Experimental - Vestas Sailrocket

[Hampster]

File Name: Vestas Sailrocket

File Submitter: Hampster

File Submitted: 15 Mar 2014

File Category: Experimental

X-Plane Version(s): X-Plane 9 & 10

Vestas Sailrocket for X-Plane.

This is a model of the record breaking Vestas Sailrocket. It can only sail on one tack, but uses basic physics to achieve great speeds.
Vestas Sailrocket currently holds:

Fastest 500m speed average record: 65.45 Kts, 121 kmph, 75.2 mph

Fastest nautical mile speed average record: 55.32 Kts, 102.45 kmph

(This boat is faster than Hydroptere)

I have tried to re-enact Sailrocket for X-Plane as a basic simulation. Although the wind angle is not accurate in the simulator, you can still expect similar handling and lift effects that happens on the real thing.

In the real world, the pressures coming off the hydrofoil and the wing sail equal out to create a balanced forward movement. As the speed increases the wing beam on the boat lifts the sail section to flight and the boat is half skimming, half hydro-foiling at about 2.5 times the speed of the wind. The apparent wind speed swings forward so the boat is sailing almost directly into the wind. The offset of the fuselage is designed to point exactly into the apparent wind angle in order to decrease drag.

In X-Plane, there is no balanced force coming off the hydrofoil because water resistance underwater is not calculated. That is why you need the wind at the aft quarter of the boat, to blow it along without it slipping to leeward. The model works, but it can only to two thirds of the speed of the wind.

SETUP:
Make sure that the wind direction is in the aft quarter of the boat. If you set the wind angle too far forwards the wing sail will stall and you will never get out of irons. It will take a bit of trial and error to get the thing at the right angle, and you can do this by flicking in and out of weather setup menu to adjust wind speed and direction.

Once you get it right the boat should just take off and normalize its heading.

I have tested this model in up to 200 Kts of wind speed! (got it cruising along at about 170kts)

You will find when you increase the wind speed the wing sail will flip upwards and the boat will fly at a 45 degree angle. Lover the wing flap and this will make the boat level out.
I don't expect everybody to get this boat going, but if you do, I hope you have fun! (I'm thinking of doing a trans-atlantic sail soon)
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I hope you enjoy sailing X-Plane's fastest boat!

And if you like it, rate it!

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