Alternative to marvelous Buccaneer 24

I heard that the US C Class Wingmill got caught by a too close helicopter which totally screwed them, wrecked their wing and they had no replacement ... but the potential was there. A Dutch design named Aeroskimmer has had lasting success and if I remember correctly was fastest yacht in her division one Portsmouth speed series.

 

Very impressive project Gary.
In the link a small movie about the Aeroskimmer.
How thick is the ply you are using for the skin of the wing?
Can't wait to see Sid sailing.

Hielan

http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/sport/wat-de-snelste-zeilboot

 

Gary, if you haven't yet, take a look at the video of this boat and its tilting rig:
http://foils.wordpress.com/ scroll down to "Libellule".

 

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Great video-thanks!. The Aeroskimmer appears to have planing hulls-is that right?

UPDATE: "Aeroskimmer, designed by Tom Bakker (Holland), utilises planing hulls similar to windsurfer boards to skim across the surface of the water. Aeroskimmer won the sailboat class at the Weymouth Speed Week in 1997 although no officially recorded speeds are available."
http://www.windjet.co.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=56
--more- http://www.dcss.org/speedweek/aeroskimmer.html

 

Doug, yes, I've watched the Magnard cat video a few times but think trying the same with larger Sid would be tricky. Dick Newick, a couple or more (it's probably more like three) decades ago did a similar thing with 40 foot race tri Ocean Surfer but apparently they had difficulty moving the car/mast base across when the wind loads were on the rig; I think the boat had to be stopped head to wind before they could slide the base over track.
Every way you go with canting rigs, there are problems to get around ... and because I know nothing, I'll be following my nose.
You introducing that infamous planing multihull topic again? Aeroskimmer is only 18 foot, caries two crew and a large rig; the hulls need to be fattys to carry the weight.
Hasyb, I used a 2.5mm interior bendy ply on the skimmer's wing masts and it has worked well, is light and once epoxy coated, is waterproof ... so I'll look for some more. There is some 1.5mm aircraft ply here in Auckland, expensive but beautiful stuff; I might bite the bullet and go for that. Was also considering laying up 3oz glass on a long, polished table and rolling epoxy on to that - for the after section behind the I beam.

 

Hi Gary

I've watched with interest and just have to ask - why is the rig assymetrical?

I think I see it will go one way great but what happens on the other tack?

Tony

 

These types of rig use a short central mast as a pivot for the wing element you pivot the wing from one side to the other to present the leading edge correctly on each tack.

 

Gary, I was wondering, is the ply on the wing part of construction or why not use fabric?

Hielan

 

Hasyb, I've gone circling round thinking about this and decided that if you have a no compression/slight tension material like light sail cloth or heat shrink plastic as the outside skin, then you have to rely a lot more on the internal wing framing/stringers for strength - and then it would be advisable to use carbon on many close spaced supports - but since the rig has to be kept up and in the elements and on a mooring, decided the flexible material would not last under NZ UV conditions (also prefer the smooth, non-rib cage skin) ... so went to less interior support (13 frames plus 6 stingers and a couple of dozen diagonals, plus I beam) and will be relying on bent, thin ply/veneers/glass and some carbon outside skin to provide tension and compression strength. Just imo of course.

 

Whats wrong with foam, thinly glassed inside and out with foam ribs. Wood inserts at attachment pressure points. Worked well for us on Crowther "Typhoon" catamaran. Very light and strong.

 

Thanks OS7, have been considering same. Still hunting and deciding.

 

Thanks Corley,

As Homer would say "DUH" got it now.

Tony

ps still going to NZ next year to check it out

 

It looks like mooring Sid is going to be more of an concern than sailing her.
Challenging is I guess an understatement with the wing 'feathering' the weather, look at how lively the wing behaves on Aeroskimmer at the beach.
Sid would need an active feathering system. imo naturellement.
Wouldn't Sid be more comfortable with the wing lowered when at the mooring.
Thinking about a 'sleevish thing' or the like round the mast to lower the wing or perhaps a pivoting mast.
Again, very intriguing project.

Cheers,
Hielan

 

Good suggestions, Hielan - the central mast will be able to pivot forward ... but of course, if you lowered the wing on a mooring, I also see Sod's Law of the sea taking over, in that wing is going to end up in front of the bow and floating nose down, gust arrives, lightweight Sid shoots forward over the top of wing plus crew in dinghy ... and leave it up to you to imagine the rest of the fiasco.
I'd like to see the video of Aeroskimmer parked. Actually on G.Marx with the tall and large chord wing mast, the boat definitely rocks around in high winds - but still handles it all without problems.
Best I can hope for is to moor in my sheltered cove.

 

wing

ahoy Gary! :idea: Consider an inflatable wing like a kite surfer? perhaps with a spar element to help control.also be able to lower whole lot to deck,deflate wing & pack away, from weather elements:!: