Sometimes you just have to bow down to the genius that is the International Moth class. Rule 10 (a) rather precludes this on a MR, but boy wouldn't it look cool. http://www.thedailysail.com/dinghy/10/56248/adam-mays-revolutionary-solid-wingsail-foiling-moth |
No a Doctor Johnsons Dog of a boat. |
That's not a boat it's a..., what the hell is it? Answers on a postcard please. |
I, for one, am glad that Merlins have not gone that way. If they had I wouldn't (and probably couldn't) be sailing one! |
I don't think that developments have stopped, it is just that anything that isn't "al la mode" is so expensive to start from scratch and no-one has the time to tinker anymore. |
Many boats in the 1950's had tabs on their centreboards. Never found out if they worked. Rodney Pattisonn tried them on his Flying Dutchman and threw it out for the first race in 1972 at Kiel. What is the concensus of opinion? A few boats had sliding bolts as well along with rocking plates. |
Barry, I had gybing boards on all my Merlin Rockets and I thought it enabled us to climb out to windward in all except the very heavy stuff, we tried a trim tab on 1523 Beat Nik but it was simply too complicated, with todays technology and more powerful rigs who knows certainly I think unless you have a very tight fit in the case, a board that flops around will generate negative lift you can of course rake it foreward to make sure it does not, but therein lies a whole different set of opportunities/problems with balance etc. |
Your right. New materials and technology could make some of the old ideas work. |
Barry, predating you and I Barry Brian Saffery-Cooper had a adjustable raking mast (His late Father told me.) on Buccaneer no 97 that he also increased the beam on by takin the decks off and spreading the whole issue was controoled by a capstan arrangement on the fordeck I wonder looking at the "Marlow Ropes Benefit" that the modern Merlin Rocket is, if more could be done with levers virtualy frictioneless, simple one could even then adjust the rake easily of a keel stepped mast (Just like Dragon mast ram!) then further simplyfying by getting rid of thelower shrouds! I wonder if even the wide M-R has enough power to make canting a rig a good thing they are not as steady a boat as they were, the mast tips wave about a lot! But pulling the rig to windward doesn't half create lift! |
A canting rig was tried on 'Scantily Clad' back in 2003. No benefit was ever reported back, and the boat has been altered to a conventional setup now. http://www.merlinrocket.co.uk/library/interviews/steve_neal_2.htm |
Lounge Lizard 3484 had a Jacko designed lever that raked the rig. However it was not set up properly by the time it arrived at Hampton with Rob Heath and as it never worked he ditched it in the end. It adjusted both shrouds and jib halyard, possibly kicker as well. Did Jacko supply other boats with the same system? |
It's interesting that there is never anything truely new in this game ... |
The Lounge Lizzard setup was a nightmare and whilst it worked it was just too hard to adjust. I crewed on her and have very vidid memories of pulling on that damn tension contol line on the kingpost with all my might, then to release you had to manually move/force the lever by hand. |
John Dalby? If it wasn't it is the sort of thing he would do!! |
Shroud tracks = standard fit on the Tasar (with rotating mast of course!) |
The NS14 and Tasar systems work to great effect if looked after. We had ours setup for medium to heavy weather and if light only had them on partly on both sides so less rig tension and more upright. All about keeping the forestay from sagging. Believe we were the first people to actually adjust them racing (1987) as originally they were used to assist in stepping the mast. I remember FB looking perplexed by our multiple shackle carbine jib clew adjusters and raking rig idea in Vancouver at the Worlds in 1988 (I think). It really worked though and all we needed was the breeze as it was a light airs lightweights event. Memories but what goes around comes around again as materials improve and people are brave enough to follow through with the content of their pockets. |
It was really refreshing to look around the Redwing fleet at Cowes week. They are a restricted keelboat class and they have all sorts of different rigs and combinations. Lots of ideas out there to try if the pocket is deep enough! Maybe the National 12 class is just more adventurous or richer!!! The whole point of a restricted class is to be searching for that little thing called edge whether it be from equipment or expertise in handling etc.. |
When Glen Truswell built his boat (After Hours) it had tracks for the jib tack, the shrouds, the mast foot and the centreboard bolt. He removed them not too long afterwards. Also the Solings use tracks for the shrould base as well. |
How about a modified version of this that you can rake to windward? http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/pictures/boat-tests/24458/1/0/fan-class-32 |
Whenever a windurfer goes to windward they rake their rigs to windward. It must be the way to go with a single string system surely. That, combined with a rotating wing mast. Come on, start experimenting! |
The rake of the rig to windward is not such a big deal, I get most of my lift from the soft bendy long 70cm fin which is tuned to the the board. lOn my biggest 12.5m rig, I use the uphaul rope as a long lever to keep the rig more upright..whilst I am effectively "hiking" out on my harness lines. |
I was talking only last week to an old friend who has designed & sailed boards at top level for years, he told me exactly the same thing about the new generation of boards with lifty fin so that in the end the board is just hitting the wavetops and has a lot of air underneath. |
I dont think that an upright rig is ideal when heeled 15 degrees or so as most dinghies are. 15 degrees of rake to windward of the rig gives you an upright rig. The real problem is keeping the foils upright to perform to the maximum. So sail the boat flat with 15 degrees of windward rake on the mast. Wouldn't like to short tack it up the Thames though! Great for long legs and open sea. |
John Dalby did indeed originally have a swinging rig in 3534 to which he had planned to attach a wing mast. The latter feature was put on hold due to time constraints (not normally a John factor) and john found that there was too much stretch in the wires supporting the mast foot for it to work reliably. He fairly quickly converted the boat to a deck step rig. It would have been interesting to have seen what John could have done with this rig. |