A History of Hydrofoiling

Welcome to Foil Forward! Today, we’re diving deep (or perhaps skimming the surface?) into the fascinating history of hydrofoiling. The concept of using underwater wings for lift has been around for well over a century, paving the way for modern high-speed vessels.

• Early Designs (1869): The first recorded patent for a hydrofoil actually goes back to 1869, designed for a rowing boat by Frenchman Emmanuel Denis Fargot.
• First Foiling Boat (1906):  Enrice Forlanini caught the foiling virus and went wild with a powered foiling hullfrom flying at 36.9 mph!
• 20th Century Developments: Although experimented with by innovators like Alexander Graham Bell , widespread use wouldn’t come until the mid-20th century [!(https://www.britannica.com/technology/hydrofoil).

Hydrofoils have since found application in a variety of ways:

• Military: During the Cold War, hydrofoils were used by militaries around the world for their speed and agility [!6(https://www.britannica.com/technology/hydrofoil)].
• Consumer Recreation: Hydrofoils are exploding in consumer watercraft designs, spanning efoil boards, foiling surf and SUP boards, electric power boats,  foiling racing dinghies, foilng catamarans.
• Commercial Transportation: Especially useful for coastal routes, hydrofoils provided a speedy passenger ferry option [!6(https://www.britannica.com/technology/hydrofoil)].
• Yacht Racing: The America’s Cup has seen its share of hydrofoil designs, pushing the boundaries of speed and design in yacht racing [!3(https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofoil)].

Please read the article by Matt Sheahan in the 2021 Yachting journal for more details on this history.

While foil technology is rapidly evolving, the U.S. is lagging in engineering, fabrication and consumer adoption of foiling watercraft.   Closing that gap is the primary goal of Foil Forward!