That was my thinking and it really improved the speed. Now he has a new tool in the belt.
Sailing an AeroRig
- Thread starter Hayden Watson
- Start date
I did experience the problem of tacking a fathead in little to no breeze. The wind died down just as tried to tack and the main stayed inverted due to the compression in the 7 full battens. Having seen this problem on the Volvo boats, I suggested we send a crew up the mast to jump them through; a duty the owner's 12-year old son happily volunteered for. He went up the mast and had a ball jumping on the vertical trampoline while hanging no a string. He was making jumps out 10' - 12' out from the mast which would push the batten into a big "S" and then pitch him back out. We tried the bottom batten first, then one at mid height and finally all the way to the top but while it would come close, we could not get it to pop out to the other side. In the end, we had to drop the full height of the sail and then carefully rehoist make sure that each batten was properly flexed to the starboard side. Once we had 5 knots it would pop through without any assistance but it was a no-go less than that.
In less than 5 knots TWS I wonder if it would be better to adjust the battens to carry less compression. That might fix the inversion problem. And in less than 5 knots TWS (especially much less) the airflow will tend to separate and stall around too severe of a curve, so a flatter sail might do just as well or better.
As far as I know, there is no way to reduce the compression in the full battens of a large roach sail. The weight of the sail creates the compression. The only way that we could reverse the curve was to push it to the side we wanted while it was supported by the boom inside the stack pack. As soon as it lifted, it loaded up and curved. In addition to that, on this boat you cannot control the boom angle because it is a solid extension of the mast itself. There is no vang or topping lift because they are not needed and could not affect any movement anyway.
You could attach the anchor to the halyard with a slip knot, set the anchor to heel the boat over and yank on the slip knot, let the righting moment of the boat snap the battens over. Of course, dropping sail and re-setting it seems like a lot less work and a more sure bet. 
-Will (Dragonfly)
-Will (Dragonfly)
Really enjoyed reading your AeroRig story! I’m taking a look at a custom built aluminum sailboat that has an AeroRig or similar setup. Although I’m somewhat sold on the performance and relative simplicity of parts. I’m unsure it’d be affordable to own/maintain one. Just doing some searching online and there’s not much info, not a great sign.
This specific boat is around 40’ and I’m curious if anyone has any insight here. I’m inspecting high stress points for cracks later today. It’s been sitting on the hard for years. It does look to be in rather good condition considering but need to look closer.
This specific boat is around 40’ and I’m curious if anyone has any insight here. I’m inspecting high stress points for cracks later today. It’s been sitting on the hard for years. It does look to be in rather good condition considering but need to look closer.