A New Kind of Sail on the Horizon?

[LeeV]

This is from the designer who invented the Woopy Hang Glider (powered and non-powered), so there's some credence to his resume. Fascinating concept.

Inflated Wing Sails | la voile-aile gonflable

WOOPYFLY , WOOPYJUMP,Â* WOOPY !!

Regards,

[Sailmonkey]

I Like It!!![emoji41]

[sailingunity]

Looks intriguing, but what about reefing? How would it handle in heavier weather?

[Tkeeth]

good for all the "sailors" who would rather ride the ditch...

[svHyLyte]

I would not be surprised to see Beneteau adapt such a system considering

Beneteau's experiments with Wing Sails

. The inflatable sail has many advantages save for the need of power to the inflation fan.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Tkeeth

good for all the "sailors" who would rather ride the ditch...

What?

[Tkeeth]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

What?

it goes under the bridges. and ditch refers to the common name for the intercoastal waterway

[John_Trusty]

I'd like to hear what the more scientific sailors among us think on inflatable sails. I wonder if this is scalable beyond the simple daysailor illustrated. It has a free-standing mast, which is not new but has size limitations.

It also glosses over the up-sides of the complexity that this rig eliminates. For example, no other sail controls than a sheet for angle changes is simpler, but also eliminates the ability to tune the sail shape for wind strength. Perhaps altering the internal pressure by height using the fans can allow for twist? I could setup a freestanding mast with a simple sail (a Laser, for example) that's also easy to sail, but does not have the flexibility and reliability of a more complex rig.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Tkeeth

it goes under the bridges. and ditch refers to the common name for the intercoastal waterway

I kknow what the ditch is I just couldn't figure out why it was specifically suitable for the ditch.

[messias]

I like the boat better than the "zodiac"... That is one ugly thing.

but truthfully speaking, sails (as proved with so many other established "concepts") are bound to be revolutionized any time soon(er) or later.

Oh... and have you noticed that HUGE mast step inside the cabin?

[PuttingDoctor]

Originally Posted by LeeV

This is from the designer who invented the Woopy Hang Glider (powered and non-powered), so there's some credence to his resume. Fascinating concept.

Inflated Wing Sails | la voile-aile gonflable

WOOPYFLY , WOOPYJUMP,Â* WOOPY !!

Regards,

Aside from the inflatable side the Swiss version is also laminar flow. Piper and others in aviation have experimented quite successfully with laminar flow efficiency in light aircraft wings in the past.

[Don C L]

Ok, it definitely has my attention. Like a free standing mast I see it will flex and dump big winds and big gusts. Good. Now let's see it reef. Sure is a lot of fabric up in the air but it may not be more weight aloft than mast and rigging... I wonder about it flexing and how much stress and friction that puts on the material...

[boeing1]

what about weight compared to a sail, and I think reffing would be a problem

[senormechanico]

For reefing, maybe a downhaul from the top and an air dump for the decreased volume?
The first shot shows it on a mooring with a collapsed sail.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by boeing1

what about weight compared to a sail, and I think reffing would be a problem

i think reefing would be easy! 2-3 chambers wit appropriate straps or eyes would allow the wing to accordion down.