Ships – Sail or control means therefor – Reefing and furling
Patent
1984-07-19
1986-07-01
Basinger, Sherman D.
Ships
Sail or control means therefor
Reefing and furling
114107, B63H 910
Patent
active
045973474
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a mechanism for reefing and hoisting of a sail on a sailing vessel which is connected along its foot to a roller boom and wherein the rotation of hoisting and reefing drums by a halyard arrangement of the sails are controllable with respect to each other by a single crew member, the sail may be locked in any hoisted position and also free fall of the said sail during a reefing operation is prevented.
The hoisting and reefing of a sail which is connected to an axially-rotatable boom is a complicated maneuver to carry out. Thus conventionally the sail is hoisted by turning a winch around which a hoisting halyard connected to the peek of the sail is wound, and during a reefing operation the winch is unwound and the rotatable boom rotated by hand to roll the sail around it during its controlled fall, which operation requires at least two crew members to achieve the required result.
An alternative arrangement is to provide a reefing drum connected to the sail roller boom, halyard means being arranged to pass over a pulley at an upper position of the mast and connected at one of its ends to the hoisting drum and at its other end to the reefing drum and also connected to the peak of the sail. With such an arrangement it is however difficult to compensate for the build-up of halyard on the drums which thus require to be rotated at different relative speeds if the sail is not to be subjected to undue strain as it is rolled or unrolled from the roller boom. It is difficult to secure rapid locking of the sail in any particular position, the halyard normally being secured around a clean which is time-consuming. Furthermore if the reefing drum is unconnected from the hoisting drum, it is difficult to prevent free fall of the sail during a reefing operation.
The present invention overcomes such difficulties in that the hoisting and reefing operations may be carried by a single crew member, if desired by remote control e.g. from a steering position, and which furthermore may be operated by one or more prime mover e.g. an electric or hydraulic motor
The invention provides a mechanism for hoisting and reefing a sail the foot of which is connected along its length to a roller boom, and wherein the hoisting and reefing of said sail is effected by halyard means passing over a pulley at an upper portion of a mast associated with the said roller boom and connected at one of its ends to a hoisting drum and connected at the other end to a reefing drum, and is also connected to the peak of the sail, and wherein the said reefing drum is connected to the said roller boom whereby the boom is rotatable with the said reefing drum, characterised in that there are provided and the said reefing drum the said hoisting drum or the said reefing drum, and to automatically lock the said hoisting drum with the said reefing drum at the end of a hoisting operation, and to unlock the said drums at the start of a reefing operation, and reefing operation whereby free fall of the sail during reefing is prevented.
Preferably the clutch means comprises a clutch body portion connectable to the said reefing drum to rotate the said reefing drum in a reefing direction and a clutch surface which engages the said hoisting drum when the clutch means is rotated in one direction to effect rotation of the said hoisting drum, and which disengages the hoisting drum when rotated in the opposite direction while simultaneously the rotating clutch body portion is connected to the reefing drum to effect rotation of the said reefing drum.
A particularly useful form of such clutch means consists of a ring gear forming the said clutch body portion, the geared periphery of which is driveably connectable to the said reefing drum to rotate same in a reefing direction only, and one side face of which is provided with dog-tooth elements engageable in corresponding slots in a facing surface of the said hoisting drum to form the said clutch surface.
Such a ring clutch, when provided with helical teeth on its periphery, forms part of a particularly effec
REFERENCES:
patent: 2197654 (1940-04-01), Beaudry
patent: 3132620 (1964-05-01), Court
patent: 3260230 (1966-07-01), Kauert
patent: 4324192 (1982-04-01), Ingouf
Basinger Sherman D.
Brahan Thomas J.
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