Mobile ballast device
OwnerVincent de Trozinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention discloses an inside mobile ballast arrangement for sailboats, said arrangement using a dense material and being preferably in a watertight/gas-tight compartment, the whole system on low friction bearings and being close to the bottom of the hull, this arrangement being able to move longitudinally from front to rear and vice versa, along the X axis, independently or simultaneously with a perpendicular displacement, i.e. from port to starboard and vice versa, along the Y axis.
Claims20
A device for changing a position of a centre of gravity of a ship or boat, the device defining a first and a second axis, said axes being substantially perpendicular to each other, the device comprising
- at least one ballast element;
- a first ballast moving means that moves said at least one ballast element to any position in between a start and an end position along said first axis;
- a first operating element that is configured and arranged to drive said first ballast moving means;
- a second ballast moving means that moves said at least one ballast element to any position in between a start and an end position along said second axis independently of the at least one ballast element's position along said first axis;
- and
- a second operating element that is configured and arranged to drive said second ballast moving means,
- wherein at least one of said first and second ballast moving means comprises at least one track element.
A method of operating a device for changing a position of a centre of gravity of a ship or boat, the method comprising:
- providing the device defining a first and a second axis, said axes being substantially perpendicular to each other, the device including:
- (i) at least one ballast element;
- (ii) a first ballast moving means that moves said at least one ballast element to any position in between a start and an end position along said first axis;
- (iii) a first operating element that is configured and arranged to drive said first ballast moving means;
- (iv) a second ballast moving means that moves said at least one ballast element to any position in between a start and an end position along said second axis independently of the at least one ballast element's position along said first axis;
- and (v) a second operating element that is configured and arranged to drive said second ballast moving means, wherein at least one of said first and second ballast moving means comprises at least one track element;
- and
- operating said device to thereby change the position of the centre of gravity of said ship or boat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.