Taliesin with Walker WingSail

I had thought there might be some discussion about this
boat
. I really like the lines of this boat. I’m surprised that the sail doesn’t detract that much from the looks. Can this sail be of much use on that boat? I no nothing about Walker Sails. Would you have to add a lot of ballast?

 

I was wondering the same thing. I also know next to nothing about wingsails so I'm 100% unqualified to comment, other than it's an interesting concept and I would love to have it if it worked, and the boat, with or without the wingsail, looks great.

I know we have at least one forum member who could tell us more about wingsails, so maybe he will step in and comment if he gets a chance...

 

The wingsail here is intended to do more than just be a steadying sail. Size was determined more in regard to the beam of the boat than power available, since the rig is free-rotating, and you don't want to keep knocking folks off the dock as the wind shifts.
Since John Walker is no longer making sailset, AFAIK, it is all a bit academic anyway ;-( I drew something like this about 24 years ago, and found the drawing just after "finishing" the concept for Taliesin, so threw the sailset on for fun.
Why it doesn't harm the looks is anyone's guess. I should oughta make it look like h*ll (think Edsel with a huge super-charger through the hood) but it somehow fails to do that.......

 

Well, exccuuuuuuuse me, but I think it looks gorgeous!

Reason is, not as primary propulsion necessarily, but as a *power assist* on a small (40-60 persons) ferryboat service.

I assume it could be self-tending (computer-controlled), and if reasonably robust (low maintenance costs) would/could provide a reasonable payback in reduced energy costs over the life of the vessel.

My 2cents (Canadian)

Lock
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/QCYCTender/

 

Lockhughes - tHanks for the compliments. Yes, the Walker sailset was designed to be self-tending. Computer-controlled, weather-cocking if all comuter/hydraulic lines failed. It's only drawback is that if the bearing let go, it had 3 slip-joints for the hydraulics, and it could get messy. Never heard of it happening, but is was always a possibilty.
The first commercail set was put on a small cargo ship in the UK (SS Ashington, IIRC), and was extremely successful, but the company seems to have failed anyway. A shame, as no-one has tried to pick up where he left off.

 

KJELL where are you. Kjell Dahlberg has been working with this design, without the computer/ hydraulic bits. MUCH simpler. From my own experiences with wingsail systems ,letting the wind do all the work is much more efficient and reliable than adding computers into the field. Face it , the apparent wind is what you have to work with and to, so why not use it.
As for bearing failure etc on such a large rig is one reason I am working with independant rigs as in 1 on each hull on a 16ft cat and four wings on a larger version.