Sailor Gary Baigent is almost finished building his unique, self-designed trimaran. This boat is going to use foils as its outriggers.
Gary is a very experienced waterman and builder, but this is certainly “out of the box.” I don’t know that I know many guys who would attempt anything like this.
We’re already looking forward to hearing about the sea trials for this one.
Gary wrote the following when he sent the below pics to me a few days ago. Click on the images to enlarge. (Thanks for keeping us updated on this boat Gary!)
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Swimming Frog “Foils” Trimaran?
by Gary Baigent
Soon be sailing on the 6.5 x 7.3 metre monster. Just need to erect D mast and then get the double luff Bill Barry main built. Hull and beam plus floats/foils weighs 102kgs, D mast and rigging 26kgs.
Fast swimmer Frog?
The D mast is a wing mast with the trailing section chopped off at the “central” cross section brace, so you have a blunt area there with the two sail tracks attached at the outer flat D edges. (See photograph below.)
The intention is to have a double luff main sail that is attached at the leeches by sliding pins at the end of the battens … so you have a full wing rig but one that is soft and can be reefed.
This is not as efficient as a C Class or AC45-50 full hard wing, but as said, can be reduced and doesn’t require cranes to lift and drop. And it will be more efficient, I hope, than conventional wing mast/single soft sail. And it won’t have to rotate as much as the latter setup – because of the two sided sail. Therefore less drag and turbulence.
Will this Frog contraption work with strange foils, no floats and equally strange rig?
At the moment I’m impressed how the Frog floats with just the lower part of the foils at the water surface. That will change of course when the rig goes up … but I think the buoyancy of the “bent down” beam will be sufficient to keep platform upright. And when sailing moving, the foils will do their lifting job and keep boat upright.
Will find out soon.
Cheers
Gary
D Mast for Foils Outrigger Trimaran
