Sail plan for sailing craft

A plan for a sail of a sailing craft such as a sailboat, an iceboat and a land yacht having a hull. At least one mast is mounted on an end of the hull and the mast angles upwardly over the hull. A boom is pivotably mounted approximately amidships of the hull. The boom is rotatable through 360.degree. about the mounting point, and the ends of the boom avoid contact with the at least one mast. A triangular sail has a lower edge connected to the boom and an upper corner releasably connected to the top of the at least one mast. The boom, preferably, has an upper member and a lower member. The upper member is rotatable, and the sail may be roller reefed about the upper member. A steering system for the vehicle is provided which is collocated with the controls for the sail whereby the vehicle may be controlled by one individual at a single location. In a catamaran type sailboat, a control ring is connected to the boom whereby pivotal and rotational movement of the sail may be controlled by a person seated on the hull.

The present invention concerns a sail plan for a sailing craft such as a 
sailboat, an ice boat, a land yacht or the like and in particular for a 
sailing craft having a triangular sail mounted on a boom and rotatable 
about a vertical axis through 360.degree.. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The art of sailing has been practiced for thousands of years and is 
generally well known throughout the world. Most sailing craft utilize one 
or more masts which project upwardly from the hull and have at least one 
sail attached thereto. In small boats which are operated by one person, 
the need to constantly adjust the setting of the sail with respect to the 
direction of the wind while controlling the rudder and handling the 
various lines associated with the boom and the sail, is a difficult and 
strenuous operation. 
Various sails and mast configurations have been proposed and used to 
attempt to simplify the operation of sailing craft and/or to improve the 
efficiency of the sailing craft. The applicant is aware of the following 
which are considered pertinent to the present application. 
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Inventor U.S. Pat. No. 
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Bell 24,090 
Norcross 163,940 
Ljungstrom 1,375,400 
Ryder 2,147,501 
Szakacs 2,724,356 
Laurent 3,173,395 
Robin 3,195,494 
Hiscock 3,693,571 
Jamieson 4,044,702 
Berge 4,603,648 
Stampe 4,723,498 
Biagioli 4,922,846 
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Bell discloses a shortened mast bench set at a greater than standard angle 
to the horizontal plane. A spar having upwardly curved ends is secured to 
the mast. The mast is connected to the mast bench. A single sail or 
separate sail may be fitted to the mast. 
Norcross discloses a mast composed of two or more timbers which are joined 
at their tops by a common cap. The bottoms of the masts are mounted to a 
revolving platform which is received in a socket in the deck. 
Ljungstrom discloses a mast which can be inclined together with the sail , 
either ahead or astern in the longitudinal direction of the boat. The 
lower end of the mast is attached to rollers running on a curved bar. 
Ryder discloses a triangular sail which is rotatable 360.degree. about a 
single center mast, mounted amidship. The mast is an assemblage of several 
parts. 
Szakacs discloses a single curved mast mounted on the stern of the boat. A 
triangular sail is attached to the mast. The sail is framed by a strip of 
wood on the foot and by steel cables on the sides. 
Laurent discloses a triangular sail mounted to a center mast of a catamaran 
and rotatable 360.degree. about the mast. The mast is supported by shrouds 
which are mounted fore and aft. The rudders and the sail are controlled 
from the center of the boat. 
Robin discloses a sail control for vessels wherein a sail rig includes a 
flexible sail membrane, drawn taut within a triangular, peripheral frame 
by means of cables and operated by winches. The sail may rotate through 
360.degree.. The frame is connected to the hull and is slidably mounted on 
guide rails. The frame may also pivot about a base. 
Hiscock discloses a sail rig for many types of vessels including a 
monohull, a catamaran, a trimaran, a hydrofoil, an ice boat, and a land 
yacht. The sail is symmetrical and is a spherical isosceles triangle with 
a curved leach, a curved luff, and a curved foot. A boom is provided to 
swing freely about the lower end of the luff spar, and a sail is mounted 
with its foot adjacent to the boom and its luff adjacent to the luff spar. 
Jamieson discloses a single sail suspended at its head from the apex of a 
tripod mast. The foot of the sail is attached to a spar. The spar is 
rotatably mounted atop a stub mast which is centrally located with respect 
to the tripod mast. 
Berge discloses a catamaran type sailboat with several inclined mast-like 
elements which have a common upper connection. The masts are pivotable at 
their lower ends. 
Stampe discloses two masts with a common thwartships plane which are joined 
at a mast head. Each mast is provided with a respective main boom and two 
main sails. 
Biagioli discloses a masting which comprises three (3) poles to form a 
pyramid with a triangular base and connected upper ends at the vertex. The 
masting also comprises a plurality of stays to which sails are applied. 
The boat may be a catamaran. 
Thus, despite interest in sails over a period of many years, there still 
exists a need for a simple system for a sail which enables a sailing craft 
to be operated by one individual with a minimum of effort and which 
provides increased maneuverability to the sailing craft. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A principal object of the invention is to provide a plan for a sail on a 
sailing craft which provides increased maneuverability to the sailing 
craft. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a plan for a 
sail on a sailing craft in which a triangular sail is mounted from the top 
of at least one mast, the lower edge of the sail being connected to a boom 
wherein the boom and the sail may rotate through 360.degree., and the ends 
of the boom and the sail avoid contact with the mast. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plan for a sail 
on a sailing craft, wherein the lower edge of a triangular sail is 
connected to a boom, the boom being pivotable about a midpoint wherein 
pressure on the edges of the sides of the sail can be equalized. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a plan for a 
sail on a sailing craft wherein the boom comprises two parallel members 
and means to roller reef the sail about one of the members of the boom. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a plan for a 
sail which may be used on a sail boat, an ice boat and a land yacht. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a plan for a 
sail on a sailing craft, wherein means are provided to move the top of the 
mast in a forward and an aft direction. 
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a plan for 
a sail on a catamaran type sailboat wherein a control ring is connected to 
the boom whereby pivotal and rotational movement of the sail may be 
controlled by a person seated on the hull. 
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, there is 
disclosed a plan for a sail on a sailing craft having a hull such as a 
sailboat, an ice boat, a land yacht and the like. The hull has a first 
end, a second opposite end in a longitudinal plane with the first end and 
an amidships between the first end and the second end. The plan includes a 
mast having a bottom and a top. The bottom of the mast is mounted near the 
first end of the hull, and the mast is angled upwardly therefrom, wherein 
the top of the mast is approximately above the amidships of the hull. 
Support means are provided to connect the top of the mast to the hull for 
further support for the mast. A boom is provided having a length, a first 
end, a second end and a midpoint. The midpoint of the boom is rotatably 
mounted approximately amidships of the hull, wherein the boom is disposed 
between the support means and the mast and may rotate about a vertical 
axis through 360.degree. in a plane parallel to the plane of the hull. In 
this manner, the ends of the boom avoid contact with the support means and 
the mast. A triangular sail is provided having side edges, a bottom edge 
and an upper corner between the side edges. The bottom edge of the sail is 
connected to the boom. The upper corner of the sail is releasable 
connected to the top of the mast wherein the sail may be raised and 
lowered with respect to the top of the mast. The support means may be a 
second mast having a bottom and a top. The bottom of the second mast is 
mounted near the second end of the hull and angles upward therefrom such 
that the top of the second mast is joined to the top of the first mast at 
a juncture above the hull. In an alternate embodiment, the support means 
includes a sprit extending outwardly from the first end of the hull, a 
stay having a first end connected to the sprit and a second end connected 
to the top of the mast to support the mast. In this manner , the stay may 
be tightened and loosened to permit adjustments to the mast. A cable 
having a first end is connected to the second opposite end of the hull and 
a second end of the cable is connected to the top of the mast to further 
support the mast. 
A means for steering the sailing craft in a desired direction is provided 
which includes a first control means for controlling the means for 
steering the sailing craft and a second control means for controlling the 
rotation of the boom and the sail connected thereto. Both of said control 
means are disposed at a single location on the hull whereby the sailing 
craft may be sailed by a single sailor from said location. 
The sail has a first corner (clew) and a second corner (tack) adjacent to 
the bottom edge of the sail, the first corner or the sail is movable 
laterally and is connected to the first end of the boom. The second corner 
of the sail is movable laterally and is connected to the second end of the 
boom, wherein the bottom edge of the sail is disposed along the length of 
the boom. The midpoint of the boom is further pivotably mounted 
approximately amidships of the hull, whereby the boom may pivot above and 
below the plane parallel the plane of the hull throughout the 360.degree. 
of rotation of the boom. The boom has an upper member and a substantially 
parallel lower member, the members being connected at the respective ends 
of the boom. At least one side of the sail is releasable connected to the 
upper member of the boom. 
In another embodiment, the sailing craft is a catamaran type sailboat. A 
control ring is connected to the boom, and pivotal and rotational 
movements of the sail may be controlled by a person seated on the hull of 
the sailing craft. 
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from 
a reading of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the 
enclosed drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the FIGS. 1-8, the sailboat 11 has a hull 12 which has a 
bow 13 and a stern 14 in the longitudinal plane of the hull 12 and an 
amidships 15 between the bow 13 and the stern 14. A forward mast 16 is 
mounted near the bow 13 of the hull 12, and an aft mast 17 is mounted near 
the stern 14 of the hull 12. Both masts 16,17 are mounted in a manner so 
that the tops of the masts are angled inwardly, and the respective tops 18 
of the masts 16, 17 are joined at a juncture at a point above the hull 12. 
Preferably, each mast 16,17 further has a cross member 19 attached thereto 
between the hull 12 and the top 18. The cross member 19 is substantially 
perpendicular to the respective mast 16,17 and the ends extend outwardly 
from each mast 16,17 toward the port and starboard sides such that the 
cross members 19 are substantially parallel to the plane of the hull 12. 
To support the masts 16,17, stays 20 are connected to each mast. One end 
of each stay 20 is connected to the top 18 of the respective mast 16,17, 
and the intermediate section of the stay 20 is attached to the end of the 
respective cross member 19. The other opposite ends of the respective 
stays 20 are connected to the hull 12 at the port and starboard edges of 
the hull 12 adjacent to the mounting of the respective forward and aft 
masts 16,17. In this manner, the masts 16,17 are securely supported to the 
hull 12. 
A boom 25 having a first end 26 and a second end 27 is mounted 
approximately amidships 15 of the hull 12. The mounting is also 
approximately at the midpoint between the port and starboard sides of the 
hull 12. The midpoint of the boom 25 is rotatably mounted on the hull 12 
in a manner whereby the boom 25 may rotate about a vertical axis through 
360.degree. in a plane parallel to the plane of the hull. The length of 
the boom 25 is less than the distance between the masts 16,17 in the plane 
of rotation such that the ends 26,27 of the boom 25 avoid contact with the 
masts 16,17 (FIGS. 2,3). In a preferred embodiment, the boom 25 is formed 
of an upper member 28 and a lower member 29 which are connected at the 
ends thereof so that the ends of the respective members 28,29 are also the 
ends 26,27 of the boom 25. The midpoint of the boom 25 is further 
pivotally mounted at the point 30 at which the boom 25 is rotatably 
mounted. In this manner, the boom 25 may also pivot above and below plane 
parallel to a the plane of the hull 12 throughout the entire 360.degree. 
rotation of the boom 25 (FIG. 4). 
A boom vang 31 may be connected between the boom 25 and the axle 47. The 
boom vang 31 is an adjustable connector which may be tightened or 
loosened. The boom vang 31 limits the movement of the boom 25 and the sail 
35 attached thereto in both the rotational and the pivotal modes. The boom 
vang permits the shape of the sail 35 to be controlled since, when secured 
in a desired position by the boom vang 31, the amount of air being spilled 
from the sail 35 can be controlled. 
A triangular sail 35 having a first corner 36, a second corner 37, a third 
corner 38, and side edges 39,40 is mounted on the boom 25. The sail 35 is 
made of fabric, polyester, or similar material commonly used on sail boats 
or wind-powered vehicles. The foot 41 of the sail 35 is the side of the 
sail 35 which is between the first corner 36 and the second corner 37 and 
is disposed adjacent to the length of the boom 25. The third corner 38 of 
the sail 35 is movably mounted to the juncture at the top 18 of the masts 
16,17 in a manner whereby the third corner 38 of the sail 35 can be raised 
and/or lowered (FIG. 5). The first and second corners 36,37 of the sail 35 
are movable laterally and are connected to the respective first end 26 and 
second end 27 of the boom 25 by outhauls 42 as ar known to persons skilled 
in the art (FIG. 6). Preferably, the corners 36,37 of the sail 35 are 
attached to outhauls 42 on the upper member 28 of the boom 25. The lateral 
movement of the corners of the sail 25 permits the sailor to set the bag 
of the sail 25 by having a greater or lesser cup in the sail. 
A pulley means is preferably mounted at the top 18 of the mast 12 and a 
halyard 45 is passed through the pulley. One end of the halyard 45 is 
connected to the third corner 38 of the sail and the halyard 45 is 
disposed along the mast, preferably the aft mast 17. The opposite end of 
the halyard 45 is releasably wrapped about a cleat or the like, preferably 
mounted on the mast 17 near the hull 12 so that the sailor may rapidly and 
easily be able to raise and/or lower the sail 35 by pulling or releasing 
the halyard 45. 
When the sail 35 is lowered, it is reefed on the boom 25. It is preferred 
that the sail 35 be roller reefed about the upper member 28 of the boom 
25. The upper member 28 of the boom 25 is rotatable, and a crank 46 is 
provided on the end of the boom 25 to enable the sailor to rapidly and 
easily roll the upper member 28 of the boom 25 so that the sail 35 may be 
rolled about the boom 25. 
In a preferred embodiment, the boom 25 is connected to an axle 47 which has 
a drum means 48 mounted on the lower end thereof. The drum means 48 is 
connected to a sailwheel drum 49 by cables whereby rotation of the 
sailwheel drum 49 causes rotation of the drum means 48, the axle 47, the 
boom 25 and the sail 35. For ease of steering, a sailwheel 50 is connected 
to the sailwheel drum 49. The sailwheel 50 is turned by the sailor as 
required to permit rapid and easy rotational movement of the sail 35 
through 360.degree.. 
The rudder 51 which is the steering means for the sailboat preferably is 
connected to a rudder drum 52 by cables whereby rotation of the rudder 
drum 52 causes rotation of the rudder 51. The rudder drum 51 is connected 
to a rudder wheel 53 which may be turned by the sailor as required for 
steering of the boat. (FIG. 7) Other means of interconnecting the axle 47 
and the sailwheel 50 and the rudder 51 to the rudder drum 51 may be used, 
as are known to persons skilled in the art. These may be belts, chains, 
gears, hydraulic plans, etc. 
The sailwheel 50 and the rudder wheel 53 are preferably collocated at a 
single point or in close proximity to on another whereby the sailor may 
easily control the vehicle from a single location on the hull 12. A 
preferred location is approximately amidships 15 but other locations may 
be used. 
The rudder wheel 53 and sailwheel 50 may be mounted on concentric shafts so 
that one wheel is disposed immediately in front of the other wheel to 
further permit control of the vehicle from a single location. 
With the controls of the present invention, there is no necessity to have 
lines and winches for effecting these controls resulting in the advantage 
of having clear decks on the boat and reducing the weight of the boat, in 
addition to the advantage of one-person operation from a single location. 
Still a further advantage of the present invention is the ability to 
equalize pressure on the side edges 40 of the sail 35 by pivoting the sail 
35 about the point 30. 
When the wind is caught by the sail 35, the wind increases pressure on one 
of the side edges 40 of the sail. It is often desirable to alter the 
pressure either to change the course of the vehicle or for more efficient 
sailing. The ability of the plan of the present invention to pivot the 
boom 25 greatly increases the ease with which the change in pressure can 
be achieved. When the boom 25 and the lower edge of the sail 30 attached 
thereto is pivoted, the end of the boom which is distal from the top 18 of 
the mast induces increased pressure on the corresponding edge of the sail 
35. Thus, the sailor can determine which edge of the sail 35 is to have 
decreased pressure or decreased pressure applied thereto to balance the 
pressure being caused by the wind. 
In an alternate embodiment (FIG. 8), a single mast 55 is mounted on the 
hull 12 of the sailboat 11, preferable being mounted on the stern 14. The 
mast 55 is angled upwardly over the hull 12 such that the top 56 of the 
mast is above the hull 12 and approximately amidship thereof. A sprit 57 
is mounted on the hull 12 and extends outwardly from the hull 12. When the 
single mast 55 is mounted on the stern 14, the sprit 57 is a stern sprit; 
and when the mast is mounted on the bow 13, the sprit 57 is a bow sprit. A 
first cable (or stay 58) has a first end connected to the sprit 57 and a 
second end connected to the top 56 of the mast 55 to secure the mast 55. 
Further, a second cable 59 has a first end connected to the end of the 
hull 12 opposite to the sprit 57 and a second end connected to the top 56 
of the mast 55 to further secure the mast 55 Slight adjustments to the 
angular disposition of the mast 55 may be made by increasing and/or 
decreasing the tension of the braces 58,59. Alternately, the first end of 
the first cable 58 and first end of the second cable 59 may be connected 
therebetween by third cable 60 in a substantially continuous loop wherein 
third cable 60 passes approximately amidships 15 of the sailing craft and 
is readily accessible to the sailor at the control location. The first end 
of the first cable 58 and the first end of the second cable 59 are 
slidably connected to the respective ends of the hull. Means such as a 
gear may be connected to the third cable 60 to permit the sailor to 
increase tension on the desired first or second cable 58,59 to move the 
top of the mast 55 forward or aft as desired. This permits additional 
control of the sail to obtain greater or lesser cupping to spill the wind. 
The single mast 55 is further secured by a cross member 19 and stays 20 as 
described above concerning the two-masted embodiment. The mounting of the 
boom 25 and the sail 35 are substantially the same as described above with 
respect to the two-masted embodiment. 
A further embodiment is the use of the system of the present invention on a 
catamaran-type sailboat (FIG. 9). The term "hull" 12, as used herein, 
includes the twin hulls of the catamaran and the forward and aft crossbars 
between the hulls. As with the previously described embodiment, the 
catamaran may have a single mast 65 angled upwardly over the hull or may 
have a forward mast and an aft mast which are angled upwardly with the 
tops 66 of the respective masts 65 joined at a juncture approximately 
amidship over the hull 12. Stays 20 are connected between the tops 66 of 
the respective masts 65 and the hull 12, to support the masts 65 as 
previously described. A sprit 57 may extend outwardly from the hull 12 and 
a cable 58 may be connected between the sprit 57 and the top of the mast 
66 to provide support for the mast 65 as in the previously described 
embodiment. The boom 25 is mounted approximately amidship in a manner as 
described above, so that the boom 25 may rotate horizontally about a 
vertical axis through 360.degree. in a plane parallel to the plane of the 
hull 12 without the ends of the boom 25 contacting the mast 65 or the 
stays 20. The boom 25 is also pivotally mounted to permit vertical 
movement of the boom 25 above and below the plane parallel to the plane of 
the hull 12 throughout the 360.degree. rotation of the boom 25. The boom 
25 may be formed of an upper member and a lower member as previously 
described. Also, the sail may be roller reefed about the boom 25 in a 
manner as disclosed above. A control ring 67 is attached to the underside 
of the boom 25 to permit persons seated at any location on the trampoline 
66 to both rotate and pivot the boom 25, and concomitantly the sail 35 
attached thereto, to any desired position with respect to the fore and aft 
axis of the hull 12. 
The plan of the present invention may be used on any type of sailing craft 
which is wind powered and propelled by a sail mounted on a mast. Thus, the 
plan may be used with an ice boat 70 which has runners 72 affixed to the 
bottom of the hull to contact the ice. (FIG. 10) Also, the plan may be 
used with a land yacht 75 (FIG. 11) which has wheels 76 between the hull 
and the land surface. At least one of the wheels 78 is movable for 
steering of the land yacht 75. 
In either the ice boat 70 or the land yacht 75, the axle 47 has an upper 
end connected to the boom 25 and a lower end connected to a line means 73 
which may extend along the side of the sailing craft 70,75 adjacent to the 
operator's seat or may be connected to a steering means on the sailing 
craft. In any configuration, the operator moves the line means to control 
rotation of the boom 25 and sail 35 through the desired 360.degree. of 
rotation. Also, in either the ice boat 70 or the land yacht 75, pedals 77 
are mounted in the sailing craft accessible to the feet of the operator. 
The pedals 77 are connected to the forward runner 74 or forward wheel 78 
in front of the sailing craft in a manner whereby the respective runner 74 
or wheel 78 can be steered in the desired direction. In addition, both the 
ice boat 70 and the land yacht 75 have a brake system on the rear runners 
or rear wheels, respectively, which is hand operated by a brake means 80 
(such as a lever) which is readily accessible to the operator. Further, 
both the ice boat 70 and the land yacht 75 have a jam cleat 81 readily 
accessible to the operator. The jam cleat 81 is connected to the top of 
the sail 35 by a halyard 82 and provides a means for emergency release of 
the sail 35 from the top of the masts 18 when the sailing craft is in a 
hazardous situation. 
The plan of the present invention may also be installed on a reduced size 
model sailing craft 85 which is remotely controlled by radio signals and 
an antenna 86. The model may be sail boat, an ice boat, a land yacht or 
the like which has a sail mounted on at least one mast as in the present 
invention. (FIG. 12) The transmitter, receiver and controls thereof are 
not included in the present invention. 
In all of the usages, the sail 35 may further have transparent portions at 
the first corner 36 and the second corner 37 thereof. In this manner, tell 
tales 43 attached on both sides of the sail can be easily seen by the 
sailor irrespective of the degree of rotation of the sail 35 through the 
entire 360.degree. range. The tell tales 43 are used by the sailor to 
determine the wind flow in respect to the set of the sail and to more 
effectively control the sail for optimum propulsion. 
Several significant advantages are derived from the present invention as 
compared to conventional systems for sailing craft. One major advantage is 
the ease with which a sailor can change the angle of the sail within 360 
degrees without handling winches and sheet lines simply by turning the 
helm sail or sail control ring. Due to this 360.degree. rotation within 
the masts, the need to jibe is substantially eliminated. This feature 
permits the sailing craft to turn much more rapidly, thereby saving time 
in racing events and reducing stress on the masts and sails. The sailing 
craft has the ability to sail backwards or to have the effect of braking 
due to its 360.degree. degree trajectory (or orbit) of the sail. The load 
on the hull has been placed near the center of gravity, thereby lessening 
the weather helm. 
As a result of the above design, a sailing craft is provided which is 
sailable by one person from one position amidships. The sailing craft is 
controlled and turned without stressing the sail and/or mast. The sail can 
easily be turned to "spill" the wind as desired. No complex, heavy and 
bulky block and tackle systems are required. The deck area is clear of jib 
sheet lines and winches when used with a sailboat, pitch, rock, roll and 
heeling are significantly reduced because the sail is centered on the 
sailing craft and the load on the edge of the sails is minimized. It is 
estimated that work required to operate the sailing craft of the present 
invention, as compared to a conventional sailboat, is reduced by 
approximately 80%. 
Obviously, many modifications may be made without departing from the basic 
spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it will be appreciated by 
those skilled in the art that within the scope of the appended claims, the 
invention may be practiced other than has been specifically described 
herein.