Conference unifix::sailing

    Its not a sailboat, but there is a photo of a BIG- maybe 100ft?- navy
    vessel riding on foils down the Kenebec river in front of the BIW. The
    photo hangs in the mens room of Sarahs Pizza Shop in Wiscassett ME. Ive
    always been curious about the ship, and how the photo comes to be in
    the mens room!
    
    I rode a foil ferry in Sydney Harbor. About a 50-60ft boat. Interesting
    ride, fast and very smooth.
    
    So, has anyone any experience with foil sailboats?

    You should subscribe to Sailing World, which covers racing.  The
    current world speed record is held by a hydrofoil boat that has
    dynamic adjustment of the foils.  The speed is somewhere around
    40 knots, just slightly below the record for windsurfers--the
    windsurfers have the advantages of lightness and use sail lift
    to get higher in the water, while the boat has the advantages of
    pure foil lift and catamaran stability.
    
    Doug.

    The Navy has stationed a hydrofoil (~80-100' LOA) in Key West since the
    early '80s.  It has the obvious advantages of relatively high speed,
    around 40-45 kts I understand, and it's oblivious to chop up to about
    6' high.  Propulsion is through turbine engines geared to props in the
    foils.  All foils can be hydraulically retracted so that the conventional 
    PT-boat-like hull operates in displacement mode and she can come alongside 
    docks and piers without damaging the foils.  The original purpose was
    to test the concept in year-round operations without dealing with cold 
    weather issues, and unofficially to be available to support drug traffic 
    contradiction.  
    
    The Sydney Harbor foil ferry is similar to the Navy's boat in
    configuration (2 side foils forward, one stern strut), but larger, I
    recall.  You can also foil across the English Channel, too.
    
    There certainly are several foil kits out there, mostly for light
    skiffs and windsurfers.  Right now the most exciting and fastest ride
    under sail you can buy (~20-30K, with support) is Greg Ketterman's
    tri-foiler.  It has an somewhat iceboat-like configuration and appearance, 
    with *two* large windsurfer-like sails mounted port and stbd out near each 
    of the forward foils.  The stern foil steers.  The unique feature is the 
    articulating foil design, which controls angle of attack according to
    boatspeed and height above the water -- all through programmed stress
    deflection engineered into the materials and design, rather than
    through any articulating mechanical feedback systems.  Theoretically if
    you get it pointed in the right direction and can steer the thing,
    don't hit any obstacles including too much chop, it'll just keep going
    faster and faster.  Any deviation from design conditions or in actual
    foil performance results in a very quick crash & burn.  Which has
    happened several times during development.  Drivers always wear
    helmets.  It's been clocked at over three times wind speed on
    occasion.  Greg's main supporter has been Russell Long (remember him
    from 12 meter AC racing years ago?), who has bought one or two and
    regularly campaigns them for world record speeds.  Does anyone know how
    close he's come most recently in the trials at the purpose-built speed 
    Trench in southern France?
    
    For anyone serious, Ketterman advertises in MM, which has featured his
    design a couple times in articles, including a cover story last year.
    Last year he was a speaker at one of the NEMA meetings at Savin Hill YC.
    
    J.

    .2's record-holder is Ketterman's tri-foiler.
    
    J.
    

    
    	I think this was referred to- the foil for a windsurfer. I've seen
    a couple of little ads, not too sure how serious, but for the last 3 or
    4 years, Harken has been advertising a little plug-in foil. I guess you
    stuff it into the keel-slot, from the bottom. It looke sort of cross
    shaped, and there is a photo of someone several inches out of the
    water, board and all, under sail.
    
    	`Course I can't even stand on the board with the sail flopped down
    in the water... and the tiller was nowhere to be found...
    
    	Scott

    As an answer to my own question asked in an earlier reply:
    
    Russell Long set a new world record for a sailboat (which by rules
    definitions excludes sailboards) of 41.89 knots (48.2 mph) in his
    Ketterman trifoiler "Longshot".  He did this in the French Trench on
    March 16, 1992.  He broke his own previous Class A world record of
    37.08 knots set in 1990.
    
    The new record was set in 25-35 kt winds at 120 degrees to the course.
    FYI, the still-standing sailboard record is 44.66 knots, which is the
    outright speed record for any water-borne sail-powered craft.
    
    J.

    The Sydney harbour hydrofoils have been taken out of service some time
    ago and replaced by more conventional catamarans.  The reasons were
    that the Italian built hydrofoils had high maintenance costs, high fuel
    costs and were quite small.  The cats are larger, almost as fast and
    much cheaper to run.