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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)...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  |
You might like to browse these foil sites:
http://www.foils.org/yourown.htm (Pedal-powered)
http://wingo.com/dakh/ (Add-on foils by DAK)
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"DAK Hydrofoils is bringing out hydrofoil kits and plans for yachts weighing from one to several tons. Can you imagine you and your friends flying smoothly across the seas at speeds of 20 to 30 knots or more, in a moderate tradewind or afternoon onshore breeze? They should add: "And always be the 'stand-on' boat".
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Although sailing analog foilers (Rave) can be bought off-the-shelf for about $8,000, there's a hard landing for the skipper -- after the thrill -- should he hit a mush-boater wake at 30 MPH.
I doubt that foils will ever become sail-marketable again: too steep a learning curve, and too prone to damage from debris, storms, and large water critters.
What's the point anyway, when a standard sail catamaran crossed the Atlantic last month at 30 Knots
average speed, and a faster
stepped-hull sail catamaran is again in the works!
Foil engineers (which include a few EEs) design around sailboats because everything on a sailboat IS a foil: Sails, keel, rudder, hull.
BTW: Aren't all EEs
unemployed nowadays?