why masts and not kites on multi's

It sure makes a nice jury rig . . .

Cheers,
Angel

 

See KiteShip . . .

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And on this forum: New Age Trawler/Motorsailer; Kite assisted PowerYacht

Cheers,
Angel

 

I guess it would be a good idea to make the Kite fast to the vessel with a copper conductor, so that you may harness the electrical energy from thunderstorms as you cruise by.................Free energy

 

Ive actually experienced that Michael... i was kitesurfing in grey/rainy/squally conditions but never saw any lightning... everytime i jumped, the kite/lines/me charged up through the atmosphere - the bigger the jump and more time in the air, the more charged up - and upon contacting the water again a large amount of static electricity discharged - enough to give me some rather large shocks before i decided it was time to pack up before any lighting decided to show itself... scary stuff...

 

Hey Groper, takes me back to my teenage years when I used to windsurf with an aluminium mast, going out in thunderstorms to sail the gust fronts. I would sail between the moored keelboats, believing they would take the hit with their taller masts. I'm a little bit older now, and perhaps a little more cautious. Which is kinda weird, as we should be more carefree and stupid the older we get, since we have less time left to live anyway..

 

I long ago had a dream/idea of a hydrogen supported kite
but the size/volume needed is too big to support the weight
figured was needed at the time to be strong and long lasting

I donot know is the newer stronger stuff is lighter by enough to matter
or we need something like carbon nano tube future materials

light air is another problem that needs work

 

They did not say much, but I did post a question.


http://www.saveol-samdavies.com/default.asp?titre=imokite&mode=news&id=671

Maybe we will get an answer?

Wayne

 

You found green energy!

 

>A computer control system would need to be perfected

I agree. There has been some work done on stationary kites to generate electrical power. Fly upwind to depower, wind in some line, then repower and let some line out to turn a generator.

I predict that changing conditions, launch and retrieval are the big issues.

 

Two things I noticed,

These are not the same as the kites used on commercial shipping. They are more like a spinnaker.

And they do best with a mast .... so you still need an emergency mast.

 

> and upon contacting the water again a large amount of static electricity discharged - enough to give me some rather large shocks

A thin breakable line hanging from the kite line that would touch the water before you did would probably solve the problem.

 

Have you ever tried to sail with a kite in light winds? I have an Outleader kite for my boat, and I've rarely had conditions and crew conducive to using it.

A kite can be comparable in size and cost to a spinnaker. I think they make a good heavy-air alternative to a spinnaker, but they're not yet a viable substitute for a normal sail rig on a cruising-size boat.