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> The homepage claims superior ride and comfort in bad sea states. For a limited definition of bad sea states--the FAQ says the limit before you might unexpect
by CrazyStat 6y ago
> The homepage claims superior ride and comfort in bad sea states.
For a limited definition of bad sea states--the FAQ says the limit before you might unexpectedly land is about 1m wave height, which wouldn't be a serious issue for an ordinary boat almost 8m in length [1].
That said, I do think there's a place for hydrofoils on sheltered bodies of water. There is (or was, 10 years ago) a regular hydrofoil ferry service that runs between Petrozavodsk and the island of Kizhi [2], which cuts travel time dramatically compared to a traditional ferry.
[1] https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime/safety-rules/before-boating/wave-heights.html https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime/safety-rules/before-boat...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizhi_Pogost https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizhi_Pogost
- wazoox 6y agoUnless it changed recently, there is a regular hydrofoil line linking Vienna to Bratislava on the Danube. I rode it in 2015, it's a wonderfully kitsch piece of Soviet era kit, but does this beast fly!
- 83457 6y agoI rode one 20 years ago to islands off the coast of Greece. One of the trips was rough though due to choppy seas. I recall seatbelts were required and barf bags were utilized by a few passengers.
- julienfr112 6y agoRode one between HK and Macao. Turbine driven, airplaine seat with seat belt fasten !!
- wazoox 6y agoAt sea, sure, but on a large river like the Danube it'extremely smooth, hardly any wave :)
- sandworm101 6y agoEvery hit the wake from a larger boat? That a river is generally flat doesn't mean that you won't occasionally hit a freak wave.
- miarohman 6y agoRegardless of type of boat, waves need to be considered and managed. Most of the time speed needs to be reduced. The same for Candela, when a wave is to high it works to operate just like a regular boat.
- aidenn0 6y agoThanks for finding that. A 1m wave height limit makes it basically useless in the North Pacific.
- PaulAJ 6y agoCondor Ferries used to run hydrofoils between the Channel Islands, the UK and France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condor_Ferries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condor_Ferries. However they retired their last hydrofoil in 1993. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJLnJx9SzR8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJLnJx9SzR8 https://thesarnian.com/guernsey-history/condor-1-hydrofoil-final-sea-trials/ https://thesarnian.com/guernsey-history/condor-1-hydrofoil-f... I went on one once. It was disappointing. Going above decks was no longer allowed, so it was a bit like a very bumpy airplane ride with everyone sitting in their seats and nervously eyeing the sick-bags.