A Cat Championship in Panama City

No you wouldn't have the same in floater mode, the foils would be inboard(can't go outboard because of max beam rule) of your hulls, instead of through them, unless I'm misunderstanding your concept.This puts them 8-10

inboard (each hull)of where they generally are now, making a decrease of 16-20

of righting moment.

I'm looking at the righting moment based on where the platform rotates as it starts to heal. While the hulls are in the water, that rotation would mostly take place at the leeward hull where it contacts the water. The board (depth) at that point has an affect on how easily the boat rotates related to leeway/traction in the water. Most of that righting moment in a floating mode would be calculated at where the hull contacts the water and not the board...BUT, I'm sure there are some other complex dynamics related to heal that that an inward board placement would negatively affect. For instance, you would lose board depth in the water as the boat heals if it were placed inboard from the hull.

Perhaps the A cat Foiling Rules need to change too. Make it easier to control, via the wand system, make the foils easier/cheaper to build and install, and they will get more boats foiling, faster, safer, cheaper. What's not to like? I mean, if you are going to toss the non-foiling rules, and go with foiling, why not do it right? The Moth guys figured it out a long time ago with the wand system.

Go look at that S9 video Mike posted in the other thread. Do that with the A cats and presto, full foiling class that could also be converted to non-foiling, or allow all the (old, obsolete) A cats to install that type of foil system and be competitive again.

I'm looking at the righting moment based on where the platform rotates as it starts to heal.

I get the feeling that wands are getting to be a little old-school. There is a lot of complication with the linkage mechanisms and getting the action right takes some effort (unless someone has worked all that out for you ahead of time). I'm guessing the self regulating foils are going to be the future. Back when foiling first started on power boats the foils were self regulating and we've seen that theme through everything from Hydroptere, the recent America's Cup, and even Dave Carlson's creative beach cat adaptations in the 80's. Here's a picture of Alexander Graham Bell's record setting hydro foiler built in 1919. It held the foiler speed record at 60 knots until the 1960s. Even it has a foil system that reduces the amount of foil and the resulting lift as it gets faster and higher out of the water.

The trick with a self regulating foil is to do it efficiently. Looking at that picture, you could understand how draggy all of those ladder foils can be. Hydroptere improved on the theme with a single tapered, inward canted, foil. As the boat lifts higher out of the water, it has less foil in the water and that water born foil has a shorter chord for less wetted surface area. The America's Cup testing determined that the V-shaped foil offered a stability advantage with the two somewhat opposed lifting surfaces in the

V

working against each other. That V foil is also self regulating and starts reducing lift gradually as that V pierces the surface.

Here is how stable foiling can be. This is Bruce Mahoney on his DNA foiling between races at the NA's last week.

I'd bet you are, spammer.

I think I like the max beam rule, since a crowded start line with everyone's T-foils underwater might make for additional damage when they all get tangled up...

The moth foils don't extend beyond the beam of the hull, do they? I'd suspect they certainly don't extend beyond the racks...?

They extend well beyond the beam of the hull, but not the racks.

so there isn't often foil-tangling going on at busy starts, since the racks would probably collide first?

Not that collisions should be a regular event, but I've got some scratches down the sides of my hulls. I call them

starting badges of courage

edit: If I get enough of those

badges

, I figure I will be the

Keep away from that F'n guy

boat <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />

try starting a race with a windrider rave. You hear a bang but there's still a foot between you...that will make you scratch your head.

Looks like he was really fighting it there. Too bad it's a fad. <img src="<>/grin.gif" alt="grin" title="grin" height="15" width="15" />

I am the proud and unwilling owner of 5 A-cats in Gainesville.
2 were damaged by one magnolia tree plus both masts, now repaired, and now want new homes. CAll me 352-3321049. I am leaving for the summer on Tuesday AM dawn:30. ANd leaving the boats here.
I started to check this old website to see if Rick W. was still sort of breathing. (Yes but iffy).
Bim 2000 asking $3500K beahc wheels/no trailer and Bim Javelin 2002 asking $4500K/ beach wheels, no trailer. Great starter boats have sails, need nothing. I have borrowable steel trailers and really need a TRAilex. Boats don't leak.
BOATS WEIGH 175 POUNDS which is why these were kept here. but owners got damaged by age and food after 15 years. Also they didn't know how to fix them. Note at A-cat N. Americans half the fleet of 42 was age 60 plus. OK all U old guys whose arms and legs still work--- call me now. Dave Carlson (trying to figure out how to get an ad here on CS).