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Hydrofoiling boats have been in commercial use for quite some time. I've taken one[1] between Estonia and Finland a couple of times but these are sadly not oper
by tauntz 3y ago
Hydrofoiling boats have been in commercial use for quite some time. I've taken one[1] between Estonia and Finland a couple of times but these are sadly not operating anymore.
1. https://images.delfi.ee/media-api-image-cropper/v1/02cc3aa0-b8f1-11eb-98b6-49bcde121acf.jpg https://images.delfi.ee/media-api-image-cropper/v1/02cc3aa0-...
- nine_k 3y agoThe Greek apparently still operate hydrofoil boats between islands on Mediterranean sea. Sea, not river.
- riffraff 3y agoSame in Italy. Both sea and lakes.
- KWxIUElW8Xt0tD9 3y agoI recall a hydrofoil on Lake Garda -- obviously lots of power required -- it was much louder than the normal ferries on that lake.
- nine_k 3y agoSome hydrofoil ships are powered by turbines, which produce a high-pitch whine, much more noticeable at a distance than the low-frequency rumbling of a diesel.
- ge96 3y agojet foil in Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_lKISuF5Y4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_lKISuF5Y4 edit: shorter video
- tim333 3y agoI think that's a Boeing 929 Jetfoil. They've been going since 1974 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_929_Jetfoil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_929_Jetfoil
- stcredzero 3y agoWhat are the economics of hydrofoils like? I recently watched a YouTube video covering the rise and fall of hovercraft ferries. Basically, the lower reliability of hovercraft eventually overwhelmed the utility of faster transit times. Is it the same for hydrofoil ferries?
- tauntz 3y agoI remember reading articles about the Silja Line ferries needing repairs all the time. But that might have been an issue with the specific models and not an indication of hydrofoil reliability in general.
- rbanffy 3y agoThey must be much more efficient than both boats and hovercraft - they don't need to keep the air cushion, and they don't need to push their full tonnage away from their path - lift losses excepted, they must be equivalent to much smaller boats. I would expect to see more of these as recreational vehicles, as they must be much cheaper to operate and, with recreational boats having a much lower duty cycle than, say, BEVs, solar recharging becomes attainable, as long as you keep the boat docked or anchored and charging for much longer than you use its propulsion.
- 1234letshaveatw 3y agoI saw a single person standup foil on a local lake. They look unreal, almost unbelievable in operation. Like someone is flying over the lake. Search for efoils on youtube
- dylan604 3y agoThis does sound approachable. From my experience, people with lake front property and docks with boat "houses" are clear from any obstruction of direct sun. Line the roof of said boat "house" with solar, and in the typical weekender/vacationer use of a boat, seems pretty managable. However, when the sun is up to be charging is typically the time of the boat's use so it won't be on the charger. Use the solar to charge a powerwall type of solution, and then charge the boat at night?
- euroderf 3y agoI talked to the skipper of one. He said the boats (Linda Line) had been in service in the Black Sea.
- ano-ther 3y agoOn the Thames: https://www.londonreconnections.com/2020/soviet-fleet-on-the-thames-part-1/ https://www.londonreconnections.com/2020/soviet-fleet-on-the...
- ChrisMarshallNY 3y agoI took one from Tangier to Gibraltar, in the 1970s (Might even have been the 1960s).