I've had the grey matter looking at past attempts at indoor windsurfing and think they've been very wasteful. They just blow across the pool with no re-use of the breeze they generate. I started thinking of a rounded building, then thought why not wrap it around into a donut. The poloidal shaped wind current (new word for me too) would mean a 90 degree breeze at all times. Just imagine a permanent bear-away !!
Hopefully the picture explains it a bit better. Note that the fans create a current that goes from the inside to the outside of the donut and back, not around the path of the donut.
An inflatable type building made sense too, considering you already have fans.
Thanks in advance for any CONSTRUCTIVE feedback !!!
Jetlag
Great concept , would have to be on a pretty big scale. Could wear crash gear and go in opposite directions , I'd go see that 
Always full of good ideas Detlev.
Might give you the site for a few new speed records, just like in the good old days.
Clarence
Great idea, Circulate the water at about 10 knots and you've got a real downwinder. 35 knots water speed but only a 25 knot crash into the front row of the grandstand.
Thanks for the ideas. I think the thunderdome/nascar aspect would be pretty appealing from a spectator perspective. I could imagine seating on the outside (windward) with a safe run-out area on the inside (leeward).
I hadn't thought about Kites. The risks around Kites + Fans might rule that out.
The idea of a completely demountable/modular structure and a shallow above ground pool is appealing. I go speed sailing in less than 30cm of water, how deep should it be ?
Size wise I thought you might get away with a 15m wide pool. It would be feasible that the entire building would then be 100m by 100m in size and about 15m high.
Theoretically there's not much flow between segments of the donut. That means you should be able to prototype on just one slice of the donut and measure performance (it'd need firm end plates of course).
Select to expand quoteJetlag said..
Theoretically there's not much flow between segments of the donut. That means you should be able to prototype on just one slice of the donut and measure performance (it'd need firm end plates of course).
Isn't the current indoor venue just a segment as you're thinking about? You could make it a little more aerodynamic but it still is recirculating the flow.
Lots of good indoor surfing here, sorry, no wind.
I'd like to see a convection current instead of fans. Or a channeling and strengthening of the breeze outside. Or both.
How impossible is that?
this was posted a few years back by someone in another forum (didn't get a warm reception at the time)
