Adjustable roller furling spar
AssigneeSchulz Marine Systems, Inc.
InventorsWalter A. Schulz, John H. Procter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable roller furling spar includes an elongated base member which is securable on a sailboat and an adjustable periphery assembly which is attached to the base member and coextends a distance therewith. The periphery assembly is adjustable to define an effective winding cross-section of the spar which is variable along the longitudinal extent thereof and which is operable for windingly receiving a sail on the spar. By properly adjusting the periphery assembly, it is operable to compensate for irregular stretch in older sails when the spar is used for reefing so that even a badly stretched sail can be maintained in a substantially flat disposition.
Claims22
An adjustable roller furling spar for a sailboat comprising:
- a. an elongated substantially rigid spar base member rotatably securable on said boat;
- b. adjustable periphery means attached to said spar base member adjustably defining the effective winding cross section of said spar at a plurality of points spaced along substantially the entire longitudinal extent thereof;
- c. means for securing a sail to said spar;
- and
- d. means for rotating said spar base member and the periphery means attached thereto and for adjustably securing them in a selected rotated position.
A cowling for a roller furling boom for a sail boat and the like comprising:
- a. a pair of elongated substantially rigid shell portions;
- and
- b. means mounting said shell portions on opposite sides of said boom so that they cooperate to define an elongated housing which is outwardly spaced from a sail attached to said boom when said sail is windingly received thereon, the upper extremities of said shell portions being in spaced relation to define an elongated longitudinal opening in said housing for receiving a sail on said boom, said mounting means mounting said shell portions so that at least one of said shell portions is resiliently pivotable outwardly about a substantially longitudinal axis which is adjacent the lower end thereof to increase the transverse dimension of said opening and so that at least one of said shell portions is outwardly pivotable about a substantially longitudinal axis which is adjacent the upper end thereof to provide access to the interior of said cowling.
A sail guide for a sail boat of the type having a bolt rope tunnel along the aft side of the mast thereof and a boom having a rotatable furling mechanism comprising:
- a. a substantially rigid, generally triangular plate portion having a bolt rope tunnel along one edge thereof;
- and
- b. means pivotally securing said plate portion to the rear side of said mast in closely spaced relation above said boom so that said plate portion is pivotable about an axis which is substantially parallel to the axis of said mast and so that said plate portion bolt rope tunnel communicates with the lower portion of said mast bolt rope tunnel and extends downwardly and generally rearwardly therefrom terminating in closely spaced relation above the fore end of said furling mechanism, whereby said guide is operable to guide the fore edge of a sail, of the type having a forward bolt rope, onto said furling mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.