Hydrofoil

A watercraft that uses underwater wings to lift its hull above the water as speed increases, reducing drag from contact with the water.

Hydrodynamic lift: A force generated by moving water that acts perpendicular to a surface such as a foil. Hydrofoil wings generate this force to raise the hull.
Angle of attack: The angle between a surface’s reference line and the direction of incoming flow. Changing this angle alters foil lift and can trigger stall.
Racing hydrofoil: A hydrofoil craft designed for competitive speed and maneuverability. Racing pushes foil loading, control, and cavitation limits.
Enrico Forlanini: An Italian engineer and aviation pioneer who developed early practical hydrofoil boats. His experiments in the early twentieth century demonstrated foil-supported boats at speed.
Displacement hull: A hull that moves through water by displacing a volume equal to the vessel’s weight. Unlike a hydrofoil, it remains supported primarily by buoyancy while underway.
Hydrofoil configuration: The arrangement of a hydrofoil craft’s lifting surfaces relative to its hull. Surface-piercing and fully submerged arrangements handle lift and stability differently.
Reynolds number: A dimensionless ratio comparing inertial forces with viscous forces in a flow. It helps describe how water flows around a foil at different speeds and scales.
Hydrofoil ferry: A passenger vessel that uses foils to lift its hull clear of the water at speed. Foil lift enables fast passenger service on suitable routes.
Alexander Graham Bell: An inventor and scientist who helped develop high-speed hydrofoil craft in Canada. Bell and Casey Baldwin’s HD-4 set a 1919 water-speed record using hydrofoils.
Air-cushion vehicle: A vehicle supported above a surface by a cushion of pressurized air. It reduces surface contact through air pressure rather than underwater lifting wings.

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