Tech Guides
Holger Claussen, a custom EX40 builder in Ireland, plans to make custom resin infused solar panels to fit the roof of his windward hull. The test panels look amazing, and the experimentation process has resulted in a very detailed Solar Cell Infusion Guide, which he has kindly made available for the Harryproa builders. He has also made a very clever Automatic Navigation Light Control for proas, also documented as a DIY guide and available with the Harryproa building plans. See previews below.
His latest work is an impressive Proa Hull Shape Optimization study which involves wast amounts of coding, and model testing for validation. Available for download below.
Proa Hull Shape Optimization
“The hull shape of a sailboat plays a key role in the overall performance. In this document a novel method for automatically optimizing hull shapes for proa sailboats is proposed to minimize the overall resistance including waves, friction, air drag, based on a speed dependent weight distribution and dynamic lift.”
— Proa Hull Optimization - Abstract
Proa Hull Shape Optimization
Custom Solar Panels using Vacuum Infusion
Creating custom solar panels can have many advantages including more flexibility in the design in terms of shape, surface finish, cooling, as well as lower costs, but comes with several challenges that need to be overcome. This guide describes how custom solar panels can be manufactured in a non-commercial setting at home using vacuum infusion.
Proa Navigation Light Control
Proa sailboats require to have two sets of navigation lights on each end, and switching them when changing direction. Today, this is usually performed manually when shunting, which is inconvenient, and if forgotten a major safety risk. This guide describes how to build and program a navigation light controller that can fully automate the switching of navigation lights.
