-14 009 (2).JPG
     
  12. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Great quote from Sebastien Josse, Skipper of Gitana 17:

    "We aren't allowed to use servo control, so we're trying to fly like this[low]dl. When the time comes where we're able to adjust our four appendages in one second, we'll be able to fly higher.”

    from Quiberon Television:



    Gitana 17 new pix 1 Nov.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2019
  13. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    "Set it and forget it" One of the great advantages of the Fire Arrow Foil System is that it can be set up and flown without the crew having to make any adjustments period. On WOLF, the main foil on the daggerboard is 100% automatic-no AOI adjustments. Same with the two uptip ama foils and the single rudder T-foil-zero adjustments after being set up. Easy to sail, easy to fly!

    MPX Fire Arrow-First Full Flying Foiling on video-7-24-14 012 (1).JPG
     
  14. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Fire Arrow-the beginning:
    Note-could have built the boat at 50% less weight if I'd had the money and time to build tooling and an all carbon boat from that tooling.

    SRT-7-8-11 just before deck 007.JPG SRT-7-8-11 just before deck 008.JPG SRT-7-8-11 just before deck 009.JPG MPX 18' tri crossarm arrangement.jpg SRT- deck roughed in 7-16-11 001.JPG
    Ama:
    SRT  ama post initial sanding 011.JPG
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2019

  15. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    I've been re-reading this thread and just re-discovered this-as appropo today(or more so) as it was in 2014....

     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2019
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