Hydrofoil Technology: Current Applications and Future Developments for Sustainable Boating

Submerged lifting surfaces technology, born in the early 1900s, allows boats to lift the hull above the water and, in some cases, halves the resistance compared to dislocated and planning boats. This paper illustrates the state-of-the-art on hydrofoil technology, highlighting the fundamental aspects of the study of submerged wings and focusing on the problems that this technology presents, evaluating the solutions currently used to optimize its work. Key aspects of hydrofoil design are addressed, such as the choice of geometric configurations and two-dimensional profiles suitable for each type of mission. This results in addressing issues associated with cavitation and ventilation and emphasizing structural solutions that reduce these phenomena, thus improving hydrofoil efficiency. The study analyses and discusses the problems of wing systems used in existing applications, with the aim of developing a sustainable transport technology compatible with ecological propulsions such as hydrogen and electric.