is a new
concept when actually the concept was born in1906.
William E Meacham was the first to explained the basic principles of
hydrofoils. He was a peer of Alexander
Graham Bell 
who
considered this
idea to be monumental. Bell drew the early plans of a hydrofoil and in
the summer of 1908 the first hydrofoil experiments began.
Casey Baldwin teamed up with Bell and an Italian named Enrico Forlanini
and they developed the first hydrofoil watercraft. The first rides took
place in Italy and Baldwin described it to be as smooth as flying. Top
speeds at that time were almost 90 mph. In 1919 the record of 114 mph
was set.
The Superb Hydrofoil Boat of Enrico Forlanini Travelling Photographic Print
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The sailing hydrofoil can be a mono hull, a catamaran or a trimaran. The wider the beam the more stable the hydrofoil will be. As with all hydrofoil boats, as the sails fill with the wind and the craft increases it's speed, the hydrofoils lift the hull out of the water, greatly reducing the drag and resulting in even more of an increased in speed. A sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds exceeding two times the wind speed. The Rave hydrofoil is a popular two-person trimaran capable of lifting off in as little as 8-9 knot winds. The Rave is capable of sailing between 1.5 to 2 times the wind speed. These fast sailboats have a mainsail and a jib. The Rave hydrofoil proved to be such an unbalancing factor in small boat regattas that now regattas are held exclusively for Rave sailboat owners. Check out the video on the right and experience a really fast sailboat!
After
a long history and many designs, much of the history and work with
hydrofoils stems from Europe, Russia and Southeast Asia. They
made several river boats and ferries that could average speeds of
35knots (around 40.3 mph). Today in Vietnam, there is a shuttle that
operates hourly between HO Chi Minh city, Vung Tau, and Con Dao island.
In Italy, hydrofoils operate regularly on three major Italian lakes.
They have a total of nine in operation, three on each lake. Between
South Korea and Japan a hydrofoil offers its services five times a day.
In the Netherlands, Fast Flying Ferries operated by Connexxion,
provides a regular public service also over the North Sea Canal. The US
Navy operated combat hydrofoils that were fast and well armed and were
capable of sinking all but the largest surface vessels from 1977
through 1993. They were a nightmare for drug runners.
For those of
you that enjoy the speed of power boats Sport Marine Technologies - SE Sport 300
Hydrofoil is a great product for your boat. This
product is not just for problem boats and it will add
amazing results to your great running rig. This hydrofoil is smaller
than other brands and the design does not add drag. It keeps your boat
up on plane at lower speeds and this helps with fuel savings with
skiers, tubes and boards.
As with any sport or technology, we have come a long way. Knowledge is power and this informative book on Hydrodynamics of High-Speed Marine Vehicles tells how it is done. Sailing on a hydrofoil is taking sailing fast to another level. Power hydrofoils transport people to their destinations faster, with a very comfortable ride and this makes hydrofoils a unique boating experience.
