Universal Hull -- sailing in light breezes

We started testing the sailing performance of 18 ft Universal Hull prototype on a bright winter's day with light and fluky winds. With its easily handled single sail and small sail area, it manoeuvres easily and is perfectly balanced when deliberately heeled to extreme angles. Even in light breezes, as the final sequence shows, it is capable of planing to windward, generating much of its own apparent wind. This is a revolutionary performance for a wooden monohull, and we haven't scratched the surface of its potential performance.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• boat
• sea
• wave
• sail
• water
• sailing
• prototype
• wind
• universal
• monohull
• wooden

[warwickcollinsuk]

Carl, your thoughts are much appreciated. I'm a big admirer of your magazines. I'll do my best to contact you.

[warwickcollinsuk]

WuffWuffOhFlashy -- may I call you Wuff? -- many thanks for your kind words.

[newsnetuk]

Hate the music - but love the boat.

Back in the early 1950s I used to sail an open 18 foot clinker-built yawl which had been built in 1860. She had a reverse angle bow like a Victorian battleship - although with not quite as much sweep-back as you've given your boat .She was faster than most other boats of her kind perhaps because of the increased waterline length provided by the bow protrusion.

Your boat has enormous potential

[usacitizen1000]

I've been a big advocate of the aft-mast rig for years, particularly my 'single-masted ketch' version, and I've experienced my share of naysayers to new concepts. So I appreciated your comment, "the best type of research science has no fear of being wrong, because we often lear as much from a theory which is proved wrong as from one which is proved right. Instead we make progress with bold predictions..."

Brian

RunningTideYachts com

[usacitizen1000]

Hi Warwick,

A reference to your article and the videos was recently added to my extensive discussions of aft mast sailing rigs on BoatDesign net. I subsequently have re-read your article several times and viewed the videos a number of times....very interesting material, and presented in an intelligent format. I have subsequently added links to this article and videos on several of the boating forums I participate in.

Brian,

RunningTideYachts

[WoodenBoatVideos]

@warwickcollinsuk

Hi, Warwick. I'd love to invite you to our PechaKucha event at IBEX this year (see ProBoat.com). PM me? carl @ proboat.com

[WoodenBoatVideos]

@warwickcollinsuk

Hi, Warwick. I'd love to invite you to our PechaKucha event at IBEX this year (see ProBoat.com). PM me? carl@proboat.com

[WoodenBoatVideos]

Congratulations, Warwick! This is a perfect compliment to the article in Seahorse.

We (WoodenBoat, Professional BoatBuilder magazines) might be interested in your ideas... Carl Cramer