wind sock as riding sail

[mattonthesea]

I was pondering last summer, as the boat pointed almost downwind on anchor, about hoisting a wind sock as a riding sail. If on a halyard on the back stay with a downhaul and clipped to the stay the would it hold? My thinking is that it would permanently be hauling downwind and be smooth in transition.

And it dropped over the stern it would work to hold boat pointing to the swell too.

Why am I wrong?

 

[jiris]

Don't know how big your boat is (and I am assuming there is some significant current involved too), but unless it a canoe ;-), it would have to be a bloody BIG windsock.

 

[NormanS]

I was pondering last summer, as the boat pointed almost downwind on anchor, about hoisting a wind sock as a riding sail. If on a halyard on the back stay with a downhaul and clipped to the stay the would it hold? My thinking is that it would permanently be hauling downwind and be smooth in transition.

And it dropped over the stern it would work to hold boat pointing to the swell too.

Why am I wrong?

A riding sail is quite a simple concept, and folds away neatly when not in use. Why reinvent the wheel? I would imagine that a windsock would require some sort of ring or other hardware to keep it open.
As far as deploying your windsock underwater, to "hold the boat pointing to the swell", maybe you would like to explain just how you think that would work.
Sorry, but I'm out!

 

[Poignard]

If by "pointing to the swell", Matt means head to tide then I have the perfect thing for that: a long keel. :encouragement:

 

[Old Bumbulum]

It would do virtually nothing at all.
A riding sail is attached to the boat at luff and leech just like any other sail and provides a surface for the wind to act against when not directly in line with the wind.. A windsock is attached at the head end only and always streams directly downwind exerting no force except a little drag on it's attachement. Even that is minimised by design for longevity of the sock and it's attachments, it's sole requirement is to indicate wind direction like a flag and indicate it's strength by how much it is 'inflated'. (Most windsocks are fully inflated at 25Kts and are then known as a 25Kt windsock.) That drag would have a small effect of course but only a fraction of what a much, much smaller riding sail would achieve.
In other words it would have no more effect than a flag.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

We don't know what size your boat is, but assuming it is of moderate displacement, a working jib (no2 ?) from a small keelboat or large dingy would suffice, hanked onto your backstay and sheeted forward, to a suitable fitting, so as to keep it fairly flat and just slightly off the centreline. Your storm jib would do, but you don't want to wear it out/overexpose it to UV.

 

[NormanS]

It's easy for me (and much less necessary) with a ketch. I have a double riding sail, with slides on its luff, which go on the mizzen track, and each leach is sheeted to the quarters.

 

[Lodesman77]

Time to revisit this thread...

http://www.ybw.com/forums/album.php?albumid=212&attachmentid=26203