Earlier in the thread, Will suggested a canting mast as an alternative to moving the lead. Here is a “step beyond” Will’s idea - and it worked - for a while. On an 18 Square Meter catamaran as a test bed for a "C"Class challenge - it got to the point of qualifications and “blew up”.
The idea is rather sound - in that it cant/tilts an asymetrical wing the "flips’ over the top of a short “mast” when tacking. Completely vertical it and be tilted to increase lift of the hulls “from the water” - and can be rotated to control angle of attack or to depower. Similar to a soft kite, the ability to generate “lift” upwards, as well as toward the curved side of the wing seemed to be a plus in favor of it’s use and development. A few other factors are the ability to build (basically) half of a symetrical wing with less problems in control wires and levers. It also, like a soft sail has one side that produces lift, while the other (flat side) hopefully reduces drag. And like most wings - provides a great amount of power for a smaller surface area - again drag reduction as a goal. Finally, “flipping” the wing to tack would take less servo/winch power, as it would be assisted by the wind - unlike a keel which must move in an arc through a much more dense medium.
Just thought that since the canting mast was brought forward, this would be yet another alternative to removing weight, and improving performance. I’m not recommending it - just sharing it with some who are looking at possible kite use.
<center>
</center>
I’ve got a lot more photos with some closer technical shots if anyone is interested in pursuing.