Home Information Interesting Hydrofoil Facts

The first evidence of the use of a hydrofoil on a boat or ship was in a British patent granted to Emmanual Farcot in 1869. The Wright brothers received a hydrofoil patent on a catamaran hull. The hydrofoil works on the same principal as an airplane wing. Lift is generated by a combination of speed and angle of attack. Water is about 700 times denser than air. Today hydrofoils are used on power boats, sailboats and sailboards to reduce drag while increasing speed and efficiency. Stand up hydrofoils with double skis were marketed in the 60s and 70s with moderate success. Hydrofoiling competitions are becoming increasingly popular. Events held so far include a summer series on the US Pro Tour, INT-League amateur series in Arizona, and World Championships. There are now nearly 150 maneuvers (excluding reverses of the same move. More than 20 are inverted. The record for consecutive rolls (an inverted move) without stopping or falling is 1,416. It took over 4 hours. World record 5 hours 17 minutes, Mary Murphy rode from Long Beach to Catalina Island and back. Featured in Ripleys Believe it or Not. Hydrofoiling has received worldwide media attention on TV shows, in the movies, and in print. Today hydrofoiling even has its own newsletter. At least 10 professional ski schools now offer hydrofoiling instruction. Hydrofoiling boasts the smallest drag of any of the towed watersports. That translates into longer rides with less fatigue. Hydrofoiling claims the record for the biggest air behind a boat (except off a jump ramp) at well over 23 feet. A large wake is not required to get big air on a hydrofoil. Rush Randle and Neil Pride started stand up surf hydrofoiling using surfboards. Jake Kinnison landed the first inverted trick (wake roll) on a convertable stand up hydrofoil. Bobby Taylor landed the first helicopter on a convertable stand up hydrofoil.