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What’s In A Rig? – Wingsail

By: Pat Reynolds Sailboat Rigs , Sailboats

What’s in a Rig Series # 8 – The Wingsail

Although wingsails or rigid wings have risen to the limelight in the contemporary sailing world with the America’s Cup now employing the technology across the board, they are in no way a brand new concept. A sail, after all, in its purest form is essentially a wing. So, through the decades, many designers, looking for optimum performance, have of course instituted rigid wings (just like that of an airplane). A notable example would be the so called Little America’s Cup, a long-standing catamaran contest based around the pursuit of pure speed.

The efficiency of a hard wing has never been in question. They sail upwind higher and reach faster. Their purity of engineering allows for maximum proficiency. When compared to a solid wing, a soft sail is full of hard to manage variables. The shape, components and accompanying systems are no match for a wingsail. In many ways, a conventional sailboat rig is fighting against itself to do what it’s meant to do. Shrouds and stays are battling to keep everything in place while a sailor adjusts control lines incessantly. It’s not perfect. However, the relative practicality is another issue. A very large unbending non-folding solid structure has its obvious drawbacks. How do you stow this thing when you’re done sailing and how do you reef it if the breeze starts blowing and, for the traditionalists, where’s the romance in a big airplane wing sticking up from the front of the boat?

Before we address those questions, let’s look at how this rig works. Using the America’s Cup boats as great examples, a wingsail itself is usually composed of two parts and the surrounding system is essentially three ingredients.

The sail has a forward and trailing element. The trailing element is like the flaps on an airplane wing and the angle between the two elements is called camber. Increasing the camber (angle) produces power. If the power becomes too much, which it often does, another control system comes into play that deals with “twist”. Twist allows the ability to depower the boat by twisting the wing so wind can spill off.

After camber and twist, the third major aspect of control on these quite simple wing setups is the mainsheet. Like a normal mainsheet, it lets the sail out, but unlike a soft sail, a rigid wing doesn’t power up downwind, which is why soft genoas are often part of the sailplan.

So, without argument wingsails are more efficient engines, but, as we stated, are not nearly as practical as soft sails. Are you sensing the idea of a hybrid coming around the bend? Yes, in fact, world renown cruising boat manufacturer Beneteau has been developing just such an innovation. They have a soft wingsail prototype installed on a production boat that blends the two concepts. It’s made of cloth so it can be broken down like a traditional scale but is, in every other way, a wingsail. It’s an unstayed mast with an airplane style wing that they say behaves very much like its rigid cousin.

So, lets revisit the particular questions we asked earlier and make sure we answered them. How is the wingsail reefed? By adjusting the aforementioned twist control, a wingsai is depowered, thereby reefed. How can this big wing thing be stowed? Well, with this hybrid idea, it’s lazy jacks and sail covers – we know how that works.

The last question is more difficult to answer…where’s the romance? The feeling, sounds and shape that soft sails embody date so far back into our collective history, it’s a bit heartbreaking to think they could possibly be replaced. There’s a certain humanity…a beauty and art involved in harnessing these inherent imperfections. We share this struggle and achievement with those who sailed before us. We have continually developed materials, hardware and better systems to get an edge, and are always happy when we succeed, but a radical refit, should it happen on a grand scale, is sort of jarring and sad.

Alas, this is the quandary of technology and advancement. Change bringth and taketh away. But don’t worry too much about it – in this modern day it seems 18-year old yellow, fading Dacron sails hung about on aging wires are still representing strong!

What's in a Rig Series:

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November 10, 2009

The Fixed-Wing Is In: America's Cup Sailors Plan to Use Rigid Carbon-Fiber Airfoil on U.S. Entry

The U.S. team for the America's Cup is replacing its boat's mast and cloth mainsail with a hard, fixed wing that is 80 percent larger than a Boeing 747 wing, not to mention difficult and dangerous to maneuver

By Lynn Fitzpatrick

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SAN DIEGO—After more than a year of practicing for the America's Cup, the U.S. team is replacing its boat's lofty 60-meter mast and 620-square-meter cloth mainsail with a hard, fixed wing that is 80 percent larger than a Boeing 747 wing and will tower 58 meters above their giant trimaran's deck. The team, known as the BMW ORACLE Racing Team, will start to practice with and evaluate the high-strength yet lightweight carbon-fiber wing on its 27-meter carbon-composite trimaran later this week.  The Americans have been testing new frontiers with the loads that their massive multihull endures while sailing . Crash helmets, personal floatation devices and other body armor have been de rigueur during BMW ORACLE Racing's practices—even while using a mast and a mainsail, which preceded the wing. During a practice session on November 3, the boat's huge mast snapped and toppled into the Pacific. Thankfully, no one was injured. Although the team's research and development unit has been conducting a forensic evaluation of the mast mishap, another unit has been finishing the assembly of the wing under the cover of a huge tent at the team's base in San Diego, in an attempt to keep the technology a secret from competitors. The America’s Cup is the oldest actively contested trophy in sport and dates back to a race held in 1851 in England in which the yacht America beat 15 boats representing the Royal Yacht Squadron.  Members of the winning America syndicate donated the Cup via a Deed of Gift to the New York Yacht Club on July 8, 1857, specifying that it be held in trust as a perpetual challenge trophy to promote friendly competition among nations. According to an Allianz Economic Report conducted in co-operation with Tom Cannon, dean of Buckingham University Business School, the America's Cup ranks just behind the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in terms of worldwide direct and indirect economic benefits that accrue to the winner and the event's host city. It is the largest inter-club sporting event in the world in terms of economic scale and impact. The only other time that a multihull and a wing have been used in the America's Cup was in 1988. Back then, the U.S. team defied tradition when they unveiled an 18-meter catamaran equipped with a wing to compete against New Zealand's 27-meter monohull. Burt Rutan , whose company Scaled Composites went on to win the Ansari X PRIZE for SpaceShipOne , and who worked with John Ronz, David Hubbard and Duncan MacLane on the 1988 wing, reflected on that achievement: "The wing-sail designs were more challenging (than aircraft wing applications) because they needed high lift in both directions and because we had a requirement to vary the wing twist to account for different wind gradients above the sea. An aircraft wing lifts in only one direction and does not have any twist control. On the wing-sail we twisted the third element and thus had to make it torsionally flexible." The scale of the 21st-century sailboat and wing is astronomical compared with the 1988 vintage. The 1988 wing height was slightly over 30 meters, and its area was approximately 165 square meters. The new wing's main element is a monolithic box with an aerodynamic nose along its leading edge. Hinges at different points along the main element's trailing edge can be adjusted to change the gap between the forward and the aft elements to adjust airflow depending on the wind velocity. The sections of the trailing element can be moved independently to induce camber (the asymmetry between the top and bottom curves of an airfoil), making it possible to flatten and even induce negative camber in the top section as well as camber in the opposite direction in the lower sections. According to BMW ORACLE Racing, "the primary advantage of the wing over a soft sail is that it is easier to control and does not distort. This makes it easier for the trimmers on board to maintain an optimum aerofoil shape in a wide range of conditions." Unlike conventional monohull and multihull sailboats , the BMW ORACLE team's trimaran sails upwind and downwind at apparent wind angles less than 30 degrees (Monohulls typically sail at between 30 and 40 degrees upwind.) On board the racing machine it always feels as if the wind is in the sailors' faces. The wing technology will improve the trimaran's apparent wind angle, and may enable the multihull to exceed  two to 2.5 times wind speed. The upcoming America's Cup challenge will be the first time ever that an onboard engine will be used to assist trimmers in controlling the massive foils by powering hydraulic controls for the wing and the forward sails. Mark Ott, co-founder and executive vice president of Seattle-based Harbor Wing Technologies, the first company to employ a wing that rotates 360 degrees and uses a multihull as a platform, commented, "BMW ORACLE'S boat represents the pinnacle of race boat design; however, the nature of this design limits the wing sail's range of motion due to the shroud and forestay wires used to support it. This design limitation causes these wing sails to be impractical for use by the average sailor. By not allowing the wing full 360-degree rotational capability in everyday sailing conditions, it is bound to it be held on a shroud wire by the wind and damaged, or worse, possibly causing the boat to capsize." All eyes will be watching to see how BMW will store the boat and the wing, because the latter is not nearly as easy to take down and stow as a cloth mainsail. The America's Cup showdown is set to take place in February 2010 in Valencia, Spain.

What are rigid/hard wing sails and how do they work?

Rigid wing sails resemble classic sails but are comprised of rigid materials so that the sectional profile of the Sail is more stable and resembles an aircraft wing in the cross section.

Wing sails are mounted vertically on the main deck and/or forecastle of the ship and operate under the same aerodynamic lift principles as an aircraft wing. Each wing has a specific aspect ratio (height/width) and wing profile geometry so that an as high as possible aerodynamic Lift force is generated.

In adverse conditions or at berth, wing sails can be furled/reefed telescopically or otherwise to remove unnecessary drag forces or air draft. All systems are designed to work automatically, thus by adjusting their wing sails orientation depending on the anemometer readings, while in unfavourable wind conditions there is an automatic function for reefing or furling.

Normal sizes offered by the system providers so far relate to a Wing Sail height of 20-37 m and width 8-20 m – or other tailor-fit intermediate sizes, while in case of a solo Wing Sail installed in the forecastle can be a bit higher when in full deployment – i.e 50-55 m x 15 m and 20-25 m when reefed.

One issue with the wing sails systems, especially the ones which are equipped in more than 2 on board is related to how the IMO visibility and safe navigation rules are satisfied, which is still under review for case-by-case consideration at the moment.

Installation equipment other than the sail and structure includes an electro-hydraulic power pack for rotation, reefing and furling. A remote-control panel is usually installed on the bridge for system operation. Moving parts will need regular inspection, overhauling and maintenance especially of the wear and tear items (i.e. bearings, gaskets, etc).

– Information courtesy of Konstantinos Fakiolas’ book ‘Wind Propulsion Principles’ , Edition 1 –

Building, restoration, and repair with epoxy

Rigid Wing Sails

by John Holtrop

Cover Photo: John Holtrop sails in Kern County, California with a rigid wing sail he built.

Rigid wing sails offer high aerodynamic efficiency. They have been used in defending the America’s Cup, and are seen on some other high performance catamarans.

Aerodynamically, a rigid wing sail is identical to an airplane wing. Both reward increased lift and decreased drag. However, airplane wings are simple to design since they fly with a fairly constant angle of attack. So an airplane wing’s shape or camber can be optimized for a normal set of flight conditions. Sailboats, on the other hand, must operate under frequently changing conditions. For example, tacking a sailboat forces the airfoil shape of the sail to completely reverse itself, and wind velocity changes require that the sail’s camber and surface area be adjustable.

In the past, rigid wing sails for sailboats used hinged flaps and complex control mechanisms to achieve this flexibility. These designs were heavy, complicated, expensive, and impossible to reef or stow. Obviously, cloth sails are more practical for normal sailboats. Cloth sails are relatively simple and cheap. They can be stretched into many different shapes with simple control lines. For most sailboats, the increased efficiency of a rigid wing is not worth the bother.

A rigid wing sail’s extra efficiency (increased lift and reduced drag) is best utilized on wind surfers, ice boats, land sailors or other high speed applications. The biggest problem is designing a simple, light weight rigid wing sail. Modern composite materials make it possible to combine the efficiency of a rigid wing with the simplicity of a cloth sail.

Thin composite parts will bend easily without cracking, and these are many times stronger and stiffer than the best sail cloth. Thicker sections (solid or cored) can be added at specific locations where stiffness is critical. This allows one part of a composite structure to be rigid, while other areas are flexible. Composite materials (carbon fiber, aramid, honeycomb, foam etc.) can be added to optimize strength, stiffness and weight.

The wing sail concept combines a thick, rigid airfoil nose with a flexible center body and thin trailing edge. The wing sail is molded from composite materials in the form of a symmetrical airfoil. If the wing sail is rotated into the wind slightly, aerodynamic forces buckle the windward side of the flexible center inward and pull the lee side out. These flexible areas then deform smoothly into a shape resembling a conventional cambered rigid airfoil. The amount of camber is controlled by the out haul tension and the stiffness of the materials, just like a cloth sail. When tacking, the flexible surfaces snap over to the other side, and the camber shape is reversed (as with cloth sails). The rigid leading edge is stiff enough to handle all bending loads, eliminating the need for a traditional mast and shrouds.

While the basic concept is simple, the exact shape that the deformed wing sail will take and its efficiency, is difficult to predict without building a prototype. Some excellent research has been done on flexible airfoils, both single and double sided, with a variety of leading edges. Much of the airfoil theory in the following design was gleaned from an article written by Mark D. Maughmer (Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana) titled “A comparison of the aerodynamic characteristics of eight sailwing airfoil sections” (#N79-2389, 1972). Mark’s paper predicts at least a 50 percent lift/drag improvement for a thick, double surface airfoil, over a conventional sail/mast combination.

Theories are important, but the real proof is how well a full size operating prototype performs. I selected a wind surfer for the prototype, in order to reduce cost, weight and labor. Three years and many labor-hours later, I finally put the theory to test.

I selected dimensions based on a standard 60-70 sq. ft. wind surfer sail. Since the rigid sail was more efficient, I designed it one-third smaller, for a total of 40 sq. ft.:

• Length                         152″
• Max chord (width)        52″
• Head                             26″
• Foot                              30″
• Maximum thickness     6″

The thickness of an airfoil is usually expressed as a percentage of the chord. For low-speed efficiency, 12 to 18 percent is typical. I selected the lower value, 12 percent, to keep size and weight down. The leading edge shape was taken from a NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) #63 cross section, which has a fairly sharp elliptical nose. I basically guessed at these values. They looked reasonable, but other NACA shapes and thicknesses may be more efficient. I attached the wishbone to a piece of tubing glassed into a socket molded behind the leading edge, and laced it to the clew with a four-to-one out haul. Then I bonded a tapered “C” section spar inside of the wing, from head to foot, at the 1/4 chord line. It terminated with a 12 inch tube, which contained a standard BIC sailboard gooseneck fitting. This spar, and the rigid leading edge, carry all of the bending loads and form a watertight chamber, providing several hundred pounds of flotation.

I built up a plug (top photo) from wood strips, and used it as a male mold for the rigid elliptical nose and tapered spar. Next, I attached plywood sides to the base of the plug to form a tear drop cross section. After I filled, sanded, and sealed the plug, I coated it with a fiberglass release film. Then I laid two layers of 60oz fiberglass over the entire plug, adding several extra layers in the nose region.

I pulled off the cured part, and glassed foam strips to the inside for increased stiffness. Next I molded a “C” section main spar to fit the plug base, fitted it to the nose (bottom photo), and glassed it into its final position. I added two layers of inch-wide, unidirectional graphite fiber to the spar caps to increase bending stiffness.

I molded the single surface trailing edge, on a flat plywood form, from two layers of 7-ounce Kevlar cloth. The unsupported trailing edge was a little too flexible, so I added three foam battens (1/4″ x1″x18″) to one side, about 24 inches apart. The openings at the head and foot of the double surface section, I filled with foam plugs, rounded, and glassed watertight.

To stress test the finished structure, I stood in the center of the spar while it was supported at both ends. My 190 pounds deflected the wing about half an inch, causing some creaking, but it held. With a fresh coat of paint and fitted with a wishbone and gooseneck, the finished sail weighed 36 pounds. This is 10 to 15 pounds heavier than a conventional rig.

Now for the moment of truth! Three of us trucked my BIC sailboard and the wing sail over to Lake Isabella in Kern County, Calif. Known for good wind, Isabella is a very popular lake for wind surfing. When we arrived, the winds were medium, about 15 knots, with occasional gusts to 20. Everyone was using big sails. The three of us tested the wing sail for the next four hours. We didn’t blow anyone off the lake, but we got a lot of attention and learned a great deal about the design.

Good features

1. The wing was very sensitive to changes in “angle of attack.” It could be feathered easily, then generate lift with just the slightest pull on the wishbone. At speed, the wing seemed to have a narrow “sweet spot,” and the rider could dump power very quickly. This made gusts easy to handle, and was predicted in Mark’s article. His data showed the L/D curve for a double-sided sail to be narrow. The single-sided conventional sail has a flatter L/D curve, and is not as sensitive to small changes in the angle of attack.

2. The wing was much stiffer than a standard rig. There was no “give” during gusts or when pumping. Twist was not excessive, and the trailing edge (leech) was stable and did not flutter.

3. The double surface section responded to air loads very nicely. The deformed shape looked like a “real” airfoil, and could be controlled without out haul tension. Due to the stiffness of the wing, the out haul had to be quite loose to develop the proper amount of camber for this wind condition. This made the wishbone feel sloppy, but did not cause control problems.

4. Speed was only slightly less than other similar wind surfers. During gusts the boat accelerated well, and matched speed with other boats. The general feeling was that our boat was performing well for such a small sail and light wind. Twenty-five knots winds, or a 60 sq. ft. sail,` would have been ideal.

5. The rig floated high in the water and was easy to up haul. We didn’t attempt any water starts, but the wing lifted well, and beach starts were easy.

Undesirable features:

1. The sail area was too small for the wind condition, and we had no easy way to increase it. With the advantage of hindsight, I would design the upper three feet to be removable. A larger than normal sail might work with a wing sail, since it luffs cleanly and very quickly. This would help under strong wind conditions.

2. With the out haul loose for more power, the wishbone felt sloppy. A “slip joint” out haul would hold the wishbone firmly, and still allow for camber adjustment. A one-to-one purchase is adequate, since the wing sail is so rigid.

3. When the wing was dropped, the rigid foot area hit the side of the board. Unlike cloth, the fiberglass would not give, so the foot of the sail ripped about 12 inches. This let water into the center section, but the damage did not get any worse, or effect performance. The foot section needs to be heavier, and padded like most goosenecks.

4. Thirty six pounds is a little too heavy. Using a foam core leading edge and thinner laminates could save five pounds, maybe more. On a larger boat, the extra weight may be offset since halyards, shrouds, turnbuckles, and chain plates are not needed.

5. Visibility behind the wing is poor. Clear windows could be stitched or laced into the sail.

I think these tests show that the basic concept is sound, and practical for some applications. Thick, well shaped, double surface airfoils are more efficient than cloth sails. Composite materials can be designed to deform into a smooth aerodynamic shape under air loads, without complicated flaps, hinges, and control lines. The bending and torsional stiffness in the leading edge is very high, and a free-standing rig is a definite possibility for larger sailboats. The design has a lot of potential for ice boats, sand sailors, and very high speed sailboats.

High-Tech Hard Sails Transform Old Cargo Ships Into Racing Yachts

There they go again. The firm BAR Technologies has roots in the elite environment of the America’s Cup hyper-competitive racing series, and lately it has been applying its know-how to design rigid sails for cargo ships. That’s right, wind power is making a comeback on the high seas, and the global shipping industry is down for it. Well, beginning to be down for it. Rigid sails for cargo ships are still in the tryout phase, but that could change as Russia continues to pinch the global fuel supply and climate goals kick in.

Berge Bulk Cargo Ship Catches Hard Sails Fever

BAR hooked up with Yara Marine Technologies a while back to bring its “WindWings” rigid sail technology to cargo ships. The latest shipper to take a look is Berge Bulk , which describes itself as “one of the world’s leading independent dry bulk owners with an outstanding reputation for the safe, efficient, and sustainable delivery of commodities around the world.”

“Berge Bulk is a young and dynamic company with a strong commitment to innovative growth and development. It has committed to be carbon neutral by 2025 at the latest,” they add.

The Berge Bulk fleet of  more than 80 cargo ships is pint-sized compared to industry giants like Maersk, which counts more than 708 vessels on its roster.

Still, the Berge stable does include some of the biggest cargo ships roaming the seas today. The plan is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the Berge Olympus , a 210 DWT (deadweight tonnage) bulk carrier by up to 30%.

That’s pretty impressive for a quick retrofit. Part of the savings will come from the rigid sails, and some will come from optimizing the ship’s route. If the new contract with BAR and Yara satisfies Berge, the company could have an outsized impact on the global industry.

“This contract strengthens Berge Bulk’s commitment to pioneer the shipping industry’s decarbonisation journey. They will be an early adopter of wind-assisted propulsion technology , evaluating a pivotal technology to reduce the emissions of its bulker fleet,” Yara and BAR explained in a joint press release earlier this week.

More WindWings In The Works For Cargo Ships

It seems that things are happening quickly in the rigid sails area. The Berge Olympus is actually the second installation for BAR and Yara. The partners are still hammering away at their first commercial installation for cargo ships, in collaboration with Cargill and Mitsubishi Corporation’s MC Shipping Ltd. Singapore Branch.

The initial effort involves Mitsubishi’s, Pyxis Ocean, a 5-year-old bulk carrier, which is on track to deploy a few months before the Olympus next year. That’s not as simple as it may sound. The effort has involved  “a multitude of industry players across design, funding, provision, installation, chartering, and operation,” as described by BAR, exemplifying “the kind of collaboration needed in the shipping industry to get the energy transition up to speed.”

“Two WindWings will be delivered by Yara Marine Technologies and installed on the Pyxis Ocean­, with one of those wings funded by the European Union as part of EU Horizon 2020 Project CHEK, dedicated to demonstrating solutions for decarbonising international shipping,” they add.

“Collaboration across the maritime supply chain is critical for the effective deployment of emissions reduction solutions,” emphasized  Jan Dieleman, who is the president of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation division. “Cargill and MC Shipping are working together to bridge the gap between shipowner and charterer, with a desire to implement technologies that will benefit not just both parties, but the industry and the planet at large.”

The Cargill Angle On Cargo Ships

Yara and Mitsubishi have popped up on the CleanTechnica radar now and then, most recently for their involvement in the green ammonia and green hydrogen areas. We don’t hear much from Cargill in the clean energy field over here, but as a stakeholder in the global shipping industry it appears it is angling to be part of the solution.

Cargill and BAR first hooked up back in October of 2020 with the naval architect Deltamarin Finland.

“Through this partnership, we will bring bespoke wind solutions to customers who are actively seeking to reduce CO2 emissions from their supply chain,” explained Jan Dieleman, who is the president of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation branch. “Changing regulations and uncertainty about future greener marine fuels makes choosing the right vessel to charter with a long-term view complicated.”

“With the WindWings technology, Cargill will be able to offer customers a solution that improves vessel efficiency, independent of the fuel or type of engine used,” he added.

As noted by BAR, Cargill is a force to be reckoned with. The company’s chartered fleet routinely tops 600 vessels, which puts it on the spot as the maritime industry struggles to reduce emissions from cargo ships.

Cargill appears to be making the most of its new status as a clean tech influencer. As of 2020 the company was engaged with the Getting To Zero Coalition of the Global Maritime Forum, the Sea Cargo Charter, and the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, along with a collaboration with Maersk Tankers and Mitsui & Co. aimed at reducing emissions.

Hard Sails Work Harder

Hard sails, aka wingsails or rigid wings, are not a new concept, but thanks to BAR and other cutting edge racing yacht engineers they have earned a high profile in recent years.

As for how it works, the organization American Sailing provides this quick take:

“A sail, after all, in its purest form is essentially a wing. So, through the decades, many designers, looking for optimum performance, have of course instituted rigid wings (just like that of an airplane).

“The efficiency of a hard wing has never been in question. They sail upwind higher and reach faster. Their purity of engineering allows for maximum proficiency.”

American Sailing also points out that fabric sails are difficult to manage, compared to hard sails. “In many ways, a conventional sailboat rig is fighting against itself to do what it’s meant to do,” they observe somewhat dramatically. “Shrouds and stays are battling to keep everything in place while a sailor adjusts control lines incessantly.”

They also note that hard sails could be difficult to adjust when the wind picks up, and difficult to stow when not in use. However, firms like BAR are already on the case with automatic controls, folding wings, and a tiltable feature that lays the sail flat on deck.

“…and, for the traditionalists, where’s the romance in a big airplane wing sticking up from the front of the boat?” American Sailing finally asks. That question is fair enough in the yacht racing circuit, but in the area of commerce, the romance ship sailed when fossil energy entered the maritime picture.

At least hard sails vaguely resemble a sail. We’re also keeping an eye on rotor sails for cargo ships, which are tall cylinders that look like smokestacks but function as wind energy harvesting devices .

Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey .

Photo: Hard sails to harvest wind power and reduce emissions for cargo ships via Cision PR Newswire.

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Tina specializes in advanced energy technology, military sustainability, emerging materials, biofuels, ESG and related policy and political matters. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.

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The Pros and Cons of the Rigid, Fiberglass Dinghy

Dinghies are the Rodney Dangerfields of cruising. They get no respect, or at least not as much as they deserve. The little boat that will see nearly as many sea miles as the mother ship is often an afterthought.

Inflatables, and rigid inflatable boats (RIBs), hybrid craft with inflatable tubes and rigid (usually fiberglass) bottoms, have been the norm for years. I recognize the virtues of the RIB design, but when it comes to full time cruising, my allegiance remains with the hard dinghy camp. A hard dinghy is virtually indestructible compared to an inflatable or RIB. Its economical, and its always ready to deploy.

There are almost just as many reasons why hard dinghies are the wrong solution. They are harder to stow, hard on topside paint, relatively unstable, and require more patience when getting from here to there.

If youre an avid diver or surfer, like to explore, or prefer anchoring away from the crowd, having a RIB or inflatable with a turn of speed will be essential. Having that extra umph also comes in handy when setting kedges, playing tugboat, or rushing to help a neighboring boat whose anchor has begun to drag.

Ultimately, our dinghy preferences reflect our philosophies toward cruising. The romantic drawn to the idea of self-sufficiency (the kind of person who rides a bike to work), will be inclined toward a rugged hard dinghy that rows easily and requires virtually no maintenance. The pragmatic RIB aficionado will recognize that having fast transportation is worth the hassles associated with an internal combustion engine.

Years have past since our last head-to-head dinghy tests (see PS November 2009, and October 2008). Both focused on inflatables. Since then, there hasn’t been any significant advances in inflatables, but we have seen some interesting developments in hard dinghies.

A few years ago, West Coast designer Russell Brown came out with a kit for the PT11, a dinghy comprising two parts that nest inside each other. And the carbon-fiber Wing Dinghy, which we compared to the popular Trinka in October 2009, is so light that one person can easily load and stow it.

Since the wide introduction of the mass produced Walker Bay 8-a sluggish rower with a durable thermo-molded PVC hull-the more traditional fiberglass dinghies have been pushed to the fringes of the market. The familiar names-Bauer, Fatty Knees, Pelican, Trinka, Dyer, Gig Harbor-are still around, but the prices ($6,000 for a sailing Dyer) make an upwind slog in $600 Walker Bay 8 seem more tolerable. Kit boats like Browns PT11 or those from Chesapeake Light Craft offer a cheaper path to a hard dinghy. It requires an investment in time, but the experience gained building your own dinghy can be more valuable than the boat itself.

As we begin another round of dinghy testing, wed be interested in hearing from readers. How long have you had it? What problems have you had? And where the heck do you stow the thing? You can contact me at [email protected] .

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Join Duckworks Get free newsletter   Rigid Wing Sail on a Budget Want to have the coolest looking boat on the lake? Show off your high tech building skills with a rigid wing sail that will make any America's Cup fan envious. Needing a winter project, I combined my model airplane and boat building knowledge into a ten foot tall by 4 foot wide hard sail using common hardware store materials. By avoiding both carbon fiber and epoxy, I kept the price around $50. Being a private pilot and graduate of an aeronautical college, I wasn't going about this project totally clueless. I opted to keep the prototype simple and not hinge it with contour changing flaps, slats, or slots (yet). I wasn't sure I could finish it, or even transport it to the lake in the back of my pickup truck without damaging it. The build was half the fun. For starters, I chose the same airfoil most of us attempt to use on our rudders; the NACA 0012. I found the loft dimensions for the airfoil on-line, and scaled them onto a four foot long paper pattern. These were then transferred to a 4'x8' sheet of 1 inch construction foam insulation. Cost of the foam sheet was about $15. By overlapping the ribs front to back, there is easily enough material for 2 wing/sails. Even though I had access to a hot wire cutter, it was quicker and easier to cut out the ribs using a fine toothed saber-saw, then sanding with 100 grit paper. Foam is very easy to work with. The top and bottom ribs were skinned in 1/16" plywood (TB-III glue) for strength. I slip it onto a Sunfish mast; a 2.25" diameter by 10' aluminum tube. Three sets of mast holes were drilled into the ribs, one at the center of pressure (lift) and 2 on either side for experimental purposes. Three feet of duck-under room was created by plywood doubling the appropriate rib hole for the mast to rest and pivot on. No downhaul was used. This is a nine pound wing for those concerned about leverage moment arms and tipping. Theoretically, the airfoil will have less air drag than the plain round mast, so allowing it to weather-vane should prevent most tip-over worries. Twenty-four ribs were easily made in half a day. Slots were made in each for a pair of 1" x 0.25" x 10' pine stringers by drilling three 0.25" holes side by side, then cleaned up using a 10" mill bastard file. The ribs were then strung six inches apart and bonded with Gorilla glue. The location of the stringers isn't critical. In hindsight, the ribs could have been spaced a foot or more apart, allowing for a slightly lighter structure, and a faster build. A 1/16" plywood "X" shaped stub mast (main spar) supports the section above the aluminum mast in one of the alternate sets of mast holes. If I have lost you, just look at the pictures. It's far from rocket science. The leading (LE) and trailing (TE) edges are simply Duck TapeT ala Mythbusters. Try to keep the surfaces smooth. Three overlapping strips on the LE, and one on each side of the TE is enough. The covering material came from 2 large packages of 3M heat shrink window insulation film. That's another $15. It was attached to the four outer edges using 2" wide clear packing tape. I bought extra double sided tape to stick the film to every rib as well. (On Piper Cubs, the fabric covering is sewn to each rib.) The strings in the pictures mimic airplane drag/anti-drag wires. I was hoping to reduce any twist and assure that all the bits would stay together in a catastrophic failure. It wasn't worth the bother. The wing is now complete except for some spiffy colored and checkerboard tape, and number decals. Looking cool is 50% of the effort. I transported the wing to the lake on top of my Uncle Johns Skiff in the back of my pickup. The wind plasters it down to the boat gunwales and it rides along at highway speeds just fine. Two people are required to hang onto it though once at the boat ramp and exposed to the wind. It's a handful. Keep it pointed edge into the wind because it wants to fly. The mast is slid into the bottom rib until it hits the stop rib. Then by keeping the top of the wing facing into the wind, and allowing it to weather-vane as it is brought to vertical, it can be stepped into the boat. Do this when no one is looking. The first day I tested the wing, there was no wind and I simply drifted into the middle of the lake. The second day I tried it, there was too much wind and a gust pick up the boat and knocked it over on the launch ramp, a testament to the strength of my mast step and dispelling the "less drag then the bare mast" theory. The third day, a tornado damaged my house. Fearful of any fourth attempt, I dry sailed it a couple times on the front lawn. Contrary to the extreme flimsiness, there is absolutely no twisting in any amount of wind. And as far as strength, I have yet to accidentally puncture the skin or break any internal bits & pieces, even after the wind tried to double it in half a couple times while off the mast. I finally found a decent 6-8 mph wind day on a 2,400 acre oxbow lake that is silting in at 4 feet deep (great waves though). After rowing out, I attached a sheet to both ends of the bottom rib for control. There is no conventional 'feel' to a wing sail, so the only way to point it is to watch a wind vane attached to the stub mast. The wind vane rocked with the boat and wasn't a lot of help. The wing also had a tendency to flop long its center of gravity if both sheets were not held firm. I haven't tried the mast in one of the alternate holes yet. But once pointed into a direction that moved the boat (speed measured by calendar, not GPS), some conventional handling pressure could be felt. Unfortunately for aerodynamic theory, the wing was at a negative angle of incidence when propelling the boat! The NACA 0012 generates lift between just 12 and 15 degrees to the apparent wind, not much margin. So as a rigid sailboat sail, it's the wrong airfoil without adding lift devices (flaps, slats, slots, jibs, etc.). Once we put on the usual Sunfish Mach II lateen sail, we rocketed up and down the lake at a blistering 2.5 to 5 knots like always (eighth season sailing this fun flatiron skiff). At this point, I'll probably let my son try to hang-glide it off a small hill. I sailed on Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes 12 meter yacht (#56) in Cozumel Mexico last fall. I learned that when the wind isn't blowing, all sailboats handle exactly the same. The rigid wing sail is no exception, but it looks a whole lot cooler than a conventional polytarp sail! Phil Frohne Uncle Johns Skiff, 1974 Chrysler Buccaneer, Catyak Airfoil Selection and Wingsail Design for an Autonomous Sailboat Conference paper First Online: 20 November 2019 Cite this conference paper Manuel F. Silva 19 , 20 , Benedita Malheiro 19 , 20 , Pedro Guedes 19 & Paulo Ferreira 19   Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 1092)) Included in the following conference series: Iberian Robotics conference 1615 Accesses 1 Citations Ocean exploration and monitoring with autonomous platforms can provide researchers and decision makers with valuable data, trends and insights into the largest ecosystem on Earth. Regardless of the recognition of the importance of such platforms in this scenario, their design and development remains an open challenge. In particular, energy efficiency, control and robustness are major concerns with implications in terms of autonomy and sustainability. Wingsails allow autonomous boats to navigate with increased autonomy, due to lower power consumption, and greater robustness, due to simpler control. Within the scope of a project that addresses the design, development and deployment of a rigid wing autonomous sailboat to perform long term missions in the ocean, this paper summarises the general principles for airfoil selection and wingsail design in robotic sailing, and are given some insights on how these aspects influence the autonomous sailboat being developed by the authors. This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access. Access this chapter Subscribe and save. Get 10 units per month Download Article/Chapter or eBook 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter Cancel anytime Available as PDF Read on any device Instant download Own it forever Available as EPUB and PDF Compact, lightweight edition Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days Free shipping worldwide - see info Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Purchases are for personal use only Institutional subscriptions Similar content being viewed by others A-TIRMA G2: An Oceanic Autonomous Sailboat Free Rotating Wingsail Arrangement for Åland Sailing Robots Using a controlled sail and tail to steer an autonomous sailboat. Anderson, D.F., Eberhardt, S.: Understanding Flight. McGraw-Hill, New York (2010) Google Scholar   Atkins, D.W.: The CFD assisted design and experimental testing of a wingsail with high lift devices. Ph.D. thesis, University of Salford (1996) DelMar Conde: DCmini (2019). https://www.delmarconde.pt/?page_id=19 . Accessed 31 Jan 2019 Domínguez-Brito, A.C., Valle-Fernández, B., Cabrera-Gámez, J., de Miguel, A.R., García, J.C.: A-TIRMA G2: an oceanic autonomous sailboat. In: Robotic Sailing 2015 - Proceedings of the 8th International Robotic Sailing Conference, pp. 3–13, September 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23335-2_1 Elkaim, G.H.: System identification for precision control of a WingSailed GPS-guided catamaran. Ph.D. thesis, Stanford University (2001) Elkaim, G.H., Boyce, C.L.: Experimental aerodynamic performance of a self-trimming wing-sail for autonomous surface vehicles. IFAC Proc. Vol. 40 (17), 271–276 (2007). 7th IFAC Conference on Control Applications in Marine Systems. https://doi.org/10.3182/20070919-3-HR-3904.00048 Article   Google Scholar   Holzgrafe, J.: Transverse stability problems of small autonomous sailing vessels. 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SoarTech Publications, Virginia Beach (1997). https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/uiuc_lsat/Low-Speed-Airfoil-Data-V3.pdf Microtransat: The microtransat challenge. https://www.microtransat.org/index.php . Accessed 9 Nov 2018 Miller, P., Beeler, A., Cayaban, B., Dalton, M., Fach, C., Link, C., MacArthur, J., Urmenita, J., Medina, R.Y.: An easy-to-build, low-cost, high-performance sailbot. In: Robotic Sailing 2014 - Proceedings of the 7th International Robotic Sailing Conference, pp. 3–16, September 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10076-0_1 Miller, P.H., Hamlet, M., Rossman, J.: Continuous improvements to USNA SailBots for inshore racing and offshore voyaging. In: Robotic Sailing 2012 - Proceedings of the 5th International Robotic Sailing Conference, September 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33084-1_5 Neal, M., Sauzé, C., Thomas, B., Alves, J.C.: Technologies for autonomous sailing: wings and wind sensors. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Robotic Sailing Conference, pp. 23–30, July 2009 Olson, S. (ed.): Autonomy on Land and Sea and in the Air and Space: Proceedings of a Forum. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC (2018). https://doi.org/10.17226/25168 SailBot: Sailbot—international robotic sailing regatta (2018). https://www.sailbot.org/ . Accessed 16 Nov 2018 Sauzé, C., Neal, M.: An autonomous sailing robot for ocean observation. In: Proceedings of the 7th Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) Conference, pp. 190–197, September 2006 Sauzé, C., Neal, M.: Design considerations for sailing robots performing long term autonomous oceanography. In: Proceedings of the International Robotic Sailing Conference, pp. 21–29, May 2008 Sauzé, C., Neal, M.: MOOP: a miniature sailing robot platform. In: Robotic Sailing - Proceedings of the 4th International Robotic Sailing Conference, pp. 39–53, August 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22836-0_3 Schlaefer, A., Beckmann, D., Heinig, M., Bruder, R.: A new class for robotic sailing: the robotic racing micro magic. In: Robotic Sailing - Proceedings of the 4th International Robotic Sailing Conference, pp. 71–84, August 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22836-0_5 Selig, M.S., Donovan, J.F., Fraser, D.B.: Airfoils at Low Speeds. H.A. Stokely, Virginia Beach (1989). https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/uiuc_lsat/Airfoils-at-Low-Speeds.pdf Selig, M.S., Guglielmo, J.J., Broeren, A.P., Giguère, P.: Summary of Low-Speed Airfoil Data - Volume 1. SoarTech Publications, Virginia Beach (1995). https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/uiuc_lsat/Low-Speed-Airfoil-Data-V1.pdf Selig, M.S., Lyon, C.A., Giguère, P., Ninham, C.P., Guglielmo, J.J.: Summary of Low-Speed Airfoil Data - Volume 2. SoarTech Publications, Virginia Beach (1996). https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/uiuc_lsat/Low-Speed-Airfoil-Data-V2.pdf Silva, M.F., Friebe, A., Malheiro, B., Guedes, P., Ferreira, P., Waller, M.: Rigid wing sailboats: a state of the art survey. Ocean Eng. 187 , 106–150 (2019). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0029801819303294 Springer, P.J.: Outsourcing War to Machines - The Military Robotics Revolution. Praeger Security International, Santa Barbara (2018) Stelzer, R.: Autonomous sailboat navigation - novel algorithms and experimental demonstration. Ph.D. thesis, De Montfort University (2012) Tools, A.: Airfoil tools (2018). http://airfoiltools.com/ . Accessed 4 Feb 2019 Tools, A.: Airfoil tools (2018). http://airfoiltools.com/airfoil/details?airfoil=e169-il#polars . Accessed 4 Feb 2019 Download references This work was partially financed by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), within project UID/EEA/50014/2019. Author information Authors and affiliations. ISEP/PPorto, School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal Manuel F. Silva, Benedita Malheiro, Pedro Guedes & Paulo Ferreira INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal Manuel F. Silva & Benedita Malheiro You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar Corresponding author Correspondence to Manuel F. Silva . Editor information Editors and affiliations. School of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal Manuel F. Silva Department of Electrical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal José Luís Lima Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal Luís Paulo Reis UPC, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Alberto Sanfeliu Centro Universitario de la Defensa (CUD), Zaragoza, Spain Danilo Tardioli Rights and permissions Reprints and permissions Copyright information © 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG About this paper Cite this paper. Silva, M.F., Malheiro, B., Guedes, P., Ferreira, P. (2020). Airfoil Selection and Wingsail Design for an Autonomous Sailboat. In: Silva, M., Luís Lima, J., Reis, L., Sanfeliu, A., Tardioli, D. (eds) Robot 2019: Fourth Iberian Robotics Conference. ROBOT 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1092. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35990-4_25 Download citation DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35990-4_25 Published : 20 November 2019 Publisher Name : Springer, Cham Print ISBN : 978-3-030-35989-8 Online ISBN : 978-3-030-35990-4 eBook Packages : Intelligent Technologies and Robotics Intelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0) Share this paper Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Publish with us Policies and ethics Find a journal Track your research 144 IMAGES Tystie with a soft wing sail ketch rig USA-17 BMW Oracle, hydrofoil trimaran winner of the 33rd America's Cup Evidence: motor and sailing yachts meet in this wing-yacht concept 17 Sailboat Types Explained: How To Recognize Them New WindWings rigged sail technology to be launched next year Gaff rigged sailing along Garden Island Western Australia VIDEO Ribcraft 6.40 On Sea Trial WinBoat foldable RIB s Новинка 2022 года HOW WE RIG OUR BOAT: A step by step guide. Ep 22 Ocius Development of Rigid Opening Sail Outland Hatch Covers using framing square to find radius COMMENTS Wingsail BMW Oracle Racing USA 17 from the 2010 America's Cup, with a rigid mainsail wingsail, and a conventional jib at the fore Forces on a wing (green = lift, red = drag).. A wingsail, twin-skin sail [1] or double skin sail [2] is a variable-camber aerodynamic structure that is fitted to a marine vessel in place of conventional sails.Wingsails are analogous to airplane wings, except that they are ... What's In A Rig? Before we address those questions, let's look at how this rig works. Using the America's Cup boats as great examples, a wingsail itself is usually composed of two parts and the surrounding system is essentially three ingredients. The sail has a forward and trailing element. The trailing element is like the flaps on an airplane wing and the ... The Fixed-Wing Is In: America's Cup Sailors Plan to Use Rigid Carbon Unlike conventional monohull and multihull sailboats, the BMW ORACLE team's trimaran sails upwind and downwind at apparent wind angles less than 30 degrees (Monohulls typically sail at between 30 ... What are rigid/hard wing sails and how do they work? Rigid wing sails resemble classic sails but are comprised of rigid materials so that the sectional profile of the Sail is more stable and resembles an aircraft wing in the cross section. Wing sails are mounted vertically on the main deck and/or forecastle of the ship and operate under the same aerodynamic lift principles as an aircraft wing ... Rigid wing sailboats: A state of the art survey Comparison of traditional sails with rigid wingsails. Sailboats can be propelled using traditional cloth sails (the most common approach), rigid wingsails and mechanical devices, such as Flettner rotors and vertical and horizontal axis turbines (Enqvist, 2016) or, more uncommonly, different sail concepts or towing kites (Marine Insight, 2017). Rigid Wing Sails For example, tacking a sailboat forces the airfoil shape of the sail to completely reverse itself, and wind velocity changes require that the sail's camber and surface area be adjustable. In the past, rigid wing sails for sailboats used hinged flaps and complex control mechanisms to achieve this flexibility. Cargo Ships Reclaim Wind Power With High Tech Rigid Sails The rigid wind power harvester designed by Computed Wing Sail is a thick, asymmetrical sail that resembles the wing of a glider. Depending on the wind conditions, it can fold down to hold a ... Under Way on Wind Power: Sail-Assisted Ships The most tested are three sail-assist systems: rigid sails, Flettner Rotors, and sailing kites. Each has become operational on a few merchant vessels. Rigid sails. This system most closely resembles a modernized version of the classical sail era. The added word "rigid" means the sails do not require elaborate rigging and large crews to ... Cargo Ships Get Yacht-Worthy Makeover With High Tech Rigid Sails 1) Rigid cylinder using effect of wind around the cylinder. 2) Rigid "wing" shape, using wind pushing the wind. Similar to a no-rigid sale. 3) Deployed kites, of different shapes. Note that only ... Development of autonomous sailboat sails and future perspectives: A Unlike sailing yachts, autonomous sailboats cannot easily switch between different sails based on working conditions, and the sail area of rigid wingsails is generally difficult to adjust. 2) In sailing yachts, the righting moment can be adjusted by changing the crew's position as ballast on the port or starboard side. Solid Vang Showdown This size Ocean Vang retails for $279, which includes the control line, but not the brackets for the mast ($39) or boom ($42). The vang carries a one-year warranty. Conclusions. For cruising sailors, it's most important that a rigid vang works to support the boom and secondarily to trim the mainsail. Rigid wing sailboats: A state of the art survey Section snippets Comparison of traditional sails with rigid wingsails. Sailboats can be propelled using traditional cloth sails (the most common approach), rigid wingsails and mechanical devices, such as Flettner rotors and vertical and horizontal axis turbines (Enqvist, 2016) or, more uncommonly, different sail concepts or towing kites (Marine Insight, 2017). The Pros and Cons of the Rigid, Fiberglass Dinghy The familiar names-Bauer, Fatty Knees, Pelican, Trinka, Dyer, Gig Harbor-are still around, but the prices ($6,000 for a sailing Dyer) make an upwind slog in $600 Walker Bay 8 seem more tolerable. Kit boats like Browns PT11 or those from Chesapeake Light Craft offer a cheaper path to a hard dinghy. Rigid wing sailboats: A state of the art survey This survey has conducted a comprehensive investigation on numerous sailing robots, developed in academia and industry, and investigates the existing design and control strategies for energy sufficiency from three perspectives: actuation, harvesting, and energy management. Expand. 10. PDF. Used Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 473 for Sale The boat's design features a large cockpit, wide side decks, and a well-balanced hull that offers stability and seaworthiness. Overall, the Beneteau 473 is considered to be a reliable and capable vessel for coastal cruising and offshore passages. ... Rigid boom vang 6 Spinlock cam cleats Lazy jacks ... Sell Your Yacht, Boat and Sailing Accessories. Duckworks Show off your high tech building skills with a rigid wing sail that will make any America's Cup fan envious. Needing a winter project, I combined my model airplane and boat building knowledge into a ten foot tall by 4 foot wide hard sail using common hardware store materials. By avoiding both carbon fiber and epoxy, I kept the price around $50. Tender Choices Jul 12, 2024. Original: Aug 5, 2016. A rigid-bottom inflatable with a powerful outboard is the tender of choice for many cruisers. Before choosing which inflatable dinghy is right for you, there are many factors to consider. Some sailors claim that the inflatable boat has killed the traditional rowing sailing tender. Rigid wing sailboats: A state of the art survey Domínguez-Brito et al. (2016)applied two carbon rigid fiber wing sails for an oceanic autonomous sailboat A-TIRMA G2. ... Wake distortion analysis of a Dynarig and its application in a sail array ... Airfoil Selection and Wingsail Design for an Autonomous Sailboat This paper addresses specifically the propulsion system, based on a wingsail, for a new autonomous sailing vehicle. After this introduction, Sect. 2 details the main characteristics of wingsails and its operation. Next, Sect. 3 briefly introduces the hull that has been chosen for the sailboat and Sect. 4 describes how the airfoil for the ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat trimaran yacht