In a message dated 2/1/2002 10:14:41 AM Eastern Standard Time, schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com writes: > This also assumes the gyro spins around a vertical axis. This is not > necessary for stabilization. You could also mount the gyro on a transverse > (side to side) axis. In this case if a wave comes along from the front it > would not cause any procession problem. A tipping force from the side would > try to force the boat to turn. And any turning force would tend to make it > tip. Somewhere, somewhere I once saw a photograph of a gyro-stabilized early two-wheeled car. The picture showed the vehicle at rest (film exposure was too slow back then to catch one in motion, I suppose), with a well dressed couple sitting in their seats perfectly relaxed. The caption explained that the flywheel was spinning on a vertical axis and was housed under the floor boards. I guess that concept did not take off ... but it remains intriguing nonetheless. Regarding Nick's comments: Isn't tipping the one thing we're trying to reduce? I suspect that the occurrence of precession in a horizontal plane when using a vertical axis flywheel would not be such a big problem with a long object (like a boat) sitting in a relatively viscous medium (like water), especially when the boat is underway. And if there is any perceptible precession while at rest, the operator (paddler, pedaller ...) could surely counteract this with ease. Ralph Ralph C. Hoehn Ralph_at_PouchBoats.com www.PouchBoats.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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