Hydrofoil Windsurfing

h2ojoe asked:


Windsurfing in Maui on a hydrofoilboard.

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25 Responses to “Hydrofoil Windsurfing”

  1. BanaanTV Says:

    is there something attached to the fin?

  2. agentmuller80 Says:

    This is CRAZY. How fast are you going(estimated). I have never even been that fast in the water PERIOD…except for a ski boat, but that is a boat. Were you shitting your pants? I would!!

  3. Jangle2007 Says:

    automaticreply - Another good point.

    Also, in reviewing the video again, I notice that the hydrofoil is placed far aft of the center of gravity, so I would suspect that the a great deal of the sail energy is lost by the hydrofoil needing to create gobs of extra lift to counter act the board/sail/rider’s weight well forward of the hydrofoil. I know the sail generates some vertical lift, but I suspect not nearly enough to counteract the placement of the hydrofoil.

    Other thoughts?

  4. automaticreply Says:

    also we don’t know the weight of the riders or the size of their sails.

  5. tuberking12 Says:

    i think its cool for trimarans. though the only benefit is speed (not even sure). You don’t have the real surf feeling, playing with the waves etc. what does it add besides some possible speed benefits?

  6. ladiesman341 Says:

    did u gwt thet from the boondocks

  7. inagod Says:

    if you can control the foil angle and height I bet you could go a lot faster?

  8. Jangle2007 Says:

    Interesting discussion about the theories of tradional vs. hydrofoil board speeds.

    On this video, I would offer two thoughts:
    1) Intuitively, it appears that a properly designed hydrofoil board with a designed sail should be faster due to less water resistance.
    2) In this video, I think part of the story is that the traditional board APPEARS to catch up because the point of view of is rotating as the sailors pass the buoy. Perhaps the traditional board is faster, but it’s not clear.

  9. windsurf7772 Says:

    sexy why they not in the shop no good ha

  10. 1728lorenxo Says:

    That was bloody cool.

  11. tyge098 Says:

    jesus youre smart man did you mum tell you that

  12. HenryZach Says:

    THAT IS SICK!!!!!

  13. Piepiewind Says:

    esto da gusto verlo….arriba windsurf!

  14. Gar91 Says:

    English mother fucker, do you speak it!

  15. japanrock2000 Says:

    ?????????

  16. MeanMarthur Says:

    The foil used for these is a very inefficient low aspect ratio foil that originated for waterskis and the “airchair”.
    They have a large amount of induced drag and form drag for a hydrofoil. ie, not ideal. The other sailboard has less foil in the water and very similar wetted surface plus highly aerated water in contact due to surface chop. The planing board has a higher speed potential for the same sea and wind conditions. Improving the foil design would help but these are dudes not scientists

  17. BellaMcGuigan Says:

    The conventional board in the background appears to be going faster! How is this an improvement on a standard board and why?

  18. HOTEGETY Says:

    The surface sealing effect yes is significant, but the resistance from the hydrofoil is SO MUCH less … doesn’t explain fully why hydrofoiled guy slower. Lot has to do with the elevated board gives elevated point of thrusting forces to act, and the reactionary forces, below the water are also lowered, this created a huge capsizing moment, so thust from the sail has to be reduced in order to stay upright, and that is why the guy that over took the foil could use a much larger sail, noticed?

  19. samsontheemo Says:

    he looks relaxed…

  20. samsontheemo Says:

    he looks relaxed…

  21. bernard5172 Says:

    Another reason the foil may be slower, on a conventional board - you can ‘close the slot’ ie bring the foot of the sail down to the board and stop the wind going under, giving you a speed increase. With the foil the wind will just go under the board.

  22. lotsoffun Says:

    so you are saying that the hydrofoil decreases the resistance between the keel and the water, therefore the entire rig cannot capture as much power as if the board was planing.

  23. nejewathebiker Says:

    hi yes it is the air on the sail that solely affects the speed (with air) the only difference it being out of the water is there is less resistance because it is not pushing the water slightly

  24. lotsoffun Says:

    ok, thanks, i kinda get what you are saying.

    but doesnt the hydrofoil lift the board out? why would the air under the keel affect the speed of the boat, i mean even if it does lift the board up out of the water, isn’t the important air the stuff thats captured in the sail, because that is what is pushing the windsurf forward. air under the keel usually doesnt propel a windsurf board because it is usually planing, not foiling.

  25. hydroptere Says:

    The wind has its resistance. Planes use wings and rudder to drag air and take a direction in the same way water does.
    However, if too much airpressure is captured under the keel that would be counterproductive. It would lift the board rather than pushing it ahead by reducing the speed. Also, to manage such lift you would have to use a smaller sail. Look at the video, see how the conventional surfer goes faster?

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