Once out of the water and on a foil any construction is no longer a boat.
Why go to foils on cats when a mono will always create less windage and end up faster. The moth is a boat made into a foiler. When someone designs a foiler from scratch will they think...cat? I don't think so.
A mono with outrigger foils will be the quickest and most stable......so would that be a tri???
If you want to sail single handed and go fast...get a windsurfer.....put a foil on a windsurfer.........Just put a foil on your feet!......kite foiling!
Great post!
I can think of two reasons why I would prefer a multihull platform: takeoff speed and stability.
- Multihulls reach foiling speed earlier and/or with less wind.
- Multihulls provide a stable platform for foilers, while monohulls depend a lot on crew skill.
A trimaran is the preferred platform because its geometry provides a large lever arm for the main foils and this helps stabilize the boat.
But you are right: basically we can think of Hydroptére as a monohull foiler that needs the huge beam between the foils for stability. The tiny floats are there only to keep the boat upright until takeoff. It just looks a lot like a tri.
However, if we want to carry more payload in this type of "foiled monohull with tiny floats", its takeoff speed will grow higher and it will need longer floats for stability at near takeoff speeds. It will end up being a regular tri with foils.
Kitefoiling could become popular: Wear your foiled shoes and take off <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
