I don't know, I haven't done in depth analysis of the pressure (wave) situation around an A-cat hull.

Mostly because I think that the drag from the wave system is far smaller then some other components and therefor it is most smart to try to optimize these either components first. Afterall most my experience comes from F18's and F16's. Here rig development is still a major component; notice the difference between the Ullman and Glaser F16 suit of sails. The A's may already have exhausted this avenue.

I do know however that a huge bow wave can have at least two causes. One is high speed the other is a blunt entry at the bow. I can't tell from a still photograph which one is too blame.

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but then its hard to ignore how clean it looks on the water otherwise (the videos's).


That is one reason why I like to see some video in real chop. It is my opinion that the A-cat is relatively long for its width and overall weight. In flat water you can indeed move the bouyancy all down to the waterline and to the front and thus really cut down on the bows dipping in. I'm not saying that this is what they have done but if someone were to do this then it will work great in flat water, but in chop it will oscillate very strongly as so much bouyancy is in the bow at such a large leverage to the centre of rotation/weight.

I'm a firm believer that what is claimed can be achieved for a narrow set of conditions, but the real trick on the race course is to have a design that goes sufficiently well in a range of different conditions. Otherwise you've designed yourself a single gear race car. I'm not saying that the guys with the LR project did this, but without seeing shots and video spanning a range of conditions we won't know what they have achieved.

I think retired Geek is either Ian Lindahl himself or that other guy who is involved, can't remember his name.

It just occured to me that the same stability of the rig can also be achieved by a set of carefully trimmed T-foils on the rudders. It is because of the A-cat class rules do not allow such T-foils that the development is now geared towards changes in the hulls design to further reduce pitching of the rig. As such an interesting question arises. Is this development really a step forward or just a whole lot of effort because the class rules prohibit an easier and cheaper solution. Compare this situation to that which led to the yacht rigs with a very large Genua sail and a small triangular mainsail. This setup was not at all an efficient use of total sailarea but rather it was the most efficient use of the sailarea given a handicap rule set with an obvious oversight coded into it. Explanation, the overlapping area of the Genua was not considered efficient in the rules and was completely disgarded from the total.

It will be sad day when some enthousiast goes against the rules of the A-cat class and puts T-foils on and just sails along side this new development like a mirror image.

Wouter

Last edited by Wouter; 09/08/07 08:30 AM.