Interesting new watercraft that might replace noisy gas guzzling Jet Ski's and possibly one's dingy with electric propulsion powered Quadrofoil.
"the average jet ski is powered by a 125 hp motor, and one Kawaski model uses a mind-melting 300 hp, the Quadrofoil is powered by 5 hp (3.5kW), 25 times smaller than the average jet ski. Yet on that mere 5 hp, it can hit speeds up to 40 km/h and, says Pivec, accelerate like a Ferrari. Better yet, once it reaches between 10-12 km/h (6-7.4 mph) and the 'wings' lift it out of the water, its speed suddenly increases, while its power consumption drops by half. Best of all, it dumps no dirty hydrocarbons into the water. And if skimming over the water at 25 mph - and in the process slicing through those wakes and waves - isn't exciting enough for you, Pivec says they are working on faster craft and bigger models: a four-place is on the drawing board. They also have a patent that overcomes one of the drawbacks of conventional hydrofoils: their inability to turn in tight circles. The Quadrofoil has a 7 meter (23 ft) turning radius, made possible by their steerable 'wings' and motor." - EVWORLD
Adoption of electric propulsion should make anchorages a little quieter too! Stay tuned.
Hat Tip: John Rushworth
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2 comments:
Two concerns spring to mind with a craft like this replacing a dinghy...
1) loading. I think foils are very sensitive to (over)loading. So as a dinghy, provisioning runs might be a little impractical, as would ferrying multiple people back and forth.
2) robustness. Again, foil craft are very sensitive to the condition of their foils. Beaching is out of the question, hitting a rock as well. What about tying up to a concrete wall, or other dinghies.
This is a motorcycle. So it could certainly replace 90% of jetskis once it is readily available. But a dinghy is a family car for a cruising sailboat.
Now, if they could sell either a convertible hard shell version with removable foils or an adapter frame for a standard 10' RIB or a Fatty Knees type hard shell dinghy, I think that would make quite an addition to a cruising boat's toy box... :-)
/Jason
Good points Jason. If it just replaced some of the noisier jet skis out there I'd be happy too.:)
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