EP0130987B1

EP0130987B1 - Sloop rigged yacht board

Info

Publication number: EP0130987B1
Application number: EP83902235A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christopher Robert Rutson
Original assignee: SURFERS PARADISE TRAVEL Pty Ltd
Current assignee: SURFERS PARADISE TRAVEL Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1982-07-28
Filing date: 1983-07-25
Publication date: 1988-10-26
Also published as: WO1984000529A1; DE3378309D1; JPS59501354A; NZ204922A; EP0130987A4; EP0130987A1

Abstract

A sail board or other small craft is equipped with a mast (10) connected by a flexible joint (9) to hull (1). This mast carries a main sail (29) and a jib sail (34). These sails are tensioned by rigging to the mast and twin booms (21 and 22). Further rigging includes fore- and back- stays (37, 38 and 15, 16) and shrouds (18) between the mast head and the booms. A spreader (25) is provided to rigidly separate the booms. This spreader can pivot about the mast but may be partially secured to it by a shock cord. Nylon slides (13) are provided to the main sail and run in grooves in the mast whereas the jib is attached to the forestays by hanks (36).

Description

Technical field to which the invention relates.
The invention relates to an apparatus for the wind propulsion of a sail-board or like support arranged to support a user comprising a mast arranged forthe pivotal connection of the board or like support by a joint means having a plurality of axes of movement, a pair of boom members laterally disposed relative to and connected abeam of the mast to have main parts extending rearwardly and forwardly of the mast and being held apart near their centre by a spreader, a main- sail secured to the mast and extending rearwardly from the mast and a jib-sail extending forwardly from the mast and means to secure the main-sail and the jib-sail between the main parts of the boom members.
This invention particulary relates to certain improvements in sail plan and rigging of wind propelled apparatus such as surfboards, sail-boards, small yachts, canoes, boats, sail boats, multi-hull boats, ice-boats, skateboards, sleds and wind propelled land vehicles of the type that use sail attachments, masts and rigging that are dependant upon a pair of boom members laterally disposed and accurately connected athwart to that mast and securing a main-sail therebetween.

Prior art

Designs, as they are generally known use only a mainsail, however practice has shown that the sailing characteristics of yachts and similar sailing crafts have been improved by the addition of a jib- sail or fore-sail. With the addition of this extra sail in front of the main-sail, the sail plan of a "sloop" is produced and the pointing ability of the craft is improved together with the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the sails.
Improving the existing main-sail only type designs so that it is possible to obtain similar benefits in performance in a way that the sloop- rigged yacht designs are achieved. This results in the apparatus being able to point higher toward the direction from which the wind is coming from. The aerodynamic slot between the two sails improves air flow, reduces turbulance and drag, and lowers the stalling point of the main-sail. The jib-sail has less turbulance at its luff than the main- sail and takes advantage of the upwash of air flowing past the main-sail to produce added driving force, which is more forward and less sideways than the main-sail. The adjustable stays, shrouds, travellers, outhauls and sheets enable more effectivity control of forestay tension, mast bend and sail shape, while the height of the connection point between the forestay and the mast may be alterned to form a frictional rig.
From the DE-U-8 116 030 a sailboard is known, which comprises a mast, a pair of boom members laterally disposed relative to and connected abeam of the mast, and having parts extending rearwardly and forwardly of the mast and being hold apart near their center by a spreader and having a main-sail secured to the mast and extending rearwardly from the mast end a jib-sail extending forwardly from the mast.
Accordingly to this known apparatus, which corresponds to the preamble of claim 1 the spreader is attached to the mast by a bearing surface which is only able to rotate on the mast, and the forward parts of the jib-sail are connected to the forward peak of the boom by a bar.
Insofar the known apparatus has the disadvantage, that it is not possible to control the sailboard easily, while sailing.

Disclosure of the invention and description of the figures of the drawings.

It is the task of the invention to create an apparatus for propulsion of a sail-board, which makes it possible to control the apparatus more easily while sailing.
The task is solved by means of the features of claim 1. Claims 2 to 7 concern particular embodiments of the invention.
The sail-board accordingly to the present invention is distinctive from the prior art insofar as the boom members are free displacable along the mast by the bearing surface of the sprader and insofar as the sailing power is transmitted from the upper luff to the lower luff of the jib-sail and from there to the lower halyard, which serves as a single control at the mast lower connection point, in such a way that the sail-board is easy to adjust by a single control, while sailing.
In operation the use is similar to the existing apparatus, but it is easier to tune the adjustments of the jib-sail and of the main-sail in tandum to obtain optimal results dependant upon wind strength and direction, because it is now possible to adjust the apparatus from one single control at the lower connection point of the mast, while sailing without altering the point of attachment of the jib-sail forward peak and without altering the general straight line of the booms when sighted from the front, through the forward, mast and rear interconnection points, whereby the distance between the stays is adjustable to vary the shape of the jib-sail or fore-sail symetrically both above and below the booms.
The basic construction is similar to the existing apparatus, but the further details constitute the improvements.
The particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the complete rig.
Figure 2 is a plan of the complete rig.
Figure 3 is a plan of boom-members and spreaders.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of the jib-sail and main-sail.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the mast and rigging.

The apparatus has a body adapted to support a user, in this case it is in the form of a fibreglass surfboard together with mast, mast-foot and fitting, twin boom members, and main-sail and attachments.
The board 1 is provided with a removable swing keel 2, rudder fins 3, foot straps 4, mast step 5, bow 6 and stern 7.
The mast fitting 8 is connected to the mast step 5 by a flexible joint 9 in the form of a polyester lanyard and retainer.
So far the construction is similar to sail-boards previously in use, and the further details constitute the improvements.
A mast 10 of aluminium alloy circular section tubeing is attached to the mast fitting 8 by means of suitable pop rivets 11, it is slotted lengthwise on the rearmost side to accept the main-sail nylon slides 13, hounds 14 are pop riveted top and bottom facing to the rear to accept the backstays 15 and 16 with single angles tangs 17 located at these points also on the sides to accept the shrouds 18 and vernier adjustors 19. At the top and bottom ends and to the front of the mast are attached by pop rivets the stainless steel loo- plides 20 with tops on "T" track slides which serve as jib-travellers.
Two boom members 21 and 22 of aluminium alloy circular section tubeing are connected at either end by "U"-shaped connectors of moulded P.V.C. with one roller block 23 for the jib-sail outhaul and three roller blocks 24 on the rear connector for the main-sail outhaul and two backstays 15, 16. These connectors are pop riveted to the booms and the jamb cleats at median points also fitted. Attachment points for the user are in the form of a foam covering 49.
The spreaders 25 are also constructed of aluminium alloy tubeing with circular section and welded together then pop riveted to the boom members. Small chainplates 26 are attached for connection of the shrouds 18, and both the shrouds 18 and the fore 37, 38 and back stays 15, 16 are stainless steel wire with swaged thimbles 27 and shackles 28 being the means of attachment between the mast, booms and sails. The boom spreader 25 is allowed to rotate about the mast but may be secured partially with a shock cord or bearing surface 53, which also allows its sliding along the mast. Boom sleeves 54 are provided.
The main-sail 29 is fitted with nylon sail slides 13 along its luff 30 and is threaded onto the mast via the slot 12 entry points 12 near the centre of the mast from the centre outwards both up and down. It is tensioned with halyards 31 and cleats 32 at either end and by the main outhaul sheet 33 on the boom. Reefing 43 points are fitted.
The jib-sail 34 is fitted along its luff 35 with piston hanks 36 for easy attachment to the forestays 37, 38, fall halyards 39 and cleats 40, jib outhaul sheet 41 and cleats 42 and reefing points 43.
The sails are dacron fitted with batten pockets and battens 44 eyelets with reinforced sections 45, sail number 46, transparent windows 47, wind telltail 48. A rig uphaul sheet 50 is provided.
To enable the backstays 15, 16 to cleat they are brought through the outhaul rollers then joined together and attached to a suitable polyester sheet which then leads to the backstay jamb cleat 51 which is situated on the boom opposite the main sheet outhaul jamb cleat 52.
The variable adjustments of stays, shrouds, halyards, and sheets produce a great number of different sail shapes to suit the user dependant upon wind and sea conditions.
By constructing the apparatus in the manner set forth the characteristics of a sloop rigged sailing apparatus are obtained, this produces a more efficient sail plan than that of previous designs in this field that use twin-boom members.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the wind propulsion of a sail- board or like support arranged to support a user comprising: a mast arranged for pivotal connection to the board or like support by a joint means having a plurality of axes of movement, a pair of boom members laterally disposed relative to and connected abeam of the mast to have main parts extending rearwardly and forwardly of the mast and being held apart near their center by a spreader, a main-sail secured to the mast and extending rearwardly from the mast and a jib-sail extending forwardly from the mast and means to secure the main-sail and the jib-sail between the main parts of the boom members, characterized in that, the spreader (25) is attached to the mast (10) by a loosely coupled sliding bearing surface (53) in such a way that the forward interconnection point of the booms (21, 22) and that of the jib- sail forward peak and also the booms (21, 22) and boom spreaders (25) at the mast interconnection point is allowed to be lifted or dropped in the same plane as that of the mast (10) and the jib-sail luffs (35) without altering the point of attachment of the jib-sail forward peak and without altering the general straight line of the booms (21, 22) when sighted from the front, through the forward, mast (10) and rear interconnection points, the jib sail or force-sail (34) is secured to the mast (10) by attachment points to extend forwardly of the mast (10) so that the two jib-sail luffs (35) form a triangle at their forward peak, this peak is connected by an attachment point at the forward interconnection point of the extended boom members (21, 22) to secure the jib-sail or fore-sail (34) between the pair of boom members (21, 22) and both, the upper and lower luff (35) tension and sail shape are adjustable from a single control at the mast lower connection point and the mainsail passes below the booms without being penetrated by the spreader bar (25).

2. Apparatus for propulsion as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the distance between the stays (37, 38) is adjustable to vary the shape of the jib-sail or fore-sail (34) symetrically both above and below the booms (21, 22) by means of one single adjustment at the mast base without the need for a bar adjustment at the forward peak.

3. Apparatus for propulsion as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the lower (38) of the two stays (37, 38) on the jib-sail or fore-sail (34) is secured to the base of the mast, and to a single attachment point at the forward peak of the boom (21, 22) interconnection point.

4. Apparatus for propulsion as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, characterized in that, the boom spreader (25) is loosely coupled to the mast (0) in such a way that the boom members (21, 22) are able to slide lengthwise on the mast and be lifted or dropped in height by use of the single jib-sail (34) adjustment at the base of the mast thus achieving symetrical jib-sail adjustment both above and below the booms (21, 22) without a bar attachment.

5. Apparatus for propulsion as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the distance between the interconnection points of the jib-sail stays (37, 38) at the forward peak of the jib-sail (34) and the forward ends of the booms (21, 22) is adjustable to vary the distance between the jibsail (34) forward peak and the mast-boom interconnection point to vary the shape of the jib-sail or fore-sail (34) to adjust the stay-tention whereby the angle between the jib-sail luffs (35) can be varied to adjust the jib-sail shape, by using the adjustment in distance between jib-sail (34) forward peak and mast (10) and mast attachment point spacing, such that the height of the forward booms (21,22) is correspondingly altered and together with both forestay (37, 38) tensions in conjunction with the weight of the rider pulling down on the booms.

6. Apparatus for propulsion as claimed in claim 4 characterized in that, the spreaders (25) are able to rotate and also to slide lengthwise on the mast (10) at the point of connection with the mast (10) while sailing due to the shock cord (53) whereby jib luffs (35) and stays (37, 38) form adjustable triangle for sail shaping.

7. A sail-board as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the sail-board covers canoes, boats, sailboats, multihullboats, iceskates, iceboats, skateboards, trailboards, sleds and wind propelled land vehicles.