They are not terribly practical for shallow water or areas with seaweed, but they are darned fast!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPad6jR_ugg&feature=player_embedded
What will Chief say about foils?
(17 posts) (14 voices)-
What isIt would take a very hi-tech machine and competitor currently to use them to their advantage. User beware is what I think today... but that could change.
Posted 9 years ago # -
BeastOarman
MemberI'm no sailor, but that link caused me to spend the last hour or two at work Friday cruising the internet - tempted to jump on postings of Rave boats for sale! Cool stuff. Wonder if I can put foils on my rowing shell? Tough to get up, but once I am "flying" I could probably row a little easier, like one of those water skeeter bugs . . .
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm wondering if these guys make it look much easier than it really is. What would it be like sustaining this performance over the ~24 hours you would need to finish an EC? Similar to perching on a 6 inch board over an ama as Randy Smyth does, or even more demanding? Is there a mental fatigue factor of having to constantly maintain the foil balance? Or perhaps a monohull sailing canoe requires some of the same effort and makes a good-enough comparison? Would be interested in knowing these things. Where I sail in New Haven, I watched a Rave set out at very high exciting speed, and limp home 45 minutes later after running a T foil aground on a sandbar, and now a bill to look forward to for some fancy welding. I will have to be happy with going slow and not worrying as much about my leeboard going 'bump'.
Peter, you could do the math, I guess, and figure out the horse power needed to get your light shell up on plane -- can that be attained then sustained under human power? Interesting question. Would the 'break free' energy frequently required to get back up on plane after having to slow down, fouling an oar, meeting powerboat chop, etc. be an additional measureable strain during a long day? Even if one couldn't make plane, could the hull rise high enough to reduce skin friction to make up for the foil drag? -- Wade
Posted 9 years ago # -
Why let the sailboats have the fun?
Kayak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuvtFX_iikc
Rowing shell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BXxL9gztO8
Posted 9 years ago # -
Cool! Looks like he get up on the foils at around 4-5 knots? --Wade
Posted 9 years ago # -
teak
MemberEven if one couldn't make plane, could the hull rise high enough to reduce skin friction to make up for the foil drag? -- Wade
I have wondered that my self, if you mounted the foils only 8 inches deep, to keep it shallow. when at speed, if it raised the boat from 6 inch draft to about 2 inches, there would not be any there would not be any problem with ( trim,attitude,flying level), going from 6 to 2 in draft would mean a lot less wetted surface to reduce drag. would it be worth it.??????, they could be hinged up and down on the side for really skinny water.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I say go for it. There is a very small handful of WaterTribers who might be able to pull this off. Maybe the required equipment would overload the boat, but it sure would be fun to watch. BTW, I am not in that very small group :)
The only thing crazier are the SUP guys.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I actually have considered inward canted daggerboards in each ama on Clarity for next year... If I could develop even 30-60lbs of lift 7' outboard of the c/l, I'd end up with less wetted surface and drag from the lee ama, and would gain a natural dampener to the boats motion. I wouldn't be looking to lift out of the water, just to get an aditional gain in stability and smoothness. This is one reason Clarity will be sitting out this year, and I'll be in the smaller boat... I want to really think about my foils (lifting or not) before I redo them.
Posted 9 years ago # -
teak
Membersailbirdmike, ok, great, please keep me in the loop on your design, if you good move the angle of attack a few degrees you good have the upwind foil pulling down, about a year ago the was a thread about foils, someone had a link to a site with all the calculations for the shape ,amount of lift , everything you need to know about foils but afraid to ask. the information was over my head, so I gave up after about 30 minutes.
I would wonder about the amount of drag from a foil that has a lifting force of about 30 to 60 pounds?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Badger
MemberFoiling systems are going to be hard pressed to work in the varied conditions of the EC. Too many opportunities to smack a wave, catch a crab pot or flotsam, discover shallow water, and be slammed suddenly to a stop. The resulting carnage would be predictable, rather than be appropriately termed an "accident." Moths and other successful foiling boats are either used only in protected waters, or have numerous support vehicles in case of disaster. With the gear, food and water requirements, a foiling EC Challenger would either be of a size to become cumbersome for high-water beach launching, or require the most extreme approach to provisioning, safety gear, etc, as to be verging on the unsafe.
That said, given the right conditions (and a sailor with remarkable endurance), it could blast through a UM, and eclipse previous records.
Posted 9 years ago #
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