5 ms·
Surprisingly, these appear to be rigid foils (hence WindWing) instead of Flettner rotors.
by aoki 3y ago
Surprisingly, these appear to be rigid foils (hence WindWing) instead of Flettner rotors.
- M95D 3y agoWhat I don't understand is why they didn't use normal sails instead. The sails could have a much larger area and a thinner mast would create less problems for docking, or it could even be a telescopic cilinder, able to be retracted below deck.
- hollerith 3y agoMy guess is that the WindWing requires much less labor. Even by the standards of the 1700s and earlier, working on a sailing ship had a reputation for being dangerous work that chews through sailors, and kidnapping people and not letting them leave the ship was a common way to "recruit" sailors. These days, when kidnapping is no longer in the Overton window, and even unskilled workers have more options than the workers of the 1700s had, it would be cost prohibitive to staff these sailing ships you propose, I am guessing.
- M95D 3y agoNo need to pull the ropes manually. We have motors now. https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing-skills/mainsail-furling-systems-an-expert-guide-75261 https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing-skills/mainsail-furl... https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/04/sailing-at-the-touch-of-a-button/ https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/04/sailing-at-the-tou...
- jasonwatkinspdx 3y agoTwo reasons: First, solid wings are dramatically better in lift drag ratio. They start out around 3x better per square meter than conventional sails on a bermuda rig, and can get up to 7x better with careful design. This is why the America's Cup boats with wings are dramatically faster than conventional rigs (the other reason being foils). Second, the simplicity of the rig. These designs are self trimming, which means there's a control flap you set, and that causes the wing to have a consistent angle of attack vs the wind. As the wind vector shifts around the sail just tracks it without needing any active control or electronics. You only have to change the control flap when the bow or stern crosses the wind during a turn. If you get into severe weather you just put the control flap in neutral and the wing just acts like a weather vane. Surprisingly enough a feathered wing like this has less drag than a bare cylindrical mast with no sail lifted. Aerodynamics can be counterintuitive. That's what's so cool about this technology. It really is just a bolt on.
- wolverine876 3y ago> solid wings are dramatically better in lift drag ratio Why has anyone used fabric sails? If they could build a wooden boat, they could have made wooden sails. Too heavy, and thus modern strength/weight materials were needed?
- mrcartmeneses 3y agoWeight and the fact that wings are a modern invention that requires an understanding of aerodynamics
- jasonwatkinspdx 3y agoYes, people 200 years ago did not possess the material science knowledge to build a solid wing that would not be insanely heavy, vs... canvas.
- pbronez 3y agoMy thought exactly. Some university should build a wing sail ship using exclusively materials and tools available during the Golden age of sail.
- machine_coffee 3y agoI wonder how well they hold up in strong storms, or if they can be folded away for safety.
- russellbeattie 3y agoThis was exactly my thought. We've all seen videos of giant ships caught in storms with green water splashing over the bow and are amazed they're able to stay afloat. Just from a glance at these sails, it looks like it would capsize the ship under in minutes in a decent storm. I would think either they fold down or they have to plan their routes very carefully to avoid bad weather.