Foiling has taken the watersports world by storm in recent years, but the history of the hydrofoiler goes back further than you might thinkThe biggest revolution to hit watersports in general has been foiling, and it\u2019s easy to view the use of hydrofoils as a relatively recent phenomenon.
\nIn truth, although foiling has really taken off (if you\u2019ll forgive the pun) in recent years in everything from surfing to sailing, paddleboarding, and beyond, the history of the hydrofoil goes back far further than many might assume.
\nThe world of powered foilers kicked things off early but even sail-powered foiling craft are much older than you may realise.
\nThe history of foiling
\nThe early development of hydrofoils started over 100 years ago when Italian Enrico Forlanini achieved 36.9 knots with his 60hp airscrew-driven boat in 1906. Several engineers took notice, among them the Wright Brothers and Alexander Graham Bell, both of whom experimented with foilborne craft.
\nWithin a few years speeds moved briskly into the 50-knot range for power boats, but it wasn\u2019t until 1938 that a sailing boat got up onto foils with Americans Gilruth and Carl who managed to foil at five knots. Here are some key moments:
\n1869 \u2013 First patent for hydrofoil was for a rowing boat, French application made by Emmanuel Denis Fargot.
\nFirst hydrofoil boat built by Enrico Forlanini
\n1906 \u2013 First hydrofoil boat designed and built by Enrico Forlanini. It had a ladder-type construction with multiple struts supporting multiple wings. It achieved 36.9 knots.
\nAlexander Graham Bell\u2019s HD-4
\n1918 \u2013 Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin launched their HD-4, a five-tonne vessel powered by two liberty aircraft engines of 350hp each and reached 52 knots. The HD-4 Hydrodrome later set a new world record of 61.58 knots.
\n1938 \u2013 First known sailing hydrofoil was produced by Americans R. Gilruth and Bill Carl.
\nGordon Baker\u2019s Monitor
\n1955 \u2013 Monitor clocked at 25 knots. She was designed by Gordon Baker and built by the Baker Manufacturing Company of Evansville, Wisconsin. The US Navy shared part of the cost of construction.
\nIn October 1956 she was recorded at 30.4 knots and was later said to have sailed close to 40 knots.
\nDavid Kelper\u2019s Williwaw
\n1970 \u2013 The first hydrofoil cruiser. David Keiper\u2019s Williwaw cruised throughout the South Pacific clocking up 20,000 miles.
\n1974 \u2013 Mayfly foiling cat established world record for A Class in Weymouth at 19.38 knots. In 1977 she set the bar higher at 23 knots.
\nIcarus, a modified foiling Tornado
\n1976 \u2013 Icarus, a modified foiling Tornado (above), set a new world record in B class at 20.70 knots. By 1985 Grogono and Fowler had raised their speed to 28.14 knots.
\nOffshore foiler Paul Ricard
\n1980 \u2013 Eric Tabarly beat the schooner Atlantic\u2019s transatlantic record by more than two days in offshore foiler Paul-Ricard.
\n1990 \u2013 Hobie Trifoiler, a twin-sail trimaran with a mainsail on each outrigger, capable of 30 knots, making it the fastest production sailboat in the world. The prototype, Longshot, was developed by Dan and Greg Ketterman with Russell Long.
\n1992 \u2013 Russell Long broke his own world records for the fourth time in the Trifoiler clocking 43.55 knots.
\n1994 \u2013 Alain Th\u00e9bault\u2019s L\u2019Hydropt\u00e8re foiling tri launched.
\nTechniques Avanc\u00e9es, a foilborne proa
\n1997 \u2013 Techniques Avanc\u00e9es, a French foilborne proa, set a new world speed record in the D class, at 42.12 knots
\n2005 \u2013 Rohan Veal wins the International Moth World Championship sailing a Moth class dinghy with hydrofoils fitted.
\nL\u2019Hydropt\u00e8re, former speed record holder. Photo: Christophe Launay
\n2009 \u2013 L\u2019Hydropt\u00e8re set new outright world speed record over 500m 51.36knots.
\nSailRocket2 clocked an unprecedented 64.45 knots
\n2012 \u2013 Sailrocket II broke L\u2019Hydropt\u00e8re\u2019s record to set new outright world record over 500m of 65.45knots.
\n2013 \u2013 The America\u2019s Cup goes foiling as Oracle Team USA beat Emirates Team New Zealand both sailing foiling 72ft catamarans, the AC72s.
\nThe G4 foiling catamaran
\n2015 \u2013 Gunboat launch the Gunboat G4, a foiling high performance cruising catamaran
\nIMOCA 60 Banque Populaire VIII, sailed by Armel Le Cl\u00e9ac\u2019h wins the 2016\/2017 Vendee Globe on a semi-foiling design
\n2016 \u2013 The Vend\u00e9e Globe sees semi-foiling IMOCA 60 keelboats on the startline for the first time.
\n2017 \u2013 Emirates Team New Zealand win the America\u2019s Cup in a foiling AC50 catamaran
\nEmirates Team New Zealand racing in the 2021 America\u2019s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo: ACE \/ Studio Borlenghi
\n2021 \u2013 Emirates Team New Zealand defend the 2021 America\u2019s Cup in a brand new foiling monohull, the AC75<\/p>\n
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Foiling has taken the watersports world by storm in recent years, but the history of the hydrofoiler goes back further than you might thinkThe biggest revolution to hit watersports in general has been foiling, and it\u2019s easy to view the … <\/p>\n