Gyroscope on a sailboat??

[BenBowSirocco]

Anyone ever heard of a gyro stabilizer on a sailboat?

I’m thinking it may positively effect performance by reducing heel.

My searches of the web come up empty.

[jeanathon]

Are you talking about a gyro for the whole boat? My first thought was you were thinking of one for a compass.

[BenBowSirocco]

A gyro stabilizer for the entire boat.

Very popular on larger center consoles and powerboat cruisers.

[Chotu]

Make sense to me but Sailors are way too cheap for that. Ha ha.

Have you seen the price of the sea keeper brand stabilization system?

Might take a hit on adding all that weight too.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Make sense to me but Sailors are way too cheap for that. Ha ha.

Have you seen the price of the sea keeper brand stabilization system?

Might take a hit on adding all that weight too.

and the generator to run it.

about 10amps for the control unit. 15amps for the cooling water pump and about 60amps for the gyro itself.

[BenBowSirocco]

Sea keeper has many inherent flaws that make it maintenance intensive.

The QUICK is the better unit. I spec’ed them all out when I was working for a center console manufacturer.

Not interested in price/weight/amps- I’m asking has anyone done it? Heard of it done?
Trying to see if there are any experiences with them aboard a sailing vessel.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by BenBowSirocco

Sea keeper has many inherent flaws that make it maintenance intensive.

The QUICK is the better unit. I spec’ed them all out when I was working for a center console manufacturer.

Not interested in price/weight/amps- I’m asking has anyone done it? Heard of it done?
Trying to see if there are any experiences with them aboard a sailing vessel.

I don't think it has been done on a sailboat.

You can be the first.

Please report back with the results.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by BenBowSirocco

Sea keeper has many inherent flaws that make it maintenance intensive.

The QUICK is the better unit. I spec’ed them all out when I was working for a center console manufacturer.

Not interested in price/weight/amps- I’m asking has anyone done it? Heard of it done?
Trying to see if there are any experiences with them aboard a sailing vessel.

I think you’re going to need to do the math on this. Adding the amount of weight that you are talking about, you may very well negate any efficiency that you have by keeping the boat more upright.

No one has done it.

[Ifitsworthdoing]

A proper motor sailer would seem to be the better platform to test this out …

[rotrax]

Someone built a yacht with the mast fitted to an internal pivoting ring on bearings that allowed the mast to heel but not the boat.


Cant have been much good, never heard of it since......................

[Martkimwat]

A gyro stabiliser is just that, it works to limit the amount the boat rolls from side to side, on a sailboat it could not do anything to limit the amount of heel, if that is what you are thinking. It can only attempt to hold the boat at any given amount of heel by virtue of the through hull vanes on either side. It might have some limited success in gusty conditions but otherwise would be pretty useless.

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by rotrax

Someone built a yacht with the mast fitted to an internal pivoting ring on bearings that allowed the mast to heel but not the boat.


Cant have been much good, never heard of it since......................

????? You sure you’re not talking about the aerorig (i think) which alloes the mast to pivot around its base (not heel)?

[Kd9truck]

There are gyroscopes in some of the advanced auto pilots to help the system anticipate the sea state and counter steer to stay on course. There are Lots of choices for stability in the sailboat format, heavy displacement and catamarans are more suited for the tender stomachs.

[rotrax]

Originally Posted by Clivevon

????? You sure you’re not talking about the aerorig (i think) which alloes the mast to pivot around its base (not heel)?

No, I am familiar with Aerorigs, a fellow club member commissioned a new one and has owned it twenty years. It goes very well, but has poor internal space.




This yacht had an internal bearing supported ring at 90 degrees to the hull line. A opening in the deck allowed the mast, fitted to this ring, to heel, but not the boat.


I cant see where it got its forward drive from.


It was a complicated answer to a simple problem.


Which is perhaps why I have heard nothing of it since.


Covered in Yachting Monthly IIRC.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Martkimwat

A gyro stabiliser is just that, it works to limit the amount the boat rolls from side to side, on a sailboat it could not do anything to limit the amount of heel, if that is what you are thinking. It can only attempt to hold the boat at any given amount of heel by virtue of the through hull vanes on either side. It might have some limited success in gusty conditions but otherwise would be pretty useless.

This is exactly my understanding of how these devices work. They will dampen or minimize a changing orientation IE rolling (do they also control pitch in a powerboat?) in a boat but a constant angle of heel would not be effected at all.