U.S. patent application number 10/411783 was filed with the patent office on 2004-10-14 for drag lift sailboat.
Invention is credited to Page, John Splawn JR..
Application Number | 20040200396 10/411783 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33131068 |
Filed Date | 2004-10-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040200396 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Page, John Splawn JR. |
October 14, 2004 |
Drag lift sailboat
Abstract
The invention of a sailboat that uses three ways of creating
lift on the hull of a boat so that it rides higher on the water and
gives the sailors a fast dry ride. 1.sup.st way is that sails are
installed on the back of the boat and are inclined back into the
wind to create lift. 2.sup.cd way is that a power kite type sail is
attached to the front of the boat and positioned to sail up and out
in front of the boat pulling up to provide lift. 3.sup.rd way is
that the keel on the boat has a wide planing plate on it that is
installed in an upward inclined position so that as it moves
forward through the water it causes an upward push up on the hull
of the boat. It also has revolutionary sails which are made up of a
plurality of 9 inch high strips of sails that extend across a
frame, one strip above another and they are adjusted into and out
of engagement with a mesh backup support screen so the sails block
the wind when they are pressed against the mesh screen by the wind
and they allow wind to pass by them when they are retracted from
the mesh back-up screen.
Inventors: |
Page, John Splawn JR.; (Lake
Forest, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JOHN S. PAGE JR
25092 FARTHING ST #61
LAKE FOREST
CA
92630-4034
US
|
Family ID: |
33131068 |
Appl. No.: |
10/411783 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
114/102.29 ;
114/271 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63H 9/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
114/102.29 ;
114/271 |
International
Class: |
B63H 009/04; B63B
001/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A sailboat with its sail supporting means attached to it within
the rear one forth of the length of the boat and the deck of the
boat is clear of any sail supporting masts forward of said sail
supporting means.
2. The sailboat of claim 1 wherein there are sail supporting means
attached to each of the rear corners of the boat.
3. The sailboat of claim 2 whereby, a sail supporting means is
attached to the boat in the space between said sail supporting
means that are mounted on the rear corners of the boat.
4. The sailboat of claim 1 whereby, said sail supporting means
includes a frame that carries sails within its perimeter.
5. A sailboat of claim 4 wherein said sail supporting means
includes a base which is attached to the boat, a hinge is attached
to the base and to said frame, thereby making an interconnection
between said base and said frame so that said frame can be inclined
backward or forward.
6. A sailboat with a sail supporting means attached to it that
includes: (a) a frame that carries sail back up support means that
have open spaces so that wind may pass through them, (b) arms are
carried on said frame, some arms are carried near the top of the
frame and some arms are carried near the bottom of the frame, (c)
lines are carried by said arms and said lines extend from said arms
that are near the top of the frame down to arms near the bottom of
the frame, across from one side of said frame to the other side of
said frame, one strip above another, (d) said arms have means for
pulling said strips of sails away from said sail back up support
means to allow the wind to pass by said sails and then moving said
sails back close to said sail back up support means so that the
wind can push them up against said sail back up support means to
effectively block wind.
7. A sailboat with sail supporting means attached to the boat which
carries sails and wind deflecting means that extend out beyond the
edges of the sails at an angle so that they change the direction of
the flow of the wind as it escapes off of the surface of the sail
thereby increasing the pressure on the surface of the sail.
8. A sailboat or claim 7 wherein said sail supporting means
includes a frame that carries sails within its perimeter and
attached to said frame are wind deflecting means extending out from
said frame at an angle so that they change the direction of the
flow of the wind as it escapes off of the surface of the sail.
9. A sail for pulling a boat comprising: (a) a coil spring frame,
(b) sail material attached to the approximate back half of the sail
spring frame from one end to the opposite end thereby providing
sail material for the wind to push on all along the back half of
the coil spring frame and the sail material extends to wrap around
the ends of said coil spring frame to close the ends with the sail
material, thereby providing sail material for the wind to push on
at each end and cause the coil spring frame to elongate to its full
sailing length, (c) a plurality of control lines are attached to
said coil spring frame and extend to a plurality of reels, (d) said
reels are adapted to be attached to said boat, whereby said reals
and lines can be adjusted by a sailor to control the position of
said coil spring sail when it is deployed into the wind.
10. A sailboat that carries a keel with two vertical plates spaced
apart, another plate which is a planing plate is connected
transversely to said plates near their lower ends and it is
positioned approximately parallel to the bottom of the boat except
that its full length is inclined upwardly so that its front leading
edge is closer to the bottom of the boat than its trailing edge is
to the bottom of the boat.
11. The sailboat of claim 10 whereby said plate has adjustment
means to change its degree of upward angle.
12. The sailboat of claim 10 that includes the means to rotate said
keel by including: (a) a shaft extends above the deck of the boat
and down through the hull and out through the bottom of the boat,
(b) on the deck of the boat, said shaft engages means for
controlling the rotation of said shaft, (c) sealing means are
carried by the boat that seal between said shaft and the boat to
prevent water from entering the boat, (d) said shaft that extends
down through the bottom of the boat is attached to the members that
support the upper ends of said vertical plates that are connected
to said planing plate.
13. The sailboat of claim 12 whereby said means for controlling the
rotation of said shaft includes a toothed gear attached to said
shaft and another gear connected to said boat that engages said
gear on said shaft, means for rotating said gear that is attached
to said boat, thereby causing said gear on said shaft to be
rotated.
13. A sailboat of claim 5 wherein said base carries a gear and said
frame carries a gear that engages the gear on said base and means
for rotating the gear on said base to cause rotation of the gear on
said frame and thereby cause said frame to be inclined backward or
forward.
14. A sailboat of claim 12 that has one or more sails that are
fixed to the deck of the boat so that they can not rotate
horizontally.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Sailboats for thousands of years have used a vertical mast
to hold sails up to accept the thrust from the wind. The modern
high tech boats like those used in America's Cup races still use
the vertical masts with a boom to hold the sail in certain
positions for tacking and sailing downwind. In any sailboat the
amount of square feet in the sail is limited because too much sail
will cause the boat to tip over when trying to tack, angling into
the wind. They keep extending the height of the sails to get more
sail area and this increases the leverage that exacerbates the
tipping over problem. Racing boats have heavy lead weights built
into the bottom of the keel to counter balance the tipping force of
the wind on the sails.
[0002] A good example of pressing this to the limit is the high
tech design of the fastest single hull sailboat in the world. It is
a needle-nosed ocean racer called V.0.60. It is capable of 36
knots. That's 41.4 miles per hour. It is 64 feet long, just over 17
feet wide and weighs 30,00 pounds. The mast is 85 feet in the air.
The keel has a 12,000-pound lead torpedo at the bottom. To help
trim the boat against the tilting force of the sails, 13,000
gallons of water can be pumped into three holding tanks in the
hull. It requires a crew of 12 sailors to race it flat-out, day and
night in the around the world races. Eight of these boats for the
races cost $3 million each.
[0003] These are the world's best and the most high tech but they
are still using basic boat configurations that have not changed a
great deal over hundreds of years. The 12,000 pounds of weight in
the keel pulls the boat deep into the water. In rough water, the
hull plows through the waves like a bulldozer and the water flows
over the deck blasting the crew so that they have to wear full rain
gear and face shields. The needle nose on boats makes it harder for
them to plane.
[0004] The following sentence is a quote out of a newspaper article
describing the crews on the boats that race in the Americas Cup.
"Professional sailboat racing is extremely physical. Harnessing a
blustering wind with a giant spinnaker on a 10-story tall mast
requires a crew of 16 top-flight athletes. It's a game of strength,
stamina, agility and timing."
[0005] Even in non-competing sailboats, sails can require strong
sailors to raise and control them.
OBJECTS AND GOALS OF THIS INVENTION
[0006] First Goal: Make a sail boat that will be the fastest
sailboat in history. Even faster than a catamaran. It will be a
boat that will plane with a minimum of wind speed. The goal is to
make a boat that incorporates methods that harness the wind in such
a way as to create lift on the boat rather than tilt the boat even
to the point of causing it to capsize sometimes. It will require
making a sail that produces more power than normal sails as well as
have lots of sail exposed to the wind but at lower elevations and
with anti tilting features. It must produce more power and at the
right places on the boat.
[0007] Second Goal: Make a sailboat that is comfortable to ride in
and that you don't have to jump back and forth to one side of the
boat to the other when turning to tack in a new direction as
present boats do. The goal is to simply turn the boat and enjoy a
relatively level smooth turn.
[0008] Third Goal: Make a sailboat that rides so high on the water
that it gives a dry ride without being sprayed or drenched with
cold salty water.
[0009] Forth Goal: Make a sailboat with sails that are simple to
handle. The sails will be easier to be positioned into a wind
collecting position and also be easy to be adjusted to a
non-collecting position. The goal is to do away with having to
raise heavy sails in order to get underway and which require
considerable strength and exertion of energy. One won't have to
lower and stow a big sail upon returning to the dock.
[0010] Fifth Goal: Make a boat that has sails that are protected
from tearing themselves up in harsh winds and from the rough
manipulation of them by the crew as they raise them, lower them,
and stow them.
SUMMARY
[0011] Applicant's accomplishes each of these 5 goals by the
following design features.
[0012] The first goal of making sailboat that will plane with a
minimum of wind speed and be faster than any other boat is achieved
by incorporating three unique means of creating thrust power and
lift on the hull so it does not have to plow through the water but
ride high and dry on the water. Sailboats are easy to tip over so
the following design features address that problem.
[0013] The primary sail supporting means is mounted on the back of
the boat. This feature in combination with having the front of the
boat basically wide and square rather than narrow and pointed
results in a great leverage advantage. When tacking, the leverage
of the sail tilting forward and to the lee side of the boat sets up
a line of force pushing to the far front opposite corner of the
square boat. In conventional boats, the mast is usually a little
front of center and in the middle of the boat from port to
starboard and the keel is in the middle of the boat. With a pointed
bow and rounded bottom and the sail forward of center, the pivot
point for these conventional boats is the worst arrangement.
[0014] Applicant's hull bottom will be basically flat but with a
slopped front end and with rounded corners. This gives the best
geometric angle from the middle of the sail in a tacking position
on the back corner of the boat to the opposite side and opposite
front corner of the boat. This angle is established when the
up-wind sail is extended out to a tacking position. The distance
from the front corner of the boat back to the sail provides
leverage back at the sail to counter the tipping force.
[0015] Having the sail support means on the back of the boat leaves
the whole deck open for the crew and passengers to enjoy. It also
leaves the whole back width of the boat available to mount sails on
to create the maximum lifting, pushing force. This is a really big
advantage. Each rear corner has the typical conventional mast. It
could have conventional mast, boom and sail but the sail shown in
the drawings has sail box frame carried by the mast. This leaves
the space between these sails available for the rectangular sail
box frame that tilts back and forth described in the details.
[0016] When sailing down wind each corner sail can be extended out
like a bird so that there is a great expanse of sail exposed to the
wind. They will not extend as high as typical racing boats but they
will have great lateral exposure.
[0017] Another way to achieve the number one goal of a boat that
planes easily is to harness the wind in such a way that a lift is
created on the hull. The boat will ride high on the water to
minimize drag and increase speed. A wide flat bottom hull will
plane quicker than a narrow deep hull because the weight of the
boat and passengers is spread over more square feet of water
surface. This minimizes the depth that the boat sinks into the
water.
[0018] In order to create a lift on the rear of the hull, the sail
supporting means on the back of the boat is made so that it will
lean back into the wind. Sails are carried on the frame. The frame
is preferably a rectangular shape. It can be positioned at varying
degrees of angle from leaning forward toward the front of the boat
or back into the wind toward the back of the boat and even to lie
flat parallel to the deck of the boat. When it is positioned back
into the wind for example at a 45-degree angle, the wind strikes
the sail at that 45-degree angle and one half of the wind energy
flows down toward the deck of the boat and the sail absorbs the
other half. It divides 50/50 in each direction at a 45-degree
angle. The 50% absorbed by the sail result in an upward lift and
forward thrust on the sail box frame. The sail box frame carries
the sails. It can carry conventional sails or the sail box frame
with the strips of sails that are adjustable. The sail box frame
collects and retains the maximum forces of the wind. It is like a
box with one side open. The sail box frame is made up of vertical
walls on each side and upper and lower horizontal walls so that all
four sides of the structure have walls that extend out and back
toward the oncoming wind. When the wind enters the open side of the
sail box frame and hits the flat surface of the sail it tries to
escape to any lower pressure area but the walls trap it. The walls
block the wind so it can not spill off to the sides of the sail as
happens with conventional sails. In flow tests, the walls send the
wind back at the same angle that the walls are fixed. If the walls
are fixed at a 45-degree angle, then the wind goes back at a
45-degree angle. If the walls are fixed at a 90-degree angle then
the wind exits the sail box frame nearer to a 90-degree angle. This
90-degree angle results in the sail absorbing the maximum energy of
the wind. The increased force from this sail configuration can be
clearly demonstrated and is surprisingly significant. It requires a
special structural configuration in order to support the walls at
the 90-degree angle. It is well worth the effort and investment as
it contributes greatly to extra pushing power on the boat.
[0019] The Forth Goal of having sails that are simple and easy to
handle is achieved by the following design features and
structure.
[0020] The sail box frame 44 carries a sail back up sail supporting
means like a mesh type material. Its attachment to the frame
extends from side to side and top to bottom. It will allow the wind
to pass through it but it has enough structure to it to function as
a sail back up support means for the sail strips to push against.
Another backup support means material is simply strings strung up
on the frame like a tennis racquet in at least one direction but
preferably in both vertical and horizontal directions.
[0021] The sail itself is made up of a plurality of strips of sail
material, tentatively, approximately 10 inches deep by whatever
width fits the sail box frame of a particular boat size. These
strips of sail material are suspended horizontally across the frame
and lie up against the support material or said strings. However
the strips of sails could be suspended vertically but preferably
horizontally. Each strip covers just it's own area of mesh or
strings, one above the other so that the full area of the sail box
frame is covered. When the wind blows against these strips of sail,
the mesh or strings support them and they seal off the passage of
the wind. When the wind blows the other way, the wind pushes the
sails away from the mesh and allows the wind to pass through. The
strips of sail are suspended by lines attached to arms at the top
and bottom of the frame structure. The sail box frame 44 carries
the arms and they pivot so the arms rotate on the frame. There are
pulleys at the top of the frame that the lines pass over. The lines
are attached to the arms. When a sailor standing on the deck pulls
on the lines, the arms are rotated up out and away from the frame
pulling the strips of sail out away from the strings. They can't
touch the back up mesh so they just fly in the wind. This makes for
a fast way to set and remove the sails, so to speak. They do not
need to be removed when the boat is left in the dock. They will
flap in the breeze but they can be made of material tough enough to
last a long time. At such time as there is some wear and tear to
the point that a strip needs repairing, only that particular strip
will need attention.
[0022] The simplicity of this system will make sailing more
attractive to people who would like to jump in their boat and make
a quick no hassle run. All that one has to do to set the sails is
pull down on the lines that will rotate the arms down to lower the
sail strips down against the back up mesh. Not having to raise and
lower sails will make it easier for the ladies to sail without
having to depend on having strong men around. The sail box frame 44
that carries the multiple sail strips is left up in a vertical
position when the boat is left at the dock.
[0023] The goal of planing is also achieved by a unique planing
keel. Two forms of the keel are shown. The keel comprises two
vertical plates attached to a horizontal planing plate at their
lower ends. The planing plate would extend from one vertical plate
to the other and be connected together to form a corner on each
side and be braced with angled cross bracing. One form is with the
vertical plates attached directly to the sides of the hull of the
boat.
[0024] The other form is with the upper ends of the vertical plates
attached to members that connect them to a heavy shaft that goes up
through the boat. There are seals between the hull of the boat and
the shaft. At the top of the shaft is a gear that cooperates with
another gear that has a hand crank on it for rotating the shaft and
keel. Other less expensive means of rotating the shaft can be
provided.
[0025] The vertical plates act as keels. The lower horizontal plate
acts as a planing plate. It is almost parallel to the flat bottom
of the boat except that it is angled up a few degrees so that it is
inclined thereby producing lift on the boat.
[0026] This planing plate may have a means of adjusting it to
change the degree of its angle. Some experiments will determine the
optimum upward angel for the projected speed of travel through the
water. Forward motion through the water causes a planing lifting
effect on the planing plate and thus on the hull of the boat.
[0027] This keel design could be flanged up to the bottom of the
hull instead of the side of the hull and not be as wide as the
hull.
[0028] This two bladed keel gives the boat extra resistance to
tipping because when tacking, the sail is pushing to tilt the boat
and the keel is resisting it. There is leverage at work. With two
blades on the keel one of the blades is on the far opposite side of
the hull. The further the keel is laterally from the sail, the less
leverage there is to tilt the boat. Likewise there is also more
leverage back at the sail. The leverage is more than if the keel
were in the middle of the hull. Also, notice that the keel is as
far forward on the hull as is practical. The same principle of
leverage applies here too. The keels planing plate is pushing up on
the hull, mostly on the front of the boat, so the further it is
from the sails on the back of the boat, the less the rear sail can
tilt the hull.
[0029] Another feature of the planing plate is that it acts as a
dampening means. In rough water, there will be forces that will
tend to cause the boat to bob up and down because the boat is
riding on the surface of the water. When the planing plate moves up
or down it displaces a large volume of water before it can move up
or down. Therefore, it will smooth out the ride on rough water.
[0030] The drawings shown in the details show a sail frame across
the back of the boat and it is fixed as to any horizontal
rotational movement but it does shift forward and aft. There are
masts for sails on the rear corners of the boat also.
[0031] When the rear corner sails are not used but only the fixed
sail is utilized, the keel that rotates on a shaft will control the
direction of the boat independent of direction the bow is pointed
toward. By rotating the sail keel, the sailor can position the boat
so that the fixed sail is angled at approximately 45 degrees to the
wind. Even though the boat will not be aimed in the direction it is
moving, the keel will make the boat travel where the sailor wants
it to go. Any wind striking the sails at 45-degrees causes the boat
to be pushed against the keel which squeezes the boat forward.
Therefore, there is a wind-collecting surface available to receive
wind when the boat is tacking to the right or to the left. There is
no boom that needs to be switched to the opposite side of the boat
to collect the wind. The rotating keel controls the position of the
sails so that they accept wind either way.
[0032] This keel will replace the lead-weighted keel that racing
boats have. They weigh many thousands of pounds and they pull the
hulls deep into the water causing a corresponding drag on the boat.
The boat plows through the water drenching the crew.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0033] FIG. 1 is a side view of the boat showing the sail
supporting means (sail box frame 44) tilted back to a 45-degree
angle. It shows the side view of the sail strips suspended from the
support lines. They are shown flying horizontally in the wind.
[0034] Also a storage frame 19 is shown in FIG. 5 for storing the
coil spring sail 20 when it is not in use. It is shown with the
coil spring sail 20 resting on top of it. Also the console 22
holding the reels 24 with the lines 21 going up toward the coil
spring sail 20 are shown.
[0035] FIG. 2 shows a coil spring sail flying with the lines 21
going down to the console 22 that holds the reels 24 for the lines
21.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the coil spring sail 20 when
flying in the wind.
[0037] FIG. 4 shows the wire coil spring that acts as a skeletal
frame to hold the coil spring sail open so that it will collect the
wind.
[0038] FIG. 5 is a plan view looking down on the storage frame that
holds the coil spring sail as shown in FIG. 1.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a front view of the sail box frame 44 with strings
strung back and forth from one side to the other like a tennis
racquet. A mesh material may be used instead of strings. Either one
are the support means for the strips of sail shown in FIG. 1.
[0040] FIG. 7 is plan view looking down on the square boat shape.
It shows the masts 34 on the rear corners of the boat. The dotted
lines 36 show where the sails can be in their different tacking
sailing positions.
[0041] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the boat when it is wider than it
is long. The sail box frame 44 is in a vertical position, not
angled back. It is the same sail box frame 44 as shown in FIGS. 1
and 7 except that it is wider than it is long. There is no rotation
of them to adjust them to the direction of the wind when
tacking.
[0042] FIG. 9 shows masts on the rear corners just like in FIG. 7.
These can be rotated horizontally to adjust to the wind when
tacking.
[0043] FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the sail box frame 44
looking down on the cross section. It shows the walls that cause
the wind to trapped and turn around and go backward.
[0044] FIG. 10 is another side view of the hull as shown in FIG. 1
but it shows some members that were not able to be seen in FIG. 1.
One of which are the optional sails 54 that are carried forward on
the deck of the boat. The keel 38 with the vertical plates 37 and
the shaft 53 are shown as if the keel were rotated 90 degrees from
its normal sailing position. It is shown in this position only to
show how the water flows through it. When sailing it would be
rotated back 90 degrees so water would flow through it in the
direction the boat is sailing.
[0045] The bottom plate 40 of the keel is shown inclined upward to
cause lift on it as it moves through the water. In FIG. 12 an
adjustment feature to change the degree of incline of the bottom
planing plate is shown.
[0046] FIG. 10a is view of he hull from the rear showing the
openness of the keel and how it is it is braced and how it fits on
the hull.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] In FIG. 1, the side view of the boat that shows a sail box
frame 22 that carries the sails. It is tilted back at a 45-degree
angle. It is attached to a base 4 by hinges 6. The base 4 is bolted
onto the back end of the boat approximately in the back 5 feet of
the boat. The preferred shape of the sail box frame 44 is
rectangular. This sail box frame 44 can be positioned at varying
degrees of angle, from leaning forward toward the front of the boat
or back into the wind toward the back of the boat. It can even to
lie flat horizontal to the deck of the boat by rotating the gears 8
with the crank 10. However for a more economical production boat,
ropes and winches may be used to control the position of the
frame.
[0048] A mesh material 14 is installed onto the sail box frame from
side to side and from top to bottom or it could be strung up with
strings 14 like a tennis racquet. The sails 12 are made up of a
plurality of strips of sail material, tentatively, approximately 10
inches deep by whatever width fits the sail box frame of a
particular size boat. These sail strips 12 are suspended
horizontally across the sail box frame 44. Each sail strips covers
just it's own area of mesh or strings, one above the other so that
the full area of the frame is covered. The sail strips 12 are
suspended by lines 16. The lines 16 are connected to arms 18. The
arms 18 are mounted on the sail box frame 44 at the top and bottom
of the frame structure. The arms 18 pivot to swing the lines 16
back and forth either away from sail back up means or in close to
it. There are pulleys 5 at the top and bottom of the frame for the
lines to pass over and which connect to the arms 18. The lines 16
continue on down to the deck for operator to pull on.
[0049] When the wind blows against the sail strips 12, the mesh 14
backs up the sail strips 12 to support them so that they block the
wind. When the wind blows the other way, the wind passes through
the mesh 14 and pushes the sails 12 away from the mesh 14. When a
sailor pulls on one of the lines 16, the arms 18 rotate up out and
away from the mesh 14. When they are out and away from the mesh
they can't touch the mesh so they just fly in the wind.
[0050] FIG. 1 also shows a console 22 mounted on the deck that
holds reels 24 with lines 21 that go up toward the coil spring sail
20 as shown in FIG. 2. The coil spring sail 20 is used to provide
lift to the front of the boat. It is released into the wind on a
plurality of lines 21 and controlled by the reels 24 on the console
22. Letting the lines out on one end of the sail 20 causes it to
move in one direction and visa versa. Letting the lines out that
connect to the bottom or the top of the sail 20 causes it to move
up or down and or even dump some of the air out of the sail. This
sail 20 can contribute to lift on the front of the hull and to the
effectiveness of the boats planing ability and the decreased drag
on the hull and thereby help achieve a very fast sailing speed
especially in down wind racing.
[0051] FIG. 1 also shows a storage structure 19 for storing the
coil spring sail 20 when it is not in use. It is shown with the
coil spring sail 20 resting on top of it.
[0052] FIG. 2 shows the coil spring sail 20 with the lines 21 going
down to the console 22 that holds the reels 24 for the lines 21. In
this view, the sail material 23 is shown to be attached to the back
one half the coil spring. A mesh material is attached to the front
one half of the coil spring.
[0053] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the coil spring sail 20 when
flying.
[0054] FIG. 4 shows the wire coil spring 26 by itself. The sail
material 23 is wrapped one half of the way around the wire coil
spring 26. It gives structure to the sail and it is that which
holds the sail open so that it will collect the wind. The ends of
the wire coil spring 26 are covered with sail material so that
there is a sail surface for the wind to push on thereby causing the
sail to be elongated and be filled with wind.
[0055] FIG. 5 is a plan view looking down on the storage frame 19
that holds the sail 20 as shown in FIG. 1.
[0056] FIG. 6 is a front view of the box fail frame 2 with the
strings 14 strung back and forth from one side of the frame to the
other like a tennis racquet. A string material may be used in place
of the mesh 14. They are the support means for the strips of sail
12 shown in FIG. 1. Either the mesh material 14 or the strings 14
may be used to act as back up support for the sails 12. FIG. 7 is
plan view looking down on the square boat shape. It shows Masts 34
on the rear corners of the boat. The dotted lines 36 show where the
sails may be in their different sailing positions. This would also
apply to the sails and masts 34 that are on the rear corners of the
boat as shown in FIG. 9. The longer dotted lines shown in FIG. 7
are the ropes 46 that go from the winches 48 out to the end of the
sail supporting structures 34. FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the
sail with sail box frame 44 looking down on the cross section it.
It shows the sail with the sail box frame 44. The walls of the sail
box frame 44 prevent the wind from spilling off the sides of the
sail 39 and they cause the wind to turn around and actually go
backwards.
[0057] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the boat but in an extremely wide
version. The sail frame structure 2 shown here in FIG. 9 is the
same sail box frame 44 structure shown in FIG. 1 and 10 except that
it is wider. It is fixed in that there is no horizontal rotation of
it to adjust it to the direction of the wind as when tacking. This
wide version is for maximizing the planing efficiency of the boat.
In order for a boat to plane, the front of the boat has to be
higher than the back of the boat and it requires a certain degree
of upward angle. The shorter the distance from the front of the
boat to the back of the boat, the shallower the back of the boat
will to be submerged. This results in less drag. It also decreases
the tipping action of the wind forces on the sail when tacking.
Therefore it is an option that fits into the goal of achieving
maximum planing capability of a sailboat.
[0058] FIG. 9 also shows masts 34 on each of the rear corner of the
deck and they are just like the sails in FIG. 7. A mast and boom
that appear to be very conventional carry these sails. There is a
difference though in that there are materials and means for forming
a wind deflecting wall around the perimeter of the sail that
extends out at some degree of angle from the face of the sail and
said wall changes the direction of the flow of the wind as it flows
off of the sail thereby utilizing more of the force of the wind.
The degree of angle that said wall is fixed determines how abrupt
the change in wind direction is and that determines how much wind
force the sail retains and utilizes; a 90 degree angle wall
utilizes more wind force than a lesser degree of angle. They can
have the sail box frame 44 with mesh back up support 14 and the
sail strips 12. In FIG. 7 the dotted lines show some sailing
positions that these sails may in and they also apply to the masts
and sails shown in FIG. 9 that are on the rear corners of the boat.
FIGS. 1, 7, 9 and 10 show a short frame 42 across the bow of the
boat. It carries a translucent sail material that has two
functions. First, it shields the deck and passengers from wind and
water spray. Secondly, it collects wind to help push the boat. It
can have the same retractable sail strips 12 as shown in FIG. 1. It
does not rotate at all. This sail on the short frame 42 works
together with the fixed sail on the back of the boat to push the
boat. FIG. 9 shows sail box frame 44 in a plan view with the frame
rotated up to a vertical position as it would be when the boat is
moored at its dock.
[0059] FIG. 10 is a side view of the boat in FIG. 9 but the frame
is tilted back into the wind at 45 degrees. The keel 38 is shown as
if the keel were rotated 90 degrees. It is shown in this position
only to show how the water flows through it. FIG. 1 shows this
planing keel 40 in the position that it would be in when sailing.
The bottom of the planing keel 40 is the sheet material 40 and it
is inclined upwardly to cause lift on the hull as it moves through
the water. The location of the planing keel 40 is important to
minimize the tipping forces of the sails. Notice that the keel is
located as far forward as is practical. The sheet material 40
pushes up on the hull and the further its pushing force is from the
sails on the rear of the boat, the more leverage is applied back at
those sails.
[0060] FIG. 10 also shows the console 22 for the reels 24 that
carry the lines 21 that extend up to the sail 20. The lines 21 are
only partially shown.
[0061] In FIGS. 7 and 9 the sail box frame 44 is a fixed sail
across the back end of the boat. FIG. 9 also shows two more sails
54 that are fixed. They are mounted on the deck up closer to the
bow of the boat. When a sailor is not racing and he has no sails
raised up on the rear corner masts, and he wants to use only the
fixed sails, he can still tack the boat into the wind by rotating
the keel to position the sail box frame 44 and sails 3, 42, 54 at a
45-degree angle to the oncoming wind. The wind that strikes the
sails on the 45-degree angle causes the boat to be pushed forward
and sideways and the keel forces the boat forward. Therefore, there
is a wind-collecting surface to receive wind all across the boat.
When the sailor rotates the shaft 53 and keel 38 to turn the boat
and tack from the other side, he adjusts the position of the boat
to the 45 degree angle of the wind and the fixed sails collects
wind from that side. It doesn't matter whether tacking from the
left or the right. With the fixed sails 3 and 56 no boom needs to
be switched to the opposite side of the boat to properly collect
the wind, only rotating the keel makes it happen. The shaft 53 that
carries the keel 38 also carries a gear 50 at its top end. A
cooperating gear 51 with a crank gives the sailor the power and the
control of the shaft in order to rotate the keel 38 to the desired
positions.
[0062] To produce a more economical boat, the planing plate keel
design can be made to attach directly to the hull 57 of the boat
and no rotating shaft would be included. The vertical keels 37
would be bolted directly onto the side of the hull 57. The planing
plate 40 would extend from one vertical keel 37 to the other and be
connected together and with cross bracing. In this case the planing
plate 40 would be as wide as the boat.
* * * * *