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One thing they don't seem to have mentioned was hydrofoils. It would be more for time critical shipments, but hydrofoils can greatly increase the speed of sail

One thing they don't seem to have mentioned was hydrofoils. It would be more for time critical shipments, but hydrofoils can greatly increase the speed of sailing vessels, but would need proper design for the sea state (such as routes to avoid larger waves, different hydrofoil designs less for speed and more for safety/reliability, etc.). The Olympic windsurf race in 2024 will be the first one with hydrofoils. America's Cup racers with the AC75 class are already on foils, with very high speed (~60mph), sometimes over triple the windspeed. Windsurfers on foils now can triple or quadruple windspeed in light winds. This tech is much more common now, and has exploded in the last 10 years in various different water sports. It would just need to be adapted to a different need than just racing. AC-75 racing class: https://youtu.be/OQsXDdGxk3U https://youtu.be/OQsXDdGxk3U IQFoil racing class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAKfbk_kB_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAKfbk_kB_4

nradov 4y ago
It is physically impossible to build a hydrofoil sailing vessel that can carry cargo across oceans. Those racing boats are tiny with zero cargo capacity, require relatively large crews for the size, and take huge amounts of maintenance. The designs do not scale, not are they capable of safely handling the same weather conditions as large merchant ships. Y Combinator portfolio company Boundary Layer Technologies tried to build a diesel powered hydrofoil cargo vessel to target the market niche between air cargo and slow displacement hull cargo ships. The basic technology probably could have worked but they failed due to lack of any real customer demand.
- ianburrell 4y ago
  I am not sure regular hydrofoil cargo ships are practical. My understanding is that hydrofoils don't do well in high seas. All the passenger ferries I know about are in coastal waters. It may not be possible to have one that can cross ocean and deal with storms. The Boundary Layer proposal is pretty small, 200 tons and 20 TEU capacity. It would have the same scaling problems as the sailboat in article. Is there a market for slightly faster shipping? The hydrofoil is 40 knots which is 6 days from China, container ships are 20 knots and 11 days. If there was a market for faster shipping, would expect to see 30 knot ships. I bet the really urgent needs air and current cargo aircraft are sufficient.
jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago
The AC and similar foiling boats are very cool but not even remotely practical as a cargo technology. There's a reason those boats are carbon fiber and insanely expensive. There is no "routes to avoid larger waves." That simply is not a thing. Even in dead calm there's rogue waves that come along. Speed is not the constraint for ocean shipping.

nradov 4y ago

It is physically impossible to build a hydrofoil sailing vessel that can carry cargo across oceans. Those racing boats are tiny with zero cargo capacity, require relatively large crews for the size, and take huge amounts of maintenance. The designs do not scale, not are they capable of safely handling the same weather conditions as large merchant ships. Y Combinator portfolio company Boundary Layer Technologies tried to build a diesel powered hydrofoil cargo vessel to target the market niche between air cargo and slow displacement hull cargo ships. The basic technology probably could have worked but they failed due to lack of any real customer demand.

ianburrell 4y ago
I am not sure regular hydrofoil cargo ships are practical. My understanding is that hydrofoils don't do well in high seas. All the passenger ferries I know about are in coastal waters. It may not be possible to have one that can cross ocean and deal with storms. The Boundary Layer proposal is pretty small, 200 tons and 20 TEU capacity. It would have the same scaling problems as the sailboat in article. Is there a market for slightly faster shipping? The hydrofoil is 40 knots which is 6 days from China, container ships are 20 knots and 11 days. If there was a market for faster shipping, would expect to see 30 knot ships. I bet the really urgent needs air and current cargo aircraft are sufficient.

jasonwatkinspdx 4y ago

The AC and similar foiling boats are very cool but not even remotely practical as a cargo technology. There's a reason those boats are carbon fiber and insanely expensive. There is no "routes to avoid larger waves." That simply is not a thing. Even in dead calm there's rogue waves that come along. Speed is not the constraint for ocean shipping.