Hydrofoils
Hydrofoils are amazing marine vessels. They go off tangent on the traditional boat designs by lifting the hull entirely off the water when a certain speed is reached. I had been fascinated by hydrofoils enough that Nishan and I made plans few years ago for constructing one ourselves - if only we had enough time and money then!
The "hydrofoils", just like the wings in an airplane, give the boat an upward force that lifts the hull thereby drastically cutting down the resistance forces imposed by the hull-water interaction. Hydrofoils are pretty much mainstream these days with lot of personal, commercial and military hydrofoils in operation and under development. There even are hydrofoil surf boards that lift up the entire surf board right off the water when there is enough speed. There are also hydrofoil designs for human-powered small water transport vessels. Imagine rowing a "bicycle" boat that requires less effort simply because there is less resistance from the water!
Maldives probably could use a bit of hydrofoils around. They work in conditions with up to 2.5m high waves which is well within most island to island travel. They save precious energy, would be a nice sight to for any spectator and would perform better than the dreaded hovercrafts that once graced the seas near Male'.
- http://www.hydrofoils.org/ has info on a variety of hydrofoils
- http://lancet.mit.edu/decavitator/ has info on a human powered hydrofoil including construction details!
PS. A real neat hydrofoil based "Water scooter" is available for an affordable US $500. Check this out - I'm sure you'll want one! I wouldn't mind receiving one as a gift
The "hydrofoils", just like the wings in an airplane, give the boat an upward force that lifts the hull thereby drastically cutting down the resistance forces imposed by the hull-water interaction. Hydrofoils are pretty much mainstream these days with lot of personal, commercial and military hydrofoils in operation and under development. There even are hydrofoil surf boards that lift up the entire surf board right off the water when there is enough speed. There are also hydrofoil designs for human-powered small water transport vessels. Imagine rowing a "bicycle" boat that requires less effort simply because there is less resistance from the water!
Maldives probably could use a bit of hydrofoils around. They work in conditions with up to 2.5m high waves which is well within most island to island travel. They save precious energy, would be a nice sight to for any spectator and would perform better than the dreaded hovercrafts that once graced the seas near Male'.
- http://www.hydrofoils.org/ has info on a variety of hydrofoils
- http://lancet.mit.edu/decavitator/ has info on a human powered hydrofoil including construction details!
PS. A real neat hydrofoil based "Water scooter" is available for an affordable US $500. Check this out - I'm sure you'll want one! I wouldn't mind receiving one as a gift
