Hi All,
still hoping to get a 1m sized yacht (later this year now it seems
) but coming from a 30+ years of kite making / flying background
I wondered if anyone ever uses "vented" sails to extend the wind range of their model yachts ?
In the kite world, well, more so perhaps back in the 90s, vented wings (mesh netted at critical pressure points) elevated the
minimum flying speed of a typical 8-9 foot span kite from about 6mph to 9 or 10mph but could also elevate the upper wind speed
to the mid 20's MPH without too much discomfort / insane flying.
I would imagine that people would tend to re-design RC yacht sails with race efficiency in mind, to get the last "knot" out of the boat
or just reduce the overall surface area but as someone who doesn't intend to race, but would like to sail his future purchase in a wider
range of winds than potentially permissible by "stock" sails I would be interested to hear the experiences of others with vented / alternate sails
Im thinking of knocking up some prototypes in ripstop nylon later this year then having refined them, switch to icarex (ripstop polyester)
Also, wondering about whether you could rig up a spinaker on a 1m yacht or whether the hassle driving it winch / servo wise puts people off ?
regards
BB