Hydrofoiling sailboat
OwnerDavid Rittenhouse Clark, Stephen H. Clarkinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multihull sailing vessel includes at least two buoyant hulls extending along their longitudinal axes, with the hulls being connected to each other and a first hydrofoil connected to the hulls and oriented transverse to the hulls. The first hydrofoil is movably coupled to the hulls between a first position above a resting waterline of the hulls and a second position below a lowest extent of the hulls. When the first hydrofoil is in the second position, a configuration of the first hydrofoil is adjustable to vary an amount of lifting force generated by the first hydrofoil when the hulls move forward through water when the first hydrofoil is in the second position.
Claims38
A catamaran sailing vessel, comprising:
- a first buoyant hull and a second buoyant hull, each buoyant hull extending along a longitudinal axis of the buoyant hull, the first and second buoyant hulls being connected to each other;
- and
- a first hydrofoil connected to the first and second buoyant hulls and oriented transverse to the buoyant hulls,
- wherein the first hydrofoil is movably coupled to the first and second buoyant hulls between a first position above a resting waterline of the buoyant hulls and a second position below a lowest extent of the buoyant hulls, wherein, when in the first position and when in the second position, the first hydrofoil is located entirely between a first vertical plane that contains the first buoyant hull and a second vertical plane that contains the second buoyant hull, and
- wherein, when the first hydrofoil is in the second position, a configuration of the first hydrofoil is adjustable to vary an amount of lifting force generated by the first hydrofoil when the buoyant hulls move forward through water when the first hydrofoil is in the second position.
A sailing vessel comprising:
- a hull;
- a mast;
- a first spreader member coupled to the mast and extending away from the mast;
- a second spreader member coupled to the mast and extending away from the mast;
- a first jumper stay being coupled to the mast at a first location below the first spreader member and at a second location above the first spreader member and being held at a distance away from the mast by an outboard end of the first spreader member, the outboard end of the first spreader member being located forward of the mast;
- a second jumper stay being coupled to the mast at a third location below the second spreader member and at a fourth location above the second spreader member and being held at a distance away from the mast by an outboard end of the second spreader member, the outboard end of the second spreader member being located forward of the mast;
- a wishbone boom including:
- a first boom member having a first end attached to the first spreader member and a second end located aft of the mast;
- and
- a second boom member having a first end attached to the second spreader member and a second end located aft of the mast,
- wherein second ends of the first and second boom members are coupled to each other and are configured to secure an aft portion of a sail when the sail is attached to the mast.
A multihull sailing vessel, comprising:
- at least two buoyant hulls extending along a longitudinal axes of the buoyant hulls, the buoyant hulls being connected to each other;
- a trunk connected to the buoyant hulls, the trunk including a vertical sleeve;
- a first hydrofoil connected to the buoyant hulls and oriented transverse to the buoyant hulls;
- and
- a daggerboard attached to the first hydrofoil, wherein the daggerboard is movably mounted in the vertical sleeve,
- wherein first hydrofoil is movable between a first position above a resting waterline of the buoyant hulls and a second position below a lowest extent of the buoyant hulls in response to vertical movement of the daggerboard within the sleeve, and
- wherein, when the first hydrofoil is in the second position, a configuration of the first hydrofoil is adjustable to vary an amount of lifting force generated by the first hydrofoil when the buoyant hulls move forward through water when the first hydrofoil is in the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.