Summit of Simplicity – an Aerorig
An Aerorig is made up of a mast, a main boom and a fore-boom. The mast is totally unstayed and is mounted in two bearings – one on the bottom of the hull and one in the deck. These allow the mast, and therefore the whole rig, to rotate freely. The jib is completely self-tacking and mounted on a traveller on the mast.
As long as more sail is set behind the mast than in front of it, the Aerorig will weathercock into wind if left to its own devices. The whole rig can therefore be controlled and the sail angle set by restricting the angle of rotation using a single mainsheet. A ‘single-handed-operation with electric drum-winches’ for control
This is amazingly easy to manage and trim compared with a conventional rig. Furthermore, the mainsheet loading is only about one third of that on an equivalent stayed rig because the rotational force of the jib offsets that of the mainsail – hence a “balanced” rig.
Shorthanded passage making is so easy, the low sheet loads are so much safer with children on board, an Aerorig has no standing rigging to maintain, the visibility and space on deck are improved, sailing on a dead run is no longer a dangerous nightmare, jibing an Aerorig is a breeze, short tacking to windward up a narrow channel is effortless
AeroRig is THE ideal cruising rig for a husband and wife or a short-handed crew. It’s fast, it’s very easy to handle, and it’s extremely reliable.
Innovative aspect of the aerorig on Ecolution is the fact that the boom will rotate in respect to the mast with a maximum of 35 degrees. The result is an optimal airflow of the mainsail and the wing profile of the mast.
The construction of two carbon fiber masts (Lorima) of each 24 meters high is very stiff. Therefore, for added security during extreme conditions, diamant-shapes stays are applied.
The masts of Ecolution have a wing profile and rotate 180 degrees.
The booms each measure 7 meters behind the mast and 3 meters for the mast.
Going downwind the aerorig really shows its advantages; the mainsheet is simply eased and the aerorig becomes essentially a powerful square rigger As such the aerorig yacht sails much faster than a traditional yacht with a spinnaker that is not flown, and the aerorig is much faster than a conventional wing-on-wing setup because more sail area is presented to the wind.
• The aerorig is very strong. No aerorig has ever been dismasted
• There are no shrouds to inspect – to maintain or replace – to break. The decks are clear
