Displacement boats and Hydrofoils

[Pura Vida]

Generally I shy away from these types of posts for two reasons. First if it can be done it most likely has. And second they sometimes degenerate into a Pythonesque speculation about the weight of coconuts, airspeed of birds and the ability to hold a vine with the dorsal guidance feathers.

But here goes anyway. The thread about heavy and light boats made me wonder if anyone had ever tried to use a hydrofoil on a displacement boat to offset the effects of bow wave for a displacement boat? Is this something that is practical?

[skipperaris]

In a book that's hiding at the moment I have seen a hydrofoil sailing yacht that was designed and built by the US navy (unless it was the marines or something) and there was a picture of it with the 'displacement' hull well clear of the water zipping along with a couple of smiling sailors in her.

So yes someone did try and succeeded. So I suppose it is practical.
The idea was that the hydrofoils gve her lift, stability and directional stability. There was no keel. Just these ladder - like appendages underneath, angled outwards.

The verticals presumably played the role of a centerboard while the "horizontals" were the hydrofoils providing lift.
In fact the "horizontals" were not really horizontal. They were angled rather like the dihedral of an aeroplane.

A very impressive speed was reported.

[knottybuoyz]

Hydrofoil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[cal40john]

Were you refering to Faster! Faster! by David Pelly? He shows the Monitor on foils, but this is more dinghy sized and probably falls more in the lightweight planing kind of hull area, so maybe you meant something else.

Wind and Water; Try play and learn; MONITOR page

John

[Alan Wheeler]

Rick, that's a heck of a lot of ship to support in just the middle. It's a wonder it doesn't buckle into a Banana.

[S/V Elusive]

Alan ... you've tried hydrofoiling with a banana and it buckled? Interesting.

[delmarrey]

Go here: http://www.foxxaero.homestead.com/ if you want to see some real goodies........................................._/)

[skipperaris]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Were you refering to Faster! Faster! by David Pelly? He shows the Monitor on foils, but this is more dinghy sized and probably falls more in the lightweight planing kind of hull area, so maybe you meant something else.

Wind and Water; Try play and learn; MONITOR page

John

I was not refering to Faster! Faster! but as my book is still hiding I Googled "Hydrofoil sailing yacht" and found Monitor which looks very much like the one in my book.

With a LOA of 26 ft I would not call it a dinghy, size wise although yes it is of similar light construction. To rise up on its hydrofoils it has to be.

Any one who wants to know a little more go to Gordon Baker's Sailing Hydrofoil MONITOR