Tuesday, December 22, 2009

foils


finally something tangible! part 1 of the conversion is the new main foil. i figured it would be simpler to start with that and then build the boat around it. i can also get the centreboard case and the deck going when i get off my ass. i've pretty much bought all the materials.
heres the process:






The foil is longer than the last one, and the strut tapers. the hydrofoil is a higher lift section with a larger flap, as i found by doing this that the lift/drag ratio was generally better in that configuration because of the reduced area needed for takeoff. Top speed may suffer, we'll see. Also maxed out the span as much as i thought i could structurally with standard modulus carbon and wet layup (span is 1050mm). The flap is designed so that the deflection at the tips is limited to 5 or so degrees, and hopefully that should decrease induced drag when the flap is fully deflected up or down without affecting lift too much. I found that even though the tips twist down slightly, it is difficult to keep the lift distribution fairly elliptical when the flap is allowed to operate through its full range at the tip.

anyway, will lay up some bits when i get time. might have to wait till the new year.