red bull gives you[r Sunfish] wings

tag

tag

my2fish
I posted this on my blog - I found a guy on Instagram that is attempting to make a wing foil of sorts that can be used with your Sunfish (seems like it had limited success).

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sure seems to be a lot of tinkering going on lately (new Farrar sails, new Aerosouth rudders, new LP sails, etc)... does the Sunfish really need to change?
 
Well, this is a fine idea, except.....you will have to be tipped waaay to leeward (or windward) to get the foil in the water. As soon as it hits or, more likely, digs in, the boat is going to try to spin out around the foil. Probably fun to watch, not so fun to sail!
 
Beldar, I like the way your cone is thinking. I was thinking it would have an initial "drag" effect when it hits the water... but maybe once it dips below the surface it creates enough lift to compensate? I don't know....
 
tag said:
Beldar, I like the way your cone is thinking. I was thinking it would have an initial "drag" effect when it hits the water... but maybe once it dips below the surface it creates enough lift to compensate? I don't know....
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So my guess is it will just be drag. But if it does lift, all it will do is try to flatten the hull out in the water as it lifts, and probably try to lift itself out of the water. Then you are back to where you started - need to heel the boat to get the foil back in the water.
 
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Plus, by some miracle let’s say it generates lift - it’ll pick up the bow of the boat and the stern will get forced down, creating more drag. I am not at all optimistic about this!
 
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Now...
Why couldn't a foil like this be mounted behind the cockpit as well...and on a "hinge" that could be lowered (and amount controlled) with some sort of line control? That way the boat could be kept relatively flat...and when you "ignore" the mainsheet, hull activity will quickly let you know. The A.C. boats had rudder foils to help lift the aft end. This seems unbalanced...I agree.
 
This shows the automated foiling control on a Moth. Note the foil is directly in front of the camera and boat is on its side.

The Sunfish guy will have too much weight, no control of the foil, and massively unbalanced drag -not to mention a Sunfish sail doesn’t generate all that much power. I still want to see the video of a test in 20 knots!
 
beldar boathead said:
Well, this is a fine idea, except.....you will have to be tipped waaay to leeward (or windward) to get the foil in the water. As soon as it hits or, more likely, digs in, the boat is going to try to spin out around the foil. Probably fun to watch, not so fun to sail!
Click to expand...
Sure looks pre-Kitty Hawk to me.
 
The Great Beldar has called it correctly on this one... nothin' but drag from that setup, and that ain't no lie, lol. Meh, live and learn... in a 'BEN-HUR' sorta way, those "foils" would be great for messin' with the competition while rounding marks, lol. ;)
 
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