Hi ,
Need help on loop sail control, to control sails on Bixham Trawler, is there diagrams or drawings out there ..?..
OR SAIL ARMS EASIER..?..
something to do while getting over pace maker op
cheers Larry..
Hi Larry,
I think the gremlins got at your post, I have reformatted it, hopefully we still have what the meaning is....
Firstly there is a thread here that may be of some value:
http://www.modelboats.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=90191Also a nice video here that may be of help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jXfI2qIL5EwYou have not indicated the scale you are working in, so the following is a generalisation...
Assuming you need to develop the sail control system from scratch yourself, the first step would be do determine how much sheet travel you will need from close hauled to sheeted out. This will be a function of the distance from the pivot point of the sail (the mast in most cases) to the sheeting point - you will be limited on where you can do a fairlead because of cabins etc.
I am guessing, from looking at the video and pictures that the sheet control is only on the larger sails. The layout of the boat implies fairly long sheets I would think. the foresails may perhaps be self tacking... if they need to be winched as well, they will require far less sheet travel, perhaps a separate winch. They would also require much less torque due to the smaller sail area.
Once you have the sheet length, you can start planning. Next step would be to have a think about how much torque will be required - these big sails will take a bit of hauling. Assuming a combination of a good bit of sheet travel and a fair bit of torque, I would think a drum type winch rather than an arm type winch would be the go. The drum type winch will transport far more line (example - perhaps 300mm) compared to an arm winch. A drum winch will transport the line more slowly, this is not necessarily a problem.
The best method (in my opinion) if you have the room is to set up a continuous loop system, preferably below decks, with the sheets connected to the endless loop at appropriate points
Have a look at this video of a winch I did on a cheap Chinese boat; while it is a very different boat the principles are much the same...
Hope this helps...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JWhI3F_MY74