A foam product includes a foam core, a soft skin covering the foam core, and a base structure on which the foam core is disposed. The foam core of expanded beads has an outer surface on which some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and bulging outward with different heights to form a bubbly texture. The foam skin has an inner surface attached to the outer surface of the foam core, and has at its inner surface a plurality of concave cavities each matedly surrounding a respective one of the bulging, outermost beads on the outer surface of the foam core.

A traction system for a watercraft, including a sail and a fixed station that includes a mast and a winch which is connected to the sail by a traction cable, the system further including a bottom part that is supported by the traction cable, and fold lines, each of which has an end that is attached to a leading edge of the sail, and another end that is supported by the bottom part. The fixed station includes a base that accommodates the bottom element when the sail is retracted by the winch; and structure for grasping each fold line and pulling same towards the mast so as to retract the leading edge against the mast and fold the sail once the winch has retracted same close to the station.

A fin for use on a surfboard, the fin comprising: a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a base, the base comprising at least one mount for mounting the fin onto a surfboard; a first and a second outer fin surface which meet along the leading edge and the trailing edge and abut the base; and a first ridge protruding laterally from the first outer fin surface, and/or a second ridge protruding laterally from the second outer fin surface; wherein the shape and configuration of the fin creates an area of lower water pressure around and in front of the fin, as well as disrupting and/or reducing the size of trailing vortices, resulting in additional forward thrust for the board on which the fin is mounted.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a sailing vessel that can substantially obviate the heeling problem experienced by classical sailboats. During navigation, the sailing vessel is driven forward by an aerodynamic force exerted by wind on the sail, and balanced by a hydrodynamic force exerted by water on a float on the stern of the sailing vessel, the aerodynamic force and the hydrodynamic force being parallel or substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sailing vessel.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide proactive directional control for a mobile structure. A proactive directional control system may include a logic device, a memory, one or more sensors, one or more actuators/controllers, and modules to interface with users, sensors, actuators, and/or other modules of a mobile structure. The logic device is adapted to determine a steering angle disturbance estimate based on environmental conditions associated with the mobile structure, and the steering angle disturbance estimate is used to adjust a directional control signal provided to an actuator of the mobile structure. The logic device may also be adapted to receive directional data about a mobile structure and determine nominal vehicle feedback from the directional data, which may be used to adjust and/or stabilize the directional control signal provided to the actuator.

A sailboat steering system (1) comprising a steerable saildrive (2), a control lever (3) for controlling a propeller speed of the steerable saildrive (2), a rudder angle sensor (4) to measure the ruder angle (α) of a rudder (5), and an electronic control unit (10). The electronic control unit (10) is enabled to control a steering angle (β) of the steerable saildrive (2), depending on the position of the control lever (3) and depending on a rudder angle (α) of the rudder (5). The invention also relates to a method of steering a sailboat.

A fin for use on a surfboard, the fin comprising: a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a base, the base comprising at least one mount for mounting the fin onto a surfboard; a first and a second outer fin surface which meet along the leading edge and the trailing edge and abut the base; and a first ridge protruding laterally from the first outer fin surface, and/or a second ridge protruding laterally from the second outer fin surface; wherein the shape and configuration of the fin creates an area of lower water pressure around and in front of the fin, as well as disrupting and/or reducing the size of trailing vortices, resulting in additional forward thrust for the board on which the fin is mounted.

The present invention relates to a resiliently flexible fin for a surfboard or another surface watercraft, the resiliently flexible fin comprising a titanium or titanium alloy core and an opening in the trailing edge that enables a portion of the rear of the fin to resiliently flex against the force of water as the surfboard is turned, which can generate additional forward thrust for the surfboard as the surfboard exits the turn and the fin returns to its unflexed state displacing water in its path with force.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods for video based sensor fusion with respect to mobile structures. A mobile structure may include at least one imaging module and multiple navigational sensors and/or receive navigational data from various sources. A navigational database may be generated that includes data from the imaging module, navigational sensors, and/or other sources. Aspects of the navigational database may then be used to generate an integrated model, forecast weather conditions, warn of dangers, identify hard to spot items, and generally aid in the navigation of the mobile structure.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide assisted and/or autonomous navigation for mobile structures. A docking assist system includes a logic device, one or more sensors, one or more actuators/controllers, and modules to interface with users, sensors, actuators, and/or other modules of a mobile structure. The logic device is adapted to receive docking assist parameters from a user interface and perimeter sensor data from a perimeter ranging system mounted to the mobile structure. The logic device determines docking assist control signals based on the docking assist parameters and perimeter sensor data. The logic device may then provide the docking assist control signals to a navigation control system. Control signals and/or other docking assist analysis and/or parameters may be displayed to a user and/or used to adjust a steering actuator, a propulsion system thrust, and/or other operational systems of the mobile structure.