What is hiding outside the box

I am working on experimental sailing machine which is meant
to explore what is outside the box of traditional sailing techniques.

The main goal of my project is to use only “green” energy like wind, solar and wave’s energy.
Lateral Ballast and Variable Wing is proposed in order to provide solutions.

On my HOME page, you can read a little about my proposal.
Please comment it as I do need help....from my friends!

www.wabes2015sailboat.n.nu

 

That circular ballast idea is interesting, for increased efficiency and response time, making it possible to link with auto-pilot control system. Still requires more energy to move uphill though, so like sail controls it will usually require more energy going in than out, although some of this energy is recovered in boat speed. Fun stuff. Autonomous sailing system might be the best way to develop it small scale before trying to apply it at larger scales.

 

Hi Jamie
Thanks for your fast response.
I will say that I do not like word INTELLIGENT when it comes to technical approaches, however, it is not easy to imagine what such highly trained system can do with the waves energy utilization. If we think deeper we find that the wing in cooperation with the ballast system can manipulate the boat heeling in order to provide the energy or moving the ballast unit rather by gravity than driving.
Imagine following: during the night, in the port, such boat is adjusting the wings in order to get the boat rolling - no waves. The ballast units can provide energy and charge the batteries.
I have done a simulation when the boat is on buoy or anchor and the hull is moving on waves up and down - the ballast system is damping the movements and producing some energy and charge the batteries as well.
As 90% of the boats is used weekend wise then the collected energy will maybe enough for 2 days wind supported fun?

 

Sound like your wife needs a catamaran WSW

 

That is interesting. Yes in theory it is true you can use energy from waves and wind in order to recover energy rather than having to input energy. However, in practice we are usually having to put energy into the system in order to maintain control. For example, before we tack we could let the weight fall to leeward as we tack, rather than roll tacking and then having to haul the ballast or crew up to the new windward side. The first is better for racing. For cruising, yes perhaps, let the wind do the work. Move to the leeward rail as you tack, so that you come up on the new windward side. Sometimes we still need to work though, even when cruising, and so the system will likely have to work much of the time also. Downwind gets very tricky. Certainly though, just as in downhill skiing, the more skill we have the less work we need to do. Best regards.

 

Hi Rastapop

Wonderful idea. When I watch on TV some spectacular WHOOPS of AC 45 and the crew was dangling in the blue my wife asked if it was intentional - I said NO then she said NO catamarans!
OK, however, you are right - we can improve catamarans as well by using proposed technology. The week point of catamarans is the pitching if excessive.
Imagine the lateral ballast working to prohibit excessive pitching. And this can be done by not as much mass as for single hull.
The reason is that the heeling is no problem (?) due to the long righting arm but in pitching direction we do have a very long righting arm too however we do need a mass at astern when needed.
On catamaran we can still produce a lot of energy from waves as the diameter of the lateral ballast track is huge = means optimal. This leads also to the high speed of the ballast members. The speed of the mass is already in the energy equation.
Thank you for the tip - maybe I can convince my wife to buy a catamaran as well?
Best Regards

 

Hi Jamie
Yes, you got it - and it will be more when you think little around that idea.
Many things are different and it takes a time to imagine all that new.
Please, please let me know if you find serious issues. And I found as well that downwind is not fast enough as we do not produce apparent wind but nobody is perfect....
however, as soon we do have waves we have the lateral ballast in work.

It is obvious that this is addressing different boat size at different locations and wind, sun and waves amplitudes – so go SLOW AHEAD is on the developments telegraph…
But we together can set HALF AHEAD ?
Best Regards