Fastest Upwind Sailboat Science Fair Projects for 8th Graders

Tack Upwind with Aerodynamic Experiments!

How a sailboat works

The sails on a sailboat are similar to the airfoils on an airplane wing or a propeller. They are shaped to cause aerodynamic lift forces, but since they are sideways, the sailboat moves sideways across the water. Airplanes use lift from their wings to be lifted up, while sailboats are lifted in the direction the captain wants to sail, even upwind!

Sailing into the Future: The Racer's Edge

Elizabeth
Grade 8

Objectives/Goals

My objective was to get my boat to be able to go its fastest upwind. To do this, I needed to find what wind condition and sail position of several made each sail shape move the boat with the most forward force.

Methods/Materials

Aluminum for the sails, non-stick pan for the water, wood shaped as a boat, a big drier for the wind. Rigged the pan with rubber bands so that the boat could move in all directions. I put different wind shapes in wind channels that were at certain angles, to see which sail worked best at these angles. The boat and pan never changed. The drier that we used was the same for all the sails. If one gets a slightly different reading it may be because of the lining up of the drier with the angles.

Results

Sail number 1 was best overall in all of the wind conditions, that I set. Sail number 2 was second. Sail number 3 was third and sail number 4 was last, in the conditions that I had chosen. Sail number one was best for up wind. Sail number 2 is not a sail you usually want to have. You might use it in when the wind changes direction a lot and you don't know where the wind is going to be coming from. Sail number 3 is used when it is really windy and you can't keep the boat flat. The sail lets air spill out. Sail number 4 is what a sail might look like going down wind.

Conclusions/Discussion

My data supported my hypothesis for four out of four of the sails. To improve my project I would make the boat and sails bigger and make sure that they are built to scale. In doing this I would get more accurate readings. I would also make different wind conditions. I could try the sails down wind and on reaches. It helps me to choose which shape to put my sail in at what times.

Summary Statement

My project is about how I can make my boat go as fast as possible.

Help Received

Grandfather helped me make my set up and hold the wind at the angles so I could take the readings. 3rd party contributor.