This should fire up the teabaggers, Hydroptere hit 61 knots today before pitchpoling in an attempt on the outright WSSRC 500m sailing record. From what I can see on gps-kitesurfing the kiters have hit 60.2 knots so far.
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Funny thing is, we can buy all the gear for like <3000$ and besides the board the rest is just stock standard gear available in anyshop.
Then you got these guys spending millions of dollars building totally impractical vessels and still havent managed to crack 50 knots officially (I'm sure they are capable).
It is a joke that kiters hold the record when some people spend so much effort and money trying to get that fast.
I was going to ask where you got that pic from, but I managed to find it.
More details here for anyone that is interested:
www.sail-world.com/Australia/lHydroptere-hits-61-knots!/52084
nice one Roo.
very selective choice of information you have picked there.
www.gps-kitesurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=user&val=818&uid=47
for the kites it's actually 61.7kn peak on display. 60.2kn was the 2sec speed.
i wonder where Hydroptere got that number from? display or the same peaky track data that sailrocket showed a few days ago.
cheers
boogie
The thing about Hydroptere is that it's running in open seas! i challenge all the other contenders to do those speeds in the ocean.
Imagine if they could get the boat into some flat water 70knots?
That's a very valid point Choco. The video of Hydroptere shows its capability is radically different from the other contenders.
Its possible that Hydroptere "took off" because its foils ventilated. Ventilation is where the water flow detaches from the low pressure side of the foil leaving a giant air bubble. This can reduce lift but also eliminate/reduce cavitation drag, the combination providing a brief period of super performance until the boat gets fully out of control.
Its interesting looking at the foil configuration that *if* the foils ventilated and produced less lift, the boat would just sit lower in the water and may still have functioned successfully.
I imagine if the foils started cavitating they would sure feel it.
I would really like to see this boat take the record because it can achieve those speeds in open water.
It surprises me all that technology and they leave it up to a person to trim the sail, stick your head out of a (quite slippery) car's window at 100km/h and try to pick the gusts.
I am thinking about putting similar foils to Hydroptere on the bottom of a windsurfer. What do you think would be the advantages / disadvantages of such an exercise. The aim obviously is to go fast but also to create a board that is fast in choppy water & hopefully the ocean. I have seen plenty of single foil hydrofoils windsurfers but none using three foils. The stability should be better. You could mount the front two on a track for easy adjustment. The type of board to use is the question! A formula board or a short/ wide slalom board perhaps. There should be no need for a small speed board as it will ride up on the foils. Has anyone tried it?
I remember seeing a windsurfer fitted with fore and aft, inclined surface-piercing foils, a la Hydroptere, in a WS magazine about 20 yrs ago. It was up and foiling in the photo. Been tried but maybe not refined.
