Harken, Incorporated

Greg W Hartlmeier

Olaf T Harken

John Christianson

Douglas Drake

Thomas Omohundro

An improved top down furling system includes one or more improved components. A lower rotary drive unit with a rotary tack swivel rotates against a fixed portion of the furler, or is configured to permit routing of the tack line below the unit. The system may include an anti-torsion cable constructed in a manner so as to be able to transmit torque without excessive tension applied to the cable. The system also may include an end terminal of the anti-torsion cable having a quick side mount or bayonet type connection to the rotary drive unit.

Top down furling system

A boom vang system for sailboats has a rear facing pivotal cam cleat arm hingedly connected to a rigid tang on the sailboat mast. When the boom vang rotates off the centerline of the boat, as for instance will occur when the boat is sailing downwind and the boom and sail are blow off the centerline of the boat, the pivotal connection of the cam cleat arm, to the tang allows for the cam cleat to be urged into alignment with the sailor regardless of his position on the boat. The cam cleat arm may rotate along an arc lying in a plane substantially parallel to the boat deck. Sheeves and pulleys may be rigidly connected to the rigid tang to prevent tangling of lines.

Boom vang for sailing vessel

A furling sail system for rotatably dispensing and retrieving a furling sail has a rotating swivel and drum for attachment to the sail. Each of the drum and swivel have a body with a perimeter, with cordage attachment means on the body for attaching the furling sail with a length of cordage. The cordage attachment means have a pair of cooperating passages for guiding a length of cordage about at least 40% of the respective body perimeter.

Furling sail system

A bearing block has a head containing a totatably mounted post to enable attachment of the block on a support. A manually operated latch mechanism is mounted in the head, and the latch may be moved into engagement with one or more recesses in the post to lock the post in a given position.

Swivel post latch system for bearing block

A furling foil rotatably mounted on a stay of a sailing vessel carries the forward edge of the sail, and the foil is rotated to furl the sail. The foil is of composite construction and has an inner reinforcing braided layer of high tensile filaments extending helically in both directions to substantially increase the torsion resistance of the foil while allowing the foil to be bent or coiled along its length for easy transportation and storage.

Growing community of inventors

Whitefish Bay, WI, United States of America

Greg W Hartlmeier