EP0196505A1 - Rigging for a sailing board - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve handling and produce an optimum sail profile, the rigging consists of a mast (3) and a sail (1) which is fastened to the mast (3) and is spread by a lower boom (15) located in the lower area and an upper boom (4) running essentially horizontally in the area of the top edge (6). The strengthening piece (14) is located in the area of the trailing edge (8), and the upper boom (4) and the lower boom (15) are each connected with one end to the mast (3) and with the other end to the strengthening piece (14) to form a closed frame. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a surfrigg with a mast and a sail attached to it, which is spanned by a lower tree located in the lower area and an upper tree which is essentially horizontal in the area of the upper leech.

It has long been known, in particular from the Pacific region, that surf waves can be "riding" standing on board-shaped structures for sporting and leisure activities, which is referred to as "surfing". Recently, a variant deviating from this in the form of so-called "windsurfing" has become widespread, in which the surfboard is propelled with the help of wind power, so that it can be used independently of surf waves. In its basic structure, this consists of a board and a rig that can be attached to it and swiveled to all sides, which is formed from a mast and an associated sail, usually shaped as a mainsail, which is stretched in its lower area using a device. By appropriate positioning of the sail relative to the wind, the user standing on the board can determine the propulsion and control of the board movement men. So a luffing, ie turning the surfboard into the wind, is achieved in that by pivoting the rig towards the stern the sail pressure point moves to the rear and comes to lie behind the lateral pressure point of the board and vice versa when falling off, ie turning the board transversely to the wind, the rig is moved with the sail towards the bow of the board, so that the sail pressure point is positioned in front of the lateral pressure point. By appropriate operation and adjustment of the sail, maneuvers such as turning (turning the bow by the wind) and jibing (turning the stern by the wind) can be carried out. During the journey, the user stands just behind the mast foot, roughly in the middle of the board, and grabs the boom at shoulder height, the end of which is distant from the mast, connected to the outer corner of the sail and braced. During the take-off phase, the sail must first be pulled out of the water, raised and then slowly transferred to the cruising position. This sometimes requires considerable effort to pull out the sail, which is often still filled with water, and to raise it. Both from DE-OS 31 19 531 and from the subsequently published DE-OS 34 04 188 it is known to enlarge the top of the sail area in that, in addition to the lower one, an essentially horizontally extending upper tree is used to tension the sail. To achieve optimal propulsion, both the surfaces of the sails and their trim must be adapted to the different wind conditions (light or strong wind). Proceeding from this, the invention has made it its task to improve the known surf friggs in such a way that, with optimal propulsion, they allow the use of sails of different sizes and shapes.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that there is a reinforcement in the area of the leech of the sail and the upper boom and the lower boom are each connected at one end to the mast and the other end to the reinforcement to form a closed frame. According to the terminology known from sailing, leech denotes the top edge, leech the rear, mast-facing edge, and bottom and luff the bottom and front edge of the sail. The term "tree" is to be interpreted broadly in the sense of the invention, because it is intended in addition to one-piece trees in the narrower sense, for. B. a tube, also two and multi-part such. B. include booms. A reinforcement is arranged in the area of the leech to improve the aerodynamic properties, the stability of the sails and in particular to facilitate the attachment of different sail sizes and shapes. This can be located both inside and outside the sail and in particular can also be designed as a mast.

The reinforcement is connected at one end to the upper and at its opposite end to the lower boom, the latter in turn connected to the mast. The realization of these connections is in the frame Men of the invention basically free, in particular they can be designed as a hinge or rigid connection. You always get a closed frame that can be moved relative to one another, which consists of the reinforcement, the upper and lower boom and the mast. In the special case of rigid connections, a rigid, closed frame is obtained which can only be pivoted as a whole relative to the surfboard. The weight of the two trees, including the reinforcement, is then fully borne by the mast.

• Durch den Einsatz eines geschlossenen Rahmens, in dem sich Segel unterschiedlicher Formen und Größen in an sich üblicher Weise befestigen lassen, wird eine Anpassung an unterschiedliche Windverhältnisse in ein und demselben Rahmen möglich. Durch den geschlossenen Rahmen werden weiterhin zusätzliche Möglichkeiten der Trimmungen des Segels sowie auch ein Reffen u. a. durch Umwickeln von Mast oder Baum realisierbar, so daß sich das erfindungsgemäße Surfrigg insbesondere auch zur Verwendung bei Starkwind eignet. Im Vergleich zu dem aus dem Stande der Technik bekannten Hochsegeln ergibt sich darüber hinaus bei gleicher Länge des Mastes eine größere Segelfläche und demzufolge auch bei gleicher Windstärke ein erhöhter Vortrieb. Andererseits läst sich unter Beibehaltung der Segelfläche die Läige des Mastes oder der Bäume verkürzen, was zu ei-ner wesentlichen Vereinfachung und Erleichterurg der Handhabung führt, beispielsweise dadurch, daß durch die geringere Breite des Segels das Herausziehen aus dem Wasser und durch den verkürzten Mast das Aufstellen und Manövrieren vereinfacht wird. Durch Verwendung eines geschlossenen Rahmens ergibt sich als Vorzug eine höhere Steifigkeit des Segels bei geringerer Breite, so daß sich das Segel beim Auftreffen auch stärkerer Winde nicht so stark durchbiegt und ausbeult und somit ein flacheres Profil erhalten bleibt, das wesentlich bessere und vorteilhaftere aerodynamische Werte ergibt. Bei den bekannten Surfsegeln ist bei stärkeren Winden ein entsprechend kräftiges Durchbiegen des Segels zu beobachten und zwar soweit, daß es an einer Seite des Gabelbaumes anzuliegen kommt, diese nach außen drückt und die Spannung des Segels zwischen Mast und äußerem Ende des Gabelbaums noch weiter reduziert, mit der Folge, daß sich das Segel noch mehr ausbeult und ein noch ausgeprägteres Profil zeigt. Zur Erreichung eines flachen Segelprofiles, insbesondere bei starkem Wind, bedarf es bei dem im Stande der Technik bekannten Surfsegeln ganz besonderer Anstrengungen, um dann gerade ein flaches Profil zu erreichen, was unter Auftriebsgesichtspunkten wesentlich günstiger ist.

The advantages achievable by the Surfrigg according to the invention are numerous:

• By using a closed frame in which sails of different shapes and sizes can be attached in a conventional manner, it is possible to adapt to different wind conditions in the same frame. Due to the closed frame, additional possibilities for trimming the sail and also reefing, inter alia by wrapping around the mast or tree, can be realized, so that the Surfrigg according to the invention is also particularly suitable for use in strong winds. In comparison to the high-sails known from the prior art, there is also a larger sail area with the same mast length and consequently also increased propulsion even with the same wind strength. On the other hand, the length of the mast or the trees can be shortened while maintaining the sail area, which leads to a significant simplification and ease of handling, for example in that the smaller width of the sail means that Pulling out of the water and the shortened mast makes it easier to set up and maneuver. The use of a closed frame results in a higher rigidity of the sail with a smaller width, so that the sail does not deflect and bulge as much when stronger winds hit and thus maintain a flatter profile, which results in much better and more advantageous aerodynamic values . In the known surf sails, a correspondingly strong deflection of the sail can be observed in stronger winds, to the extent that it comes to rest on one side of the boom, presses it outward and further reduces the tension of the sail between the mast and the outer end of the boom, with the result that the sail bulges even more and shows an even more pronounced profile. To achieve a flat sail profile, especially in strong winds, very special efforts are required with the surf sail known in the prior art in order to then achieve a flat profile, which is much cheaper from the point of view of buoyancy.

The frame, which is essentially designed as a quadrilateral, allows the use of sails of a corresponding shape, in which the leech and leech can only be made from two sailing tracks. This considerably simplifies, speeds up and reduces the cost of making sails.

Basically, the frame can be designed so that the lower tree is shifted far down and thus comes to lie close to the surfboard. This creates an optimal one large sail area. An operation by gripping, holding and guiding the lower tree is then no longer possible, so that additional holding devices are required, which can be realized by attaching a boom or holding rods or holding loops. You can also be conveniently attached to the reinforcement (the aft mast) of the frame.

The attachment of a sail window, for example in the area of the holding device, enables the user to see the leeward side of the surfboard through the sail in order to be able to initiate the appropriate maneuvers in good time in order to avoid collisions and other accidents.

In one development, the sail can be divided or divided one or more times, which makes it possible to adapt the sail area to the prevailing wind conditions. The division of the sail can be done in one of the usual ways, e.g. B. with the help of a zipper. The division of the sail is fundamentally arbitrary, for example the sail surface located between the upper mast and reinforcement can be separated, which provides a simple reefing possibility in stronger winds. The use of a rigid frame in particular allows the sail to be subdivided in almost any way.

In a further development, parts of the sail, in particular the areas below the holding devices 7, can be used as a fixed pro fil be formed, the shape of which is selected according to the optimal wing profiles in aircraft, in particular from the lower speed range.

Finally, it is also advantageous to design the holding device and / or the lower and / or upper tree as a tube and possibly to equip it with handles. A tube offers the advantage of high rigidity, so that a flat profile of the sail is maintained even with higher wind forces. In order to allow handling by the operator, additional handles can be attached.

Finally, it is proposed to arrange the mast base on the lower boom so that the sail pressure point can be changed relative to the board. At the same time, the holding torque to be used for the sail with respect to the vertical axis can be reduced.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention can be found in the following description, in which an exemplary embodiment shown in a schematic representation is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. It shows a surfrigg with a rigid frame and additional holding devices.

The Surfrigg according to the invention reproduced in side view consists of a sail 1, which is formed on its luff as a mast pocket, which is penetrated by the mast 3. In the area of the upper end of the mast 3 is a attached substantially horizontally extending upper tree 4, which is connected at one end to the mast and at the other end with a reinforcement 14 in connection. Starting from the upper tree, the sail 1 extends downwards, widening and being guided through the mast 3. At a certain height, which is determined approximately by the shoulder height of the user in the installed state, a holding device 7 is fastened on the one hand to the mast 3 and on the other hand to the reinforcement 14, essentially also running horizontally. In the lower area and approximately at the height of the holding device 7, a triangular-shaped sail window 12 is attached within the sail 1 in a manner known per se in order to make the leeward side visible to the user while driving.

By means of the reinforcement 14 shown, the upper boom 4 and the lower boom 15 and the mast 3 are rigidly connected to one another in a closed frame, in order in this way to prevent torsions and twists of the entire system and in particular of the sail 1. In the upper area of the same it is indicated by a dashed line that it consists of two parts that can be separated from one another, so that in stronger winds the sail area can be reduced and adapted to the wind conditions without the mast, the two trees or the reinforcement changing have to be, as is common today.

As a holding device 7, a tube is used as a rod, which requires a division of the sail 1 makes. The frame formed from mast 3, upper boom 4, reinforcement 14 and lower boom 15 can be fastened to the mast base 10 via the lower boom 15 via a connecting piece 16. The connecting piece 16 is arranged either fixedly or displaceably.

The result is a surfrigg that can be used and handled much better than the devices known from the prior art, moreover, in particular in stronger winds, shows a much better, because flatter sail profile, allows reefing of the sail and is of relatively simple construction is.

Claims (10)

1. Surfrigg with a mast and a sail attached to it, which is spanned by a lower tree located in the lower area and an upper tree which is essentially horizontal in the area of the upper leech, characterized in that there is a reinforcement in the area of the leech 8 14 is located and the upper tree 4 and the lower tree 15 are each connected at one end to the mast 3 and the other end to the reinforcement 14 to form a closed frame. 2. Surfrigg according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcement 14 is a mast. 3. Surfrigg according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by rigid connections. 4. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by additional holding devices 7, z. B. a boom. 5. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by accessible from the leech 8 from and horizontally arranged slatted pockets 11th 6. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by a sail window 12. 7. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by a single or multiple split or divisible sail 1. 8. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that parts of the sail 1, in particular the part lying below tree 7, are designed as a fixed profile. 9. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the holding device 7 and / or lower tree 15 and / or upper tree 4 is a tube which may be equipped with holding buttons. 10. Surfrigg according to one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the mast foot 10 is displaceable on the lower tree 15.

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