Experimental Investigation into Modern Hydofoils-Assisted Monohulls: How Hydrodynamically Efficient are they?

Abstract

Despite the omnipresence of hydrofoil-assisted racing monohulls and the inherent development phases to refine their designs, very little scientific data has reached the public domain. Moreover, following the trend set by racing yachts, the cruising industry is now looking at the implementation of foils onto leisure vessels, with several already built. This paper therefore presents a hydrodynamic comparison of three contemporary options, namely a Dynamic Stability System, a Dali-Moustache and a Chistera foil, that have been towing tank tested on a 1:10 scale model of a 50 ft racer-cruiser hull. The analysis presented focuses on the resistance, side force, heave and trim, as well as the induced drag factor and effective draft of each design, eventually resulting in a conclusion on the most suitable configuration for leisure craft applications, and providing experimental data relative to hydrofoils. At this stage, the interest is purely hydrodynamic, and does not yet account for the additional righting moment provided by the foils and the impact on sailing performance.