Hydrofoils...again

ApS · 11-22-2005, 07:26 AM

August's issue of Soundings magazine features a 42-foot hydrofoil yacht.

It's a power-catamaran with one large stainless-steel foil amidships, and paired bronze foils aft. No part of the foil exceeds the draft of the main hull. (Which is 3-feet at rest, and just inches at top speed). Of course, wave action is dampened by the hydrofoils.

They claim 40% better efficiency with twin diesel inboard engines. (And a 44-MPH top speed -- perfect, huh? -- no more "mush-boating"). It's called the Stealth 420

More than you wanted to know about their huge hydrofoil model selections at http://www.hydrospeed.co.za/index2.html

They even make a hydro-foiled RIB.

If "all" you want to buy is a sailing catamaran, they will do a free shakedown cruise and sail it to your door -- from Cape Town, South Africa!

Mee-n-Mac · 11-23-2005, 12:02 AM

It was about a week or two ago I ran across some other mention of a "practical" hydrofoil cat. I didn't have a chance to look into it so it might not be the same company, but it's likely that it is. The concept used in the article is a simpler idea than the one I had envisioned on my "poonton-foil" boat, so you get only a 40% improvement vs an order of magnitude for a "true" hydrofoil. Still for what has to be low $$ to implement amd maintain and for all the gains, it sure appears to be a good idea ! Let's take the idea just a step further (or sideways really) and contemplate a foil assisted typical cabin cruiser. Like the cats mentioned in the article, the foil(s) would add lift but wouldn't fully support the entire hull out of the water like a "true" (my definition) hydrofoil. In a conventional V hull the foil would be put horizontally across the boat, tied at the bottom of the V near the stern and with struts that run from the foil ends, vertically up to the hull bottom (or chines if the foil were to be full beam). Such a device would add no more draft or beam to the conventional hull but gain the advantages described in the cat article. One additional plus is of course the reduction in wake size that comes from have less hull in the water. Will Carver or Silverton or ??? ever make such a beast ? Probably not but then again if gas prices stay "high" and some other competitor gains market share due to their innovation .... who knows.

Dave R · 11-24-2005, 07:56 AM

Wind Horse is easily the most impressive private yacht I have ever read about. This boat is designed to take anything the sea can throw at her and also happens to be amazingly thrifty for an 83 foot boat, getting 1.83 NM per gallon of diesel at 11.5 knots average. The owners report that it's LESS expensive to operate than a similarly sized sailboat. It's not pretty on the outside, but wow, talk about being over built and easy to maintain.

ApS · 11-28-2005, 07:58 PM

Lots of glass area...'Wonder just how "overbuilt" all that glass is? I found a boat with proper, (and overbuilt) glass ports.

Your Wind Horse needs "Turn-and-Bank" indicators, and much more instrumentation -- like this docked boat, whose "foils" have been removed:

Dave R · 11-29-2005, 08:54 AM

The website I linked has all kinds of design info, but basically, the glass is way overkill and vastly superior to any ship building standard. It's 3/4" thick tempered glass and the framework that supports it is far stonger than it needs to be. The boat is designed to take the full force of a rogue wave on the beam. It will also self right if capsized and has 5 point harnesses in the cabin for prevention of injuries during a worst case sitaution where all control is lost and the boat is basically drifting in the worst weather imaginable.

Mee-n-Mac · 11-29-2005, 09:44 PM

The "Wind Horse" is sure an odd amalgamation of boat parts. The hull looks like a derivation of an America's Cup yacht (not too surprising given the company's roots) combined with something the US military would request. The greenhouse kinda reminds me of the steam boats we see but w/o the graceful lines. I'm going to go way out there and predict, that despite it being all aluminum, FLL isn't going to buy one.

ApS · 12-03-2005, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave R

"...The owners report that it's LESS expensive to operate than a similarly sized sailboat. It's not pretty on the outside, but wow, talk about being over built and easy to maintain..."

I don't know.

A shorter -- and lighter -- sailboat sailed around the world this summer in just 71 days. The skipper who set the world record was 29-year-old Ellen MacArthur, sailing alone: Non-stop, no refueling.

Wind Horse couldn't do that. The Toughest test Wind Horse could have been put through, would have been the Bass Strait -- between Tasmania and mainland Australia. The Bass Strait is the site of frequent challenging sailboat races. (Wind Horse's Fiji Islands run includes a lot of "easy" tropical waters).

But I do like the segué in your title for a Winnipesaukee forum: "Boats we'll never see on Winnipesaukee". Here's another boat we'll never see on Winnipesaukee.

This was once owned by Howard Hughes. When it was bought and converted, the new owner removed its "foils":

Dave R · 12-04-2005, 08:43 AM

The owners of Wind Horse don't seem to be out to set any records or purposely sail in difficult weather. They seem to be more interested in living comfortably in the best areas the world has to offer and avoiding bad weather. The safety, frugality and low maintenance aspects of the vessel appeal to me. They seem to have addressed the least pleasant aspects of cruising in a way no one has done before.

11-22-2005, 07:26 AM	#1
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,788 Thanks: 2,085 Thanked 742 Times in 532 Posts	Hydrofoils...again August's issue of Soundings magazine features a 42-foot hydrofoil yacht. It's a power-catamaran with one large stainless-steel foil amidships, and paired bronze foils aft. No part of the foil exceeds the draft of the main hull. (Which is 3-feet at rest, and just inches at top speed). Of course, wave action is dampened by the hydrofoils. They claim 40% better efficiency with twin diesel inboard engines. (And a 44-MPH top speed -- perfect, huh? -- no more "mush-boating"). It's called the Stealth 420 More than you wanted to know about their huge hydrofoil model selections at http://www.hydrospeed.co.za/index2.html They even make a hydro-foiled RIB. If "all" you want to buy is a sailing catamaran, they will do a free shakedown cruise and sail it to your door -- from Cape Town, South Africa! Attached Images

11-23-2005, 12:02 AM	#2
Mee-n-Mac Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,943 Thanks: 23 Thanked 111 Times in 51 Posts	Interesting post It was about a week or two ago I ran across some other mention of a "practical" hydrofoil cat. I didn't have a chance to look into it so it might not be the same company, but it's likely that it is. The concept used in the article is a simpler idea than the one I had envisioned on my "poonton-foil" boat, so you get only a 40% improvement vs an order of magnitude for a "true" hydrofoil. Still for what has to be low $$ to implement amd maintain and for all the gains, it sure appears to be a good idea ! Let's take the idea just a step further (or sideways really) and contemplate a foil assisted typical cabin cruiser. Like the cats mentioned in the article, the foil(s) would add lift but wouldn't fully support the entire hull out of the water like a "true" (my definition) hydrofoil. In a conventional V hull the foil would be put horizontally across the boat, tied at the bottom of the V near the stern and with struts that run from the foil ends, vertically up to the hull bottom (or chines if the foil were to be full beam). Such a device would add no more draft or beam to the conventional hull but gain the advantages described in the cat article. One additional plus is of course the reduction in wake size that comes from have less hull in the water. Will Carver or Silverton or ??? ever make such a beast ? Probably not but then again if gas prices stay "high" and some other competitor gains market share due to their innovation .... who knows. __________________ Mee'n'Mac "Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by simple stupidity or ignorance. The latter are a lot more common than the former." - RAH Last edited by Mee-n-Mac; 11-29-2005 at 09:35 PM.

11-24-2005, 07:56 AM	#3
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	speaking of wonderful boats we'll never see on the lake... Wind Horse is easily the most impressive private yacht I have ever read about. This boat is designed to take anything the sea can throw at her and also happens to be amazingly thrifty for an 83 foot boat, getting 1.83 NM per gallon of diesel at 11.5 knots average. The owners report that it's LESS expensive to operate than a similarly sized sailboat. It's not pretty on the outside, but wow, talk about being over built and easy to maintain.

11-28-2005, 07:58 PM	#4
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,788 Thanks: 2,085 Thanked 742 Times in 532 Posts	Lots of glass area...'Wonder just how "overbuilt" all that glass is? I found a boat with proper, (and overbuilt) glass ports. Your Wind Horse needs "Turn-and-Bank" indicators, and much more instrumentation -- like this docked boat, whose "foils" have been removed: Last edited by ApS; 12-21-2005 at 10:05 AM.

11-29-2005, 09:44 PM	#6
Mee-n-Mac Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,943 Thanks: 23 Thanked 111 Times in 51 Posts	Odd looking for sure The "Wind Horse" is sure an odd amalgamation of boat parts. The hull looks like a derivation of an America's Cup yacht (not too surprising given the company's roots) combined with something the US military would request. The greenhouse kinda reminds me of the steam boats we see but w/o the graceful lines. I'm going to go way out there and predict, that despite it being all aluminum, FLL isn't going to buy one. __________________ Mee'n'Mac "Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by simple stupidity or ignorance. The latter are a lot more common than the former." - RAH

11-29-2005, 08:54 AM	#5
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	The website I linked has all kinds of design info, but basically, the glass is way overkill and vastly superior to any ship building standard. It's 3/4" thick tempered glass and the framework that supports it is far stonger than it needs to be. The boat is designed to take the full force of a rogue wave on the beam. It will also self right if capsized and has 5 point harnesses in the cabin for prevention of injuries during a worst case sitaution where all control is lost and the boat is basically drifting in the worst weather imaginable.

12-04-2005, 08:43 AM	#8
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	The owners of Wind Horse don't seem to be out to set any records or purposely sail in difficult weather. They seem to be more interested in living comfortably in the best areas the world has to offer and avoiding bad weather. The safety, frugality and low maintenance aspects of the vessel appeal to me. They seem to have addressed the least pleasant aspects of cruising in a way no one has done before.