Are Stabilizers in the Future for Us?

[AlastairLC]

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal (The Wave of the Future, 6/30) describes a new stabilizing system for small to midsize powerboats, to help reduce seasickness. It’s essentially a much smaller version of the huge gyroscopes used in cruise ships for the same purpose. It restricts roll and yaw but not pitch. At $22,700 plus installation, it needs to come down in price to catch on, but it evidently works.
There’s no mention of sailboats, but I was wondering if it could be used to reduce, or at least stabilize, heel. Expensive, heavy and large but some might try it.

 

[LeslieTroyer]

You would need to run a big generator just to power it.

 

[kloudie1]

Probably OK for Hatteras Sedan folk.. not so much for monohull sailboats.. for that price, ya could sell your boat and buy a catamaran ..?

 

[Gunni]

Kadey-Krogen trawlers have had stabilizers for a long time.

 

[rgranger]

You would need to run a big generator just to power it.

or use quantum gyroscope.. and superconducting coils.... just need to keep the thing at liquid nitrogen temperatures...

http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Quantum_Gyroscope

 

[kloudie1]

Operating power is 20-50 amperes (for the little one) at 14V depending on sea state! .. not going to run that without a full time generator.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I can think of cheaper ways to reduce heeling

 

[LloydB]

longer heavier keel well connected to the existing solar powered gyroscope

 

[GorillaToast]

I can think of cheaper ways to reduce heeling

To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen...
"...but mama, that's where the fun is"

The traveler is your friend

 

[AlastairLC]

not going to run that without a full time generator.

I believe you torque it up from shore power before you leave the dock. It then keeps spinning on its own (for awhile anyway). No good for passage making but probably okay for a race.

 

[Ken Cross]

If it's going to provide mechanical torque, it's going to need to remain powered. That energy needs to come from somewhere.
Powerboat it is. I wonder how the 90-degree torque is handled when exposed to roll forces. big gyros are fun to experiment with. Just for fun take a front wheel bicycle wheel and hold it by the axle and have someone give it a good spin. Now try to rotate it. You will notice the active force is 90 degrees from the input force. I'm guessing these boat systems have 2 heavy gyros at 90 degrees apart.

Ken

 

[Jackdaw]

Cruise ships use actively controlled 'fins' to control rolling. There is no 'huge' gyroscope, usually a set of very small sensors (like in your phone) arranged around the ship to feed input to the control unit which control the fins.

 

[AlastairLC]

I’m clearly behind the times. They used to have them. (Not that you’d catch me ever on a cruise ship. Used to love the old transatlantic liners. Came over on the Mauritania. )