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Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac
"...My interest in 'foils comes about as part enginerdness plus part cheapness (foil efficiency = less $$ spent on gas)  I often wonder if it's an old (as your pics show) idea whose time as come (given modern, cheap control systems). Imagine faster boats using less gas, indifferent to the chop and leaving little to no wake. If only I was; a) smart and b) had degrees in aeronautical engineering instead EE. Oh well." |
Hydrofoils seem to work best at speeds
up to 35MPH; otherwise, there's too much cavitation at the foils, preventing higher speeds. Hydrofoils therefore lend themselves best to sailing speeds. One of the world's fastest
non-foil sailboats (40+ Knots) just sold for $2M, which is a cheap way to sail fast.
There's lots of activity in Europe and Australia with sailing hydrofoils. This site has an "artsy photo" too large to post:
http://www.hydroptere.com/ (It's an aerial photo showing a 60-foot trimaran with hydrofoils, which are the large surfaces towards the top of the photo). Note the size of the crewman on the bow.
Here's one from US Navy engineers (the "Monitor"):
Another from the June issue of "Yachting World" (UK magazine -- 2004 Nationals). The boat
is airborne, but is a little difficult to see, as the water is a very dark blue:
(This one is best sailed "solo").