Americas Cup

[Speeddog]

Fiberglass?

Maybe a little bit.


Carbon?

Nearly all, if not all of it.


How does a boat manage a faster speed than the wind speed?

Hmmm... trying to think of a relatively short explanation...

[superjohn]

How does a boat manage a faster speed than the wind speed?

If I understand correctly, the sails don't actually catch the wind for propulsion, they form an airfoil that uses the wind to generate lift, much like an F1 car generates downforce. So, my guess would be they've come up with some really innovative ways to minimize weight, drag and friction to a point that the aerodynamically generated motive force is such that the boat is insanely fast for the wind speed.

[Speeddog]

Sailing faster than windspeed isn't a recent thing, it's been possible for many years.

[GAAN]

that isn't sailing anymore

it is flying with a tether

all agree that the "boat" is gimake the beast with two backsinggantic

but

at speed what percent of the boat is actually in touch with the water?

7-10 percent?

less?

[superjohn]

Sailing faster than windspeed isn't a recent thing, it's been possible for many years.

Right, they're just sailing MUCH faster than wind speed now 

[cyrus buelton]

that isn't sailing anymore

it is flying with a tether

all agree that the "boat" is gimake the beast with two backsinggantic

but

at speed what percent of the boat is actually in touch with the water?

7-10 percent?

less?

I agree

That is probably why they go so fast because they are essentially "floating" on the water with next to no drag

[derby]

but

at speed what percent of the boat is actually in touch with the water?

7-10 percent?

less?

much less...

here's a pic of the underside of the l'Hydroptère (from when it capsized) that'll give you an idea of the hydrofoil arrangement.:

[GAAN]

they may as well ditch the hull and just go parasailing

[Airborne]

is the oracle 90 a foiler? I thought it was just a trimaran, big difference.

[Speeddog]

I don't think the Oracle is a foiler.

[hbliam]

is the oracle 90 a foiler? I thought it was just a trimaran, big difference.

I don't think the Oracle is a foiler.

Looking at that last picture I posted of it, it sure looks like a foiler.

[derby]

Looking at that last picture I posted of it, it sure looks like a foiler.

nah, it's just up on one of the outriggers with the rudder in the water:

[hbliam]

nah, it's just up on one of the outriggers with the rudder in the water:

Some are calling it a foiler. The fact that it has a foil system would cause me to agree.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090701/SPORTS10/90701008/

But BMW-Oracle carries the principle of minimizing wetted surface area to the extreme by using hydrofoils, fins that stick below the surface and can lift the hulls entirely out of the water in stronger winds.


The whole boat flies above the surface, supported by the hydrodynamic lift generated by the water flowing over small wings at the bottoms of the foils ticking down from the three hulls (the same principle makes airplanes fly by passing air over their wings and creating aerodynamic lift.

When the 100-foot BMW-Oracle foiler trimaran is cranked up to speed, the central hull is 10 feet in the air and the crewmen sitting on the windward ama (hull) are about 20 feet above the water, and the whole thing has about as much wetted surface area as a 10-foot dinghy.[b/]

[Monsterlover]

holy crap!

I love technology

[superjohn]

That is just so cool.