Anyone seen sailboat rigging like this?

Being a closet sailing freak, I thought I had seen just about every kind of sail rig there was. Was walking around the back of the repair yard where the broken dreams go to rest and saw this aluminum hulled boat. Took me a second to realize that the rigging was quite novel.

Note that the fore and aft stays do not go to the hull but rather support the end of the booms. Also the booms are fixed to the mast,so I have to assume that the mast pivots?

Would love to know more about the history of this boat. The waterline stain makes it seem it was sunk by the rear at some point.

I'll preface by saying I know nothing about sailboats.

I just googled and found that it is called a "rotating AeroRig".

Check that, it will have some info

Good question. I've done a little sailing and seen many rigs too but this is new and interesting to me also. What a grand and sad sight! One can't help but wonder the story of these things. On the topic, YouTube channel 'SV Delos' has some stellar sailing adventures chronicled...with babes.

Never seen something like that, and also never seen an aluminum hull. The name makes me think of ties to Alcoa Aluminum, obviously. Makes me wonder if it was some kind of promotional build. My first thought on the rig was one of the vertical wing type hard sails. On those the mast does usually rotate.

EDIT1:with a little googling I see that aluminum yachts are out there, but not common. Also AeroRig looks to be the right call. Here's a description of an AeroRig catamaran: http://www.multihulldesigns.com/pdf/aero56story2.pdf

EDIT2: a thread with a good discussion of the AeroRig form someone who sails one: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?364987-Aero-rig-benefits

Lebanon, Ohio is between Dayton and Cincinnati and now the boat is in London, ON. That would imply that this was a Lake Erie boat but I have never seen it in all my years in Lake Erie.

The boat is registered.

Looks pretty rough for a 2002 build year.

Nike's boat Karl has an aluminum hull.

Now to go read up on the Aerorig.

All read up on the AeroRig. Lots of controversy and interesting reading.

The boat is on the hard up in Mackinaw city where me and the missus just spent a few days looking around and chilling, so maybe Erie is not where you would expect to see it.

Aluminum hulls are generally French. Not sure why, but they like them. The biggest problem with them is stray current in the water from other boats eating the aluminum.

As for the AeroRig.. while that application is new.. it's hardly a new design. The practical idea has been around for about a century

Interesting idea. It basically ties the main and jib together since they both should need about the same angle of attack anyway. I would guess the main drawback would be that it puts all the forces on the mast when it is normal well distributed by the stays. Probably a good amount heavier and can't take as much sail as a traditional setup.

AeroRig seems to be the single-hander's dream rig as it only requires one line to handle all the sails.

Not as efficient as a well tuned conventional rig, but the counter-argument is that very few sailors actually do a good job of tuning the sails anyways so the AeroRig is doing a better job by default. The AeorRig is always running at its optimum efficiency regardless of who is sailing or how lazy they want to be.

A couple of places list the owner of that boat as also being the builder. And it also looks like he passed in 2012. So that boat's probably not going anywhere soon.

slowride wrote: A couple of places list the owner of that boat as also being the builder. And it also looks like he passed in 2012. So that boat's probably not going anywhere soon.

Is there like a build thread? Love to know more. Will not try to buy it.

For that specific boat, no, just minimal registration info and an obituary. But here is a pretty epic build thread for a different boat:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/16cc9n/my_parents_spent_14_years_building_a_45_aluminum/

http://imgur.com/a/MmUS7

Does the sail auto-furl into that beam?

NOHOME wrote: The waterline stain makes it seem it was sunk by the rear at some point.

Thats a weld seam is seems, and a change in contour, not a water line

I have worked on Cement boats.

Yes, Cement. The vessel is framed up in 2 layers of welded rebar.

Then let sit for a season or 2, the oxidation provides for better concrete adhesion.

Then bring in the Shot-Crete machine and a horde of trowelers.

Epoxy paint and launch.

bentwrench wrote: I have worked on Cement boats. Yes, Cement. The vessel is framed up in 2 layers of welded rebar. Then let sit for a season or 2, the oxidation provides for better concrete adhesion. Then bring in the Shot-Crete machine and a horde of trowelers. Epoxy paint and launch.

I am familiar with Ferro Cement hulls. Not my cup of tea for some reason but they do seem to work.