Ships – Watercraft with means used in providing sailpower – Having specifically defined hull shape
Patent
1985-12-05
1987-07-28
Basinger, Sherman D.
Ships
Watercraft with means used in providing sailpower
Having specifically defined hull shape
114 91, 114 98, B63H 904
Patent
active
046825576
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention relates generally to sailboards and particularly to an improved form of sailboard propelled by a wing structure. While the invention is primarily designed for use in sailboards, the wing structure can be mounted upon land sailing hulls and upon more conventional hulls with stayed masts such as catamarans.
In the evolution of sailboards since the invention of the Schweitzer U.S. Pat. No. RE 31,167, a number of proposals have been made for propelling a sailboard with a wing like sail. One such proposal in German patent application No. DE 3240203 published 5-3-84 employs a wing like sail which is held by the sailor while the sailor is tethered to the sailboard. In European patent application No. 0015875 published 9/16/80, a wing like sail is mounted on the top of a mast on a hull for universal pivotal motion around the top of the mast, and a similar concept is disclosed in French Pat. No. 2498554. Similar concepts have been proposed for mounting a wing like sail on sailboards in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,859 and PCT application No. W082/03053 published 9-16-82 where wing like members are connected to the top of a mast on a sailboard for universal movement with respect to the mast.
While it is very desirable to be able to employ a wing like sail on a sailboard for a number of reasons, the proposals indicated in the publications mentioned above have had serious design flaws due primarily to the fact that physical control of the wing like sail during sailing operations is so awkward and difficult that sailboards equipped with these devices are relatively uncontrollable.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In accordance with our invention we have designed a wing like sailing craft in which effective sailing control is obtained by mounting the wing at the top of a mast with a hinge by which the wing can be pivoted about a generally chordwise "roll" axis between port tack and starboard tack positions through an intermediate lift position. At the same time the structure is constructed so that the wing is constrained against pivotal movement with respect to the mast about the spanwise "pitch" axis of the wing.
As indicated above, the wing structure of this invention may be employed upon land sailing craft and sailing hulls with stayed masts, but preferably the invention is used on a sailboard where the bottom of the mast is connected to a surfboard by a universal joint which permits the mast to be pivoted fore and aft and side to side and rotated about the axis of the mast.
When a sailboard is constructed in this manner, the wing can be pivoted about its hinge to the starboard side of the sailboard when the board is sailed on a port tack, and the wing can be pivoted about the hinge to the port side of the sailboard when the board is sailed on a starboard tack. With the sail constrained against pivoting on the mast in a fore and aft direction, that is about the "pitch" axis parallel to the span of the wing, the sailboard can be controlled in either of the port tack or starboard tack conditions in a manner much like a conventional sailboard.
At the same time a wing board constructed in accordance with our invention may be manipulated much easier between port and starboard tacks since the sailor can move between port and starboard tacks by swinging the wing about its hinge instead of moving his body around the mast or around a sail. In the intermediate position between maximum port tack and starboard tack positions, the wing passes through a high lift position with its lift directed generally vertically where the sailor can use the lift of the sail to make high speed, low drag turns and aerobatic where the sailor and board become airborne.
It can be confusing to speak of the roll, pitch and yaw, because the terms may have different meanings depending upon what they relate to. Thus, when the wing has been rolled about its longitudinal axis of symmetry to a maximum port tack position, movement of the wing in its pitch direction about its spanwise axis may produce a rudder effect normally associated w
REFERENCES:
patent: 2329220 (1943-09-01), Rummler
patent: 4198019 (1980-04-01), Linczmajer
patent: 4382417 (1983-05-01), Talve
patent: 4458859 (1984-07-01), Ganev
patent: 4610212 (1986-09-01), Petrovich
Crowell Robert L.
Magruder Thomas A.
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