<center>First it was <font color=“red”>TEAM PHILLIPS </font id=“red”>- now it is 4 MASTS and <font size=“4”><font color=“purple”>TEAM QUATREFOIL </font id=“purple”></font id=“size4”>!
Crazy Brits Slewed Hull Technology</center>
Seems there might be a problem with slewed hulls under the F48 rules since if the hulls were 48" LOA when slewed the boat would be longer,right? Might have to have shorter hulls?
Doug Lord
–High Technology Sailing/Racing
Possibly -
but if a box measurement rule is used per class rules, and the thing fits inside, there is no rules mention of allowing the hulls to be “slewed” to a longer waterline.
Seems this concept would be preferrable for your moving ballast, as now the weight can not only be moved to windward, but also aft (in relationship to the leeward bow).
I would suggest you think about this some more: what you said would allow a boat with a method to increase beam or hull length to do so AFTER it comes out of the box.Particuarly when it comes to a Trapeze Power Ballast System(one supportedby the mast) a Ballast system could be in “neutral” when it is put into the box but when it is taken out of the box and the system moved to windward the actual beam of the boat could go up to SIX feet! Now, I don’t think that should be legal. A clarification of the rules might say:" A completed F48 in sailing trim must fit within a 48" X 48" box. At no time during an event may the configuration of the boat be changed such that it would not fit into the measurement box."
If you don’t add such a clarification be sure to tell Ian who is working on a PBS and that would mean I’d have to redesign mine to allow it to extend much further to windward than possible under what I consider tobe the rule. Your input is need now because I believe there is a serious loophole here.
As to my system : it is mounted on a Fore and Aft track and the ends are supported by the hulls and/or the rig. It can move fore and aft quickly as well side to side.It is easily detachable and includes the battery in the “ballast”.
Dick, please consider this carefully because a sliding rack type PBS would allow a “neutral” beam of 48" and a maxbeam of 6 feet. In addition,sliding (not skewing) hulls could be devised that fit within the box in “neutral” but could be extended when taken out of the box.Another “violation” of the spirit of the rules if you allow this would be with a retractable hydrofoil: the boat could be measured with the foils retracted so they wouldn’t sick out on each side then when deployed the boat could be another foot wide. That would be a BIG advantage for a foiler!
The spirit of the rules we both worked on was to keep the overall dimensions of the boat within 48" X 48" so a ruling on this matter is called for.
Doug Lord
–High Technology Sailing/Racing
I saw the model quatrefoil and a video of it in action at the London boat show. On the vid it just seemed to go really quick without a sign of heel, the guy on the stand was saying that was a slow day too! To look at it it seems pretty ungainly but it works…
Luff 'em & leave 'em.