A watercraft with buoyant hydrofoil vanes

摘要

This invention relates to watercraft having a set of at least four buoyant hydrofoil vanes 1 that float in the water and are secured in position by a deck structure 2 and 3 that is suspended above the water and houses the crew and the propulsion units 4 and 5. The deck structure is suspended above the water even when the watercraft is stationary. The watercraft may have two pairs of vanes attached to the deck structure which may be suitable for one mast 5 and a sail 4. A steering fin 15 may be attached to the lower part of a vane to increase maneuverability of the watercraft. More than four vanes may be provided to accommodate more crew and topside equipment. A hinge mechanism (8, Fig 2) and a clamp mechanism (9, Fig 2) may allow the vanes to fold up under cross arms 2 of the deck structure for the purposes of beaching the watercraft. Each pair of vanes may have a facility for adjusting the angle at which the vanes are set to the flow of the water. The vanes may be detachable from the cross arms and the cross arms may be detachable from beams 3 that run fore and aft and support the topside equipment.