Hydrofoil for Pontoon Boat

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by SlowCruise, Dec 16, 2011.

  1. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    Location: Lakeland Fl USA

    messabout Senior Member

    My comments above were meant to convey the idea of creating a flat bottom. The idea was merely a brain fart. However I will attempt to explain implementation just for fun.

    Let us say that the pontoons are 24" in diameter. Brake some aluminum sheets into a channel section. The inside bottom of the channel will measure 24 inches and the legs or sides of the channel will extend upwards about 12 inches. Push the channels up onto the bottoms of the pontoons. You have what amounts to a half a round thing resting inside half a box. The front end of the structure should taper upwards. This would involve a sort of parabolic cut out in the floor of the forward channel so that it would transition into the existing round. Now you have two flat bottomed sleds. The whole of it involves a lot of welding.

    This was only a wild thought that has unfavorable implications. Those being cost, additional weight, and uncertainty of outcome. Also, the boat will pound in a chop. The pair of long flat bottoms have technical merit but perhaps not practical merit. I reckon the other guys, who were naysayers, were closer to reality.
     
  2. MrHysucat
    Joined: Apr 2012
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    Location: Cape L' Agulhas/South Africa

    MrHysucat Hysucat Evangelist

    I'm sorry, but this is never going to work on a pontoon boat. The hull shape is wrong. Plus you are very underpowered thinking you are going to get those floats to plane.
     

  3. sottorf
    Joined: Sep 2007
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    Location: South Africa

    sottorf member

    it is possible to fit HYSUCAT hydrofoils onto a pontoon boat. But the spray strakes are necessary too as the round pontoon will not work well without the strakes due to hydrodynamic suction created by the round shapes.

    HYSUCAT foils are only benefical if the volumtric Froude number, FnD > 2.2. If the boat is slower than that you are wasting your time with hydrofoils - the boat will only be slower.
     
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