Ships – Sail or control means therefor – Rigging screws and stretchers
Patent
1987-10-16
1989-02-28
Basinger, Sherman D.
Ships
Sail or control means therefor
Rigging screws and stretchers
114219, 254209, B63H 904
Patent
active
048075507
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
This invention relates to belaying clamps for releasably fixing an end of a stretching rope to the boom or mast base of a windsurfing craft.
Such belaying clamps have previously been fixed to the boom or mast base of the windsurfing craft. But it has been found in practice that particularly a retrimming of the sail when the craft is on the water cannot satisfactorily be performed and requires a considerable effort so that surfing is often practiced with a sail which is not properly trimmed for the current wind.
Various proposals to eliminate said disadvantage have been made and part of them have been reduced to practice. For instance, a luff stretcher has been provided, which incorporates a pulley block. Another proposal calls for the use of a reel for winding up the stretching rope.
Finally, a luff stretcher is known which comprises a tensioning lever. That luff stretcher is used in combination with a variable mast base and for the insertion into the mast base comprises a tightener base, which carries the tensioning lever. The latter has a hole for receiving the stretching sheet for stretching the luff and is held in tensioning position by a locking hook. That design is intended to replace the conventional belaying clamps.
In accordance with the present invention the advantageous belaying clamp is not to be omitted. For this reason it is an object of the invention to provide the belaying clamp in an arrangement which will optimally meet all requirements encountered in practice regarding a correct and simple trimming and retrimming of the sail.
This is accomplished in accordance with the invention in that the belaying clamp is indirectly connected to the boom or mast base by means of an adjusting element. Owing to the adjusting element the trimming of the sail can be changed and adapted to the current requirements quickly and in a simple manner and without a great effort, even when the craft is on the water.
The invention may be embodied in that the adjusting element consists of a wedge drive.
In an advantageous and particularly simple structure the adjusting element consists of a one-armed lever having a pivot which is transverse to the boom or mast base.
It has been found that for an individual and optimum operation of the adjusting element the latter may be secured to the boom or the mast base by means of a pipe clip.
In a design comprising an adjusting element consisting of a lever it has been found that it is desirable to pivot the belaying clamp to the lever on an axis which is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the clamp and parallel to the pivot for the lever.
In that case the lever is movable to two operating positions and in each of said positions is at least approximately parallel to the boom or mast base. It has been found that when the lever has been moved to extend in the direction in which the stretching rope is to be tensioned the pivotal axis of the belaying clamp is desirably closer to the boom or mast base than the pivot for the lever. The resulting overcenter position of the lever will eliminate the need for a separate member for locking the lever.
A simple and lightweight lever will be obtained if the lever comprises two cheeks, which are disposed on opposite sides of the belaying clamp and at their free ends are interconnected by a web.
The free ends of the pivot for the belaying clamp are desirably mounted on the lever in slots, which preferably extend obliquely and particularly at 45.degree. to the longitudinal direction of the lever. As a result, the lever is additionally held in its current position when the clamp is belayed.
Also within the scope of the invention the extent of the tensioning movement imparted to the belaying clamp by the turning of the lever can be varied because at least a second bearing for the belaying clamp is provided on the lever. The bearings are suitably interconnected by a weblike recess.
An illustrative embodiment of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 s
Basinger Sherman D.
Sotelo Jesus D.
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