Here's a couple experiments I'm working on to enhance performance of the Adventure island since I'm entered in the 2013 Watertribe Everglades challenge. The Hakas have been very instrumental in making these modifications possible (thank you NOHUHU). Also thanks to Roger Mann (JollyRoger) who gave me some good jib advice in addition to a couple other of my AI sailing friends.
First speed experiment ... Haka supercharger using a 1.5 meter Pacific Action Sail from Austrailia as a great way to enhance downwind sailing. Not sure if I will incorporate this design but it was quite interesting and easy to set up and use. It somewhat works for configurations other than downwind but I haven't had enough time to test it out enough.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBAdgxT-lRY[/youtube]
Second experiment A furling jib Not only does this jib furl, you can also furl and unfurl your mainsail while the jib is deployed. Plus I can take down and disconnect the jib while underway. As the following video shows, it has a major design flaw in the mast topper which snapped it when the conditions got more intense. The break in the topper was actually a good thing because it taught me what I need to do to build a better topper. The downward pull of the topper was so intense that it broke the topper where the bolt connected the two pvc pieces together.
The pvc pieces were bolted together so I could take the assembly apart in case the bearings needed to be replaced in the future.
The other design flaw in this initial test were the guides for the furling lines were positioned too close to the centerline of the hull. For performance, it seemed opening the jib up more made a big difference. So my next version will incorporate those changes.
For anyone interested in the furling mechanism, here's where I learned how to make mine.
http://navigatorjoel.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-build-roller-furler-for-under-40.htmlAfter trimming a sail I found on Craigslist, my wife tried sewing it on her sewing machine with no luck. So I found a sailmaker to finish the job and it was well worth the money. The sailmaker was a watertribe sponsor (JSI in St. Petersburg) so that made it even better.
I ran a stainless wire up a sleeve in the sail luft to a swivel at the top toward the forestay where the swivel attached to a line that went through a harken block and back to the deck of the boat tied off to a cleat. By tying it to a cleat, I could adjust the tension of the jib while underway since this was all very new to me. And it worked quite well.
The wooden frame in the front of the AI is attached to the AI metal frame just before the front aka attachment and uses stainless u bolts. This frame is necessary to prevent the front of the boat from buckling with all the pressure exerted from the jib. Without reinforcement of a frame, the AI could buckle in the area of the front hatch.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIXqnx9dbKY[/youtube]