Cool Design

joker460

joker460

.
Apr 27, 2010
966
Beneteau 352 Hull #276 Ontario
Sailing World May 2014 had an article for a new prototype sail. They say Beneteau may be ready to produce production boats with this sail. I dug around and found a video.

The most interesting thing I noticed from the article and video is there are no stays! Take a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qu_ZgQcr8k
 
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J

Jim21895

.
Jun 4, 2004
57
- - DFW
No stays, but hydraulic rams on the boom, extra electrical systems, heavier stick and therefore more weight aloft, more complicated systems, more expensive sail costs, etc.

My guess is that wing sails remain a specialty item for high tech racing or the "innovators."
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Jim Lanter said:
No stays, but hydraulic rams on the boom, extra electrical systems, heavier stick and therefore more weight aloft, more complicated systems, more expensive sail costs, etc.

My guess is that wing sails remain a specialty item for high tech racing or the "innovators."
Click to expand
Not for long. This is not the system Beneteau will use; that have invested/created their own solution that eliminated many of your issues. Outlined below. My take? Available in 4 years. Common in 10.

PS Joker - No stays? People who knew airplanes in the 1920s said the same thing.



http://www.beneteau.com/Sailing-Yachts/Wing-Sail
 
joker460

joker460

.
Apr 27, 2010
966
Beneteau 352 Hull #276 Ontario
I have to agree with Jackdaw. The mechanics will get less complicated and less expensive as the bugs get worked out. Next month, Yachting Monthly will have an in depth report on the wing sail.

@ Jackdaw

The planes did at one time have so called stays and it didn't take that long before they moved on. Sailing vessels have had stays for as long as they been around with very little change. This design may replace the standard rig in the future but it took a long time to get here.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

.
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
joker460 said:
@ Jackdaw

The planes did at one time have so called stays and it didn't take that long before they moved on. Sailing vessels have had stays for as long as they been around with very little change. This design may replace the standard rig in the future but it took a long time to get here.
Click to expand
Stays remained on sailboats for exactly one purpose; to support the leading edge of windward soft sails. To a lesser degree to shape them. Freedom Yachts build free-standing carbon rigs in the 70s (35 years ago), but used a single forestay to support the jib.

As you note, planes lost then the moment their single original function (support) was made unnecessary.

Catboat can be built with stayless rigs and soft sails, but the format is unpopular because of the unmanageable size of the single sail.

Now that we are technology-wise getting rigid sails to work, and also work from a cost and handling perspective, I image stays will go rather quickly.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
The concept looks closer to that of the junk sail, a balanced foil that does not require stays and hasn't for about 4,000 years! Better use of lift with less resistance to force. Very Zen.
 
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gulfcoastsailor

gulfcoastsailor

.
Jun 21, 2014
13
Freedom 32 Venice
I’m late to the game by old is eight years but anyway Hoyt HOYT introduced the option to move into the 21st-century years ago it’s called Freedom Yachts. Now available only in resale
 
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