Hydrofoil technology, which revolutionized maritime transportation, emerged in the early 20th century through pioneering efforts by inventors and engineers. The concept involves lifting a boat’s hull out of the water using underwater wings or foils, reducing drag and allowing for higher speeds and smoother rides.
1869 is the first hint of hydro foil technology emerges from a patent by Parisian Emmanuel Denis Fargot and his row boat.
1906 we see a couple more inventors take it to sail boats. Just a couple worth noting are Mewburn Ellis and Italian Enrico Forlanini.
1973: Mike Murphy and Bud Holst develop the hydrofoil kneeboard
1979: Joop Nederpelt designs the first windsurf hydrofoil
Bob Woolley invents the sit down hydrofoil in 1984, then Air Chair was invented by Jeff Spencer in 1990, which then inspired a group of big wave surfers in Maui to mount their surfboards onto this air chair foil and using snowboard bindings to lock them onto their new foil surfers. Keep in mind these foils were originally designed for riding behind a boats sitting down, but Laird Hamilton, Don Montague and Rush Randle used them for a wave called “Jaws”. I was introduced to Rush Randle in 1999 at a Standing Flow Rider event sponsored by Swatch in Mission Beach when I was 18 and just hitting the circuit as a professional snowboarder. These big wave surfers revolutionized the world of Foil Surfing as we know it today.
Now with Carbon technology, lower profiles and higher aspect wings, the modern day foils are extremely proficient and can glide at speeds of 3 mph and take you up to speeds of 35mph. Also available are taller mast that can create a massive launch ramp for aerial maneuvers like backflip 360’s and more to come. The taller mast also can provide a smoother ride in rougher water, but beware, the stability can lessen.
It seems the foil technology is finally being narrowed in to a general specific design that everyone is copying. Whereas just 5 years ago there was a much broader scope of designs as companies like SPG, Armstrong, Go Foil, Lift, Nash, and others tried to discover what was the most efficient design.
There are many different directions you can aspire towards with Hydro foiling surfing. Some go the $12k route of e-foiling, which uses an electric motor to get up onto foil and probably the easiest for beginners, but quickly get old just like a jet ski gets old after enough time on it. Kite surfing and wing surfing are driven by wind and provides a platform for the biggest airs we see on a foil. Wake surfing allows you to use the energy of a wave the boat creates once the boat pulls you out of the water. If the boat makes a big enough wave you can ride up to 12 waves behind the boat. Tow in foil surfing uses a jet ski to whip you into big waves or even small rolling types of waves for the more average foiler. SUP foiling uses a narrow long board to build speed on downwind waves and a long paddle that can be used while standing to build forward momentum. Once the board lifts out of the water the foil accelerates as friction and drag disappear. SUP foilers are known for doing long distant down winders such as connecting islands in Hawaii around distances of 30 miles. Possibly my favorite is prone surfing that looks much like traditional ocean wave surfing until the board raises up and you are off to the races as it accelerates down the face of the wave and then certain foils allowing the surfer to pump the foil through flat water and connect multiple waves in the surf’s lineup. And don’t forget dock starts. The surfer uses a dock or a beach to take a couple fast quick steps to get the foil gliding then jumps on to the board and pumps either through the flat water or out to a wave where they begin to harness the energy of the wave.
A few things that really surprised me when I begin to foil in 2017, First off I had spent my whole life riding the surface of snow, water or concrete on my boards and now I was in the air while the foil below me was under the surface. Second was the energy I started feeling that I did not know existed. It was an invisible power that I could not see, but I could feel it. I had always been mesmerized by dolphins and how they would glide effortlessly inside a wave that I was on surface of. Now I can relate to the energy they are riding. It makes more sense, Once you understand how a wave is just a long ball rolling though the ocean or lake.
All in all foil surfing is a new craze that is taking off and Surf n’ Foil Tahoe is the premier specialist of foiling in the Tahoe Basin. While many were hesitant to foil in the beginning because of how dangerous it looked, don’ worry I teach many safety techniques that can lessen or completely eliminate the risk of injury. Foiling is now being embraced by the masses and I believe it will begin to drive boat sales among many new enthusiast. Come fly with us!