초록 ▼

Canard configured hydrofoil sailboards which are normally operated rolled to windward and without yaw and which employ a canard hydrofoil that tracks the water surface are of proven practicality. The present hydrofoil sailboard improves on previous designs by replacing the conventional canard hydrof

Canard configured hydrofoil sailboards which are normally operated rolled to windward and without yaw and which employ a canard hydrofoil that tracks the water surface are of proven practicality. The present hydrofoil sailboard improves on previous designs by replacing the conventional canard hydrofoil by one of supercavitating type (30), operated in freely ventilating mode. This leads to markedly better surface tracking. This hydrofoil sailboard further improves on previous designs by employing a canard hydrofoil hinged (50,60) so that it can be rolled to one side or the other and locked into the rolled position. The use of a locked, hinged canard hydrofoil leads to a new hydrodynamic force distribution having significant benefits. Among these are improved sail balance which allows conventional sailboard sail and harness arrangements to be used. Additionally, steering by means of board rolling is much improved. The use of the freely ventilating supercavitating canard hydrofoil makes feasible ramifications of the hydrofoil sailboard in which the hinged canard hydrofoil is replace by a fixed hydrofoil having one of a number of specific shapes (80-82). With appropriate choice of shape, these ramifications maintain, to varying degrees, the benefits of the hydrofoil sailboard with the hinged canard while enjoying greater simplicity of construction and operation.

대표청구항 ▼

A sail-powered watercraft, comprising: (a) a sailboard hull, a sail assembly, and sail attachment means for joining said sail assembly to said sailboard hull, (b) a main hydrofoil assembly comprising a main hydrofoil and main support means for mounting said main hydrofoil to said sailboard hull at a

A sail-powered watercraft, comprising: (a) a sailboard hull, a sail assembly, and sail attachment means for joining said sail assembly to said sailboard hull, (b) a main hydrofoil assembly comprising a main hydrofoil and main support means for mounting said main hydrofoil to said sailboard hull at a location rearward from the location of said sail attachment means, and (c) a canard hydrofoil assembly comprising a canard hydrofoil and canard support means for mounting said canard hydrofoil to said sailboard hull at a location forward from the location of said sail attachment means, (d) said canard hydrofoil also comprising means for inducing and maintaining a gaseous cavity on the upper surface of said canard hydrofoil during operation, (e) said canard hydrofoil assembly also comprising canard hydrofoil ventilation means for providing atmospheric air to said canard hydrofoil during operation, (f) said canard hydrofoil assembly also comprising hinge means for flexibly connecting said canard hydrofoil to said sailboard hull in such a manner that said canard hydrofoil may rotate about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said watercraft, whereby sail balance may be controlled.