Have you ever sailed on a Hunter Vision with a big utility pole mast?

[Hudson Force]

I reminded of the Cousteau Society's turbosail "Alcyone". Does anyone know what happed to that?

[autumnbreeze27]

Originally Posted by u4ea32

Wylie cats are popular and work well in SF bay, so the concept of a freestanding mast does work.

Last year at IBEX, the VP of development at Hunter talked about their freestanding rigs. When they created that model, it seemed to "everyone" that freestanding rigs would take over the market. But after some number of boats were built, sales simply stopped. He said it was as if there were some specific number of people who wanted free standing rigs, like 400 or something, and once they bought, that completely fulfilled the global market needs, and nobody sold anymore.

The people who bought them from the various vendors at the time tended to be very happy with them.

It was just that nobody else wanted one.

Good info. It would be interesting to know if that small group still prefers freestanding rigs.

[autumnbreeze27]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Unlikely, the idea will catch on. No it's not a Hunter.

I was joking, that's clearly a 1989 Photoshop 420.

You could go 3 times the wind if you put one of these on that cat, as long as you only need to go ddw

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I was responding to your wind generator comment. The windmill catamaran does actually exist, we saw it in Guernsey. Somehow, the guy hooked up his propeller via some drive mechanism directly to the windmill. When the windmill turns, so does the prop. No wind... no turn...no go. Not a good idea to be standing anywhere on the foredeck.

Unlikely, the idea will catch on. No it's not a Hunter.

He might have some fun trying to reef that thing. I seriously thought it was a photoshop! Can you imagine the windage on that????

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

I was joking, that's clearly a 1989 Photoshop 420.

Not a photoshop, I really stood next to the thing on the dock and read the description... even saw the contraption head out one day, and manage to return before the 30ft tide went out which would have blocked its return into the marina. Anyone who's been to Guernsey over the past five years or so, has seen the windmill catamaran.

Ken

[a64pilot]

Bet that windmill thing is noisy

[autumnbreeze27]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Not a photoshop, I really stood next to the thing on the dock and read the description... even saw the contraption head out one day, and manage to return before the 30ft tide went out which would have blocked its return into the marina. Anyone who's been to Guernsey over the past five years or so, has seen the windmill catamaran.

Ken

Wow I just googled it and found video on youtube of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzGCYaJbf0A

Could you imagine going to weather and the blade gets going... and then a flock of seagulls just flies right into it... blood and feathers everywhere!

[JTSmith]

So, you're out having a nice sail and all of a sudden the wind comes up to 35 kts. And hull speed is no longer a relevant term since you're now making 25 kts. How the hell do you slow her down? Not like you can douse or reef. Wild.


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[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by JTSmith

So, you're out having a nice sail and all of a sudden the wind comes up to 35 kts. And hull speed is no longer a relevant term since you're now making 25 kts. How the hell do you slow her down? Not like you can douse or reef. Wild.


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You feather. Any large wind turbine like this should have variable pitch blades. That is certainly still a lot of windage, though, even with the blades feathered!

[JTSmith]

Feather, huh. I don't know. We've got a lot of those things here in Indiana. They're incredibly powerful when the wind gets up. In fact, they produce so much electricity y that the power companies spike about 70% of it straight into the ground, so I'm told. Lot of torque. Not sure I'd want one attached to nothing more than a fiberglass hull.


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[whitedolphin2]

Just wanted to share
Im a novice sailer with obviously one of the most badtard rigs....but i wanted a sailboat more than anything im 31 and rehabed one of these aluminum powe pole freedom cat rigs....therea alot of people whieghing in on them has horrible designs but i boughty boat for 600$ and will never complain about it after 8k$ i have rhabed and sailed it....i havent been able to push it but my rig has a dagger board keel that drafts 9ft 6ft and 4 ft with a tiller rudder and yes its 38ft .....this boat was Charles M Strayers one of a kind White Cap modifief design for racing ....it does not have a full running keel and is like a banna peel minus the keel board that lowers vertically and does not swing....it is 38 ft long with only 11 ft at jts widest ....he had two of these powerpoles and alot of freeboard ....he made the sails wrap around the mast so down wind would open to double spinakers he since removed one mast

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[whitedolphin2]

And i had to go to a local dot contract and purchase an old I95 aluminum taperd light pole and basically hiered a boom crane and slipped one over the next....true junk rig.....rebuilt a wish bone boom from a piece passed along to me from owner 3 and with chatles plans got her sailing again.....it his very bow sinisitive and tiller hungry i run a 155 over 38 high by 18 fooot hanked on genoa and a 35 high by 14 ft main shes 42 loa but 38 bow to stern high freeboarded bow and am looking forward to more down wind double spinaker abilities....the main sail can open down wind because of its two plies wich doubles sqre footage and opens as a spinacker....while catchn stern winds ....while catchn port or starbird winds the sail just pivots around the mast.....the pain is reefing the sail and verticle boom....not something fun once its set you sail all day but it is a long process to bungie wrap all the sails into a tame down postion....ease of sailing....well there is nothing easy about my 600$ boat but it came with a fiesel and motors fine......i am looking forward to more days sailing this vessel and opportunities to get her down wind with as much sail as possible ....


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[whitedolphin2]

Pics of my vessel and mast rig

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[whitedolphin2]

I envy roller furlings and boom or mast furled sails but for 600$ my boating/ adventure days begun ....my only other boat before this has been a 12 foot j boat.....in my two years of rehabomg this boat there has been alot of people who say it will never work....ive proved them wrong...it sails again.....

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[whitedolphin2]

I have one stainless cable to the bow for my hanled on sail and two cables to a rear mounted davit to counter act my forward genoa bending this power pole rated for 150 mph winds and1/2 alum in diameter for the first 21 feet of my sleeve....the balasting is increased heavily at 9ft the boat barely even lists under sail....at 6 ft and fair winds it list notmally @ 15- 20 knot winds ....i havent sailed her enough to push her limits but on a 6ft draft day dir reach 6 knots before it listed enougj for me to realise my next investment was in eyebolts and more bunjies for the inside....

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