I have been windsurfing for 47 years. The windsurfer rig, sometimes called wishbone Rig would work on any sailing craft, multihull or monohull. When the rig is attached to the hull with universal joint, then you steer using the sail (moving the center of effort forward to fall off the wind and aft to turn closer to the wind, no rudder is needed. The rudder is like a brake unless it is in aligned with the center line of the boat. One more interesting thing about the wishbone rig is the foot of the sail act like a boom vang, preventing too much twist in the top of the sail.
I'm old enough to remember Bill Drake's Water Spyder -- a windsurfer with amas. It was still around when I was windsurfing (20 years ago). I was fine on a monohull board then, but the additional stability if offered was intriguing. Then I read a story about a trip to Catalina he made in company with a conventional board sailor. They were a few miles from the island when the wind died. The board sailor was able to ghost in, but Drake had to paddle the last four miles. I stopped dreaming about it then, but now that I'm 76 and can't balance on a board any more, your poll got me thinking about it again. I own a Hobie Adventure Island, which I think is the closest thing around to a recumbent windsurfer. Great fun, but I'd love to have the thrill again of standing-up sailing and being the mast! I realize you wouldn't have near the speed of a single-hull board, but the idea is still intriguing and might get old codgers like me back up and out there.
This would no longer be about "wind surfing," but multihull sailing. No need for the sailor to stand up. Just add thee stays and maybe a bench, and you have a better boat.
Ahh... the imaginative technicolor world of AI!
I have been windsurfing for 47 years. The windsurfer rig, sometimes called wishbone Rig would work on any sailing craft, multihull or monohull. When the rig is attached to the hull with universal joint, then you steer using the sail (moving the center of effort forward to fall off the wind and aft to turn closer to the wind, no rudder is needed. The rudder is like a brake unless it is in aligned with the center line of the boat. One more interesting thing about the wishbone rig is the foot of the sail act like a boom vang, preventing too much twist in the top of the sail.
I'm old enough to remember Bill Drake's Water Spyder -- a windsurfer with amas. It was still around when I was windsurfing (20 years ago). I was fine on a monohull board then, but the additional stability if offered was intriguing. Then I read a story about a trip to Catalina he made in company with a conventional board sailor. They were a few miles from the island when the wind died. The board sailor was able to ghost in, but Drake had to paddle the last four miles. I stopped dreaming about it then, but now that I'm 76 and can't balance on a board any more, your poll got me thinking about it again. I own a Hobie Adventure Island, which I think is the closest thing around to a recumbent windsurfer. Great fun, but I'd love to have the thrill again of standing-up sailing and being the mast! I realize you wouldn't have near the speed of a single-hull board, but the idea is still intriguing and might get old codgers like me back up and out there.
This would no longer be about "wind surfing," but multihull sailing. No need for the sailor to stand up. Just add thee stays and maybe a bench, and you have a better boat.
Since i have an aging BIC board and gear, I might see if a couple of other people are in the same boat (pun intended) and lash up an experimental tri.