How about a boat with no mast?
 

I've always thought a single mast in compression stays and shrouds under tension a rather inelegant design - someone has said "Sopwith camels used stays, F18s don't".

The unstayed Nonsuch's and Freedoms looked OK, but having a single enormous spar also seems inelegant.

A tripod arrangement with an inverted V-shaped "mast" and a rigid back"stay" or forestay seems to me like the most elegant solution. You could still potentially incorporate a boom rotating on a short midline articulated spar where the mast would normally be.

I thought I had invented that in my brain, but like most such thoughts I eventualy found a similar design in the new Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior III, see:
Greenpeace orders new Rainbow Warrior
Although it doesnt use a rigid forestay.

Anyone know of a smaller sloop rigged vessel that has used a similar design?

Uhhh, it's got a helipad under the boom. Who thought that was a good idea?

That is one ugly looking boat...

are you sure three smallish carbon fiber tripod legs will weigh more than a carbon or aluminum mast plus stainless steel stays plus stainless steel shrouds plus spreaders added together, or is that a guess?

I bet it comes out pretty close.

Thread on the subject here:

Trying to locate a Delta Rig Sailboat - SailNet Community

Sorry, Argle,, there's nothing truly 'new' in the world anymore.. patent offices may as well shut down!;) :)

thanks for the link!

And you think THAT'S more elegant that a mast with stays and shrouds?? Oh, well - no accounting for taste. And by the way, the Camel could dogfight a lot better than an F-18.

as i said if you read the original post, that is not the design i suggested and i was asking if anyone had heard of a tripod design.

Rainbow Warrior III is no beauty, but it is a working boat and when compared to Rainbow Warrior I is a work of art.

thanks in any case for your lovely response.

[IMG]http://api.ning.com/files/P-3WdpLCwBH9KIJw2tsNKVN1KkgswfgWkZ6d-qkTf4iIEvahCgJH0Kga27YgvQJH0EY8OInVv6eU*ekFcht1iIv 5pPn4HEWc/samuiregattasegeln03.jpg[/IMG]

Freedom 40s have free standing masts. I think that when engineered properly, they are a great solution. While they are definitely seaworthy and do the job, they are not high performance, just low maintenance and low worry.

You might check out the flying lateen.

Do a search on the Procyon Project, or something similar to that spelling. The boat had some different techniques, including the inverted-V masts. Might have been built by Hunter, can't recall for sure.
Can't remember the end results or if having the main in the clear air was a big help.