wingspar sail rig

Wing sails, flying wings

You want speed and efficiency then scrap flexible sails and battens: Inherent drag far too high. Best wing is arcs of a circle, symmetrical, sharp leading edge, trailing edge is adjustable for port or starboard trim like an aileron.

Mast is mounted on a car or a truck wheel support, (should someday be made in marine alloy), centre of pivoting wing mast/sail is 20% from leading edge of wing sail, faired top. This sail can be as short as 6 feet, 6X6, 9X6, or as big as you need it.

Self adjusting sail-wings are much safer in high winds. The only control is a trim that is set for maximum on the log for fair weather, or minimum drag for gales. No draggy rigging. Strong foam-filled wings will prevent capsize.

Outperforms everything else! Low aspect sails, small as practicable for speed and performance. Hydraulically coupled (water) Rotary sail driving folding propeller can be added to a leading edge nacelle for direct upwind performance. This could provide ballast to balance wing but best ballast low dow in leading edge for stability. Possibilities unlimited.

I'm as mad as a cut snake, always have been, but I have had lots of fun and many successful results. Ship chandlers might lose their traditional markets but its time they supported wing sails with specialised gear... Cheers, Lin

 

Hi, Lin

Your ideas are great for a day sailer, but I wouldn't cross an ocean with them. I don't think you'll find any experienced takers for offshore work. I have spent days surfing down 25' waves-a formative experience if ever their was one.

TD. See http://dunnanddunnrealtors.com/Catamaran.html for a seaworthy wingsail.

 

Thanks OldYachtie, Tim Dunn has a fine design there, but also a lot to handle. My model indicated that the wing-sail I described could be developed into a more seaworthy propulsion. I'm only a calm water novice but Slocum and his Spray taught me something. I tried to win the Henry Kramer prize but a better man took that out, another sailplane pilot. I have also done research and experimented with pedal machines, the Vector is like an early design but it is only a shell without all the bells and whistles, got over 60 mph! Learnt a lot also from teaching myself to sail Windsurfers with a tiny supercavitating fin in 40 knot southerly busters. That was a flying sail!!! Ended up many times flat on my back in the sail. Don't dismiss much smaller wing sails on Tim Dunn's cat. Cheers, Lin.

 

Look at this sail design... finally someone got it right

http://www.omerwingsail.com/gallery/

 

Dead on course, SeaSpark.

A sails should have some lifting component, that is why the little aeroplane on top of a mast works so well.

I have taken this a step further and developed a Flying Wing Sail. Here you have the best of both worlds. Efficiencency and simplicity.

The trouble with soft sails and battens is their variability and complexity. Go for a strong symmetrical low aspect ratio sail and control it with a reflexed flap on the trailing edge.

My success with flying wings leads me to believe that this may be the ultimate development in sailing.

The only way to outperform this type of configuration is to adapt airscrew technology to Rotary Sails and go for streamlined Hickman Sea Sleds.

Could we get buildboats to make a 15 foot prototype?

Cheers, Lin

 

Hello Pericles,

I have been lying on my back, skimming the water, with a storm sail angled ten degrees above me, a super-cavitating fin in place of the centreboard, and a measured 40 knot Southerly buster for motivation. If I wasnt doing 55 to 60 miles per hour I'll eat my spinach.

On the other hand, sailing with a moderate amount of lift is far more efficient than any degree of mast tilting leeward. When this occurs, the effective weight of the yacht rapidly increases. This can be equivalent to carrying many tons of ballast, no matter how much Kevlar and Carbon Fiber is used.
Cheers, Lin

 

Hello Buildboats,

Regarding omerwingsail: Engineering and construction brilliant. Plan-form and sections, something less. It would have great effect in light to moderate wings and looks as if the telescopic reefing works well, but the full sail is also full of unwanted drag. Just an opinion. bet it costs more than I can afford.

Would you consider a more advanced Rotary Sail driving an original Albert Hickman design with contra-rotating surface-piercing props? You could, mabe, put it down to advertising?

What price to build an ultralight aircraft to the design of the Simplest Flying Wing Plank? From 10 to 50 horsepower?

You have woken up to the neccessity of avoiding inward cambers on your cats. Now apply the same thoughts to the cockpit floor over the tunnel. Thats what I admire about the Hickman Sleds. Some have tried to improve them by adding split conventional V hulls, but thyis defeats the purpose.

My Tuned Hull had a length / to beam ratio of nearly 2/1. It was a displacement boat with a lifting hull that became an efficient planing boat.

Cheers, Lin

 

I need to do some catch up here. I'm missed part of the conversation.

 

Lin,

Very good thread.

"I have been lying on my back, skimming the water, etc"

You do tell porkies. Per Ardua ad Astra

Buildboats,

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?p=184534#post184534

We should hear from Ilan presently. He's probably at sea off the Turkish coast. Or not. He has replied.

Pericles

 

My National Service with 86 wing WT section of the RAAF. I may be a know-it-all rat-bag, but I never have to lie and a witness is still kicking...

 

Thanks for the comment, Larry. I am happy to have someone else agree about the design who understands how it's put together.
I am not building this one yet---- too much other stuff to attend to, and the cost is an issue too. I'd love to see anyone build it, however.
Obviously, it would be most cost effective to build the rig onto an existing hull.

Alan

 

I have your email address and I'll send you some details. I've been offline recently so apologies for the late response.

Alan