This foil design was mentioned in another thread a few days ago, which is now closed:
Here is an article to follow up on that, with the first installation being a reality:
Canards are nothing new. They were used on the Concorde and on other aircraft. Itâs no surprise they might provide a stabilizing effect to shipsâ hulls especially if they are articulated like anti-roll stabilizers. Iâm no expert but Iâm sure someone can provide some useful insight. @Tupsis ?
Thatâs what it said in the first article quoted:
âThe principe has been known for 150 yearâ, which is a hell of a lot longer than since the Concord first flew.
1 Like
So why are they acting like they have found the holy grail.
Installation of wings to existing vessel may completely change flow around bulbous bow. It may create even extra resistance.
1 Like
They have been testing it in model tanks and though computer modelling. They are now testing it in real life on this small ferry in the Faroeys. Maybe better to wait for the result of that to pass judgement.
1 Like
Closed only because he was linking to an article published over 1 year ago to a thread with last post over 3 years old.
Iâm glad you started a new thread with more recent info since youâre interested specifically in âfoilsâ.
2 Likes
Oh how clever!! Play on words to foil somebody?
Interesting. But what happens when the ship pitches so the bow is out of water and then slams into the water again? Has any model tank testing been done in seaways? My experience to reduce pitching and bow impacts of passenger ships in storms is that only slowing down and/or changing course help. If these foils are out, when the bow slams into the water in severe weather, they will be knocked off at once.
I would be surprised if that has not been thought of and tested.
Maybe they are smart enough to set a weather limit for when the foils are deployed?
PS> The main purpose of these foils are to reduce fuel consumption. Improvement in the way the ship pitches is an added bonus.
We are thus told that the Faroese ferry Teistin is the first ship in the world to be fitted with retractable bow foils from the Norwegian startup Wavefoil. The foils have now been operating successfully for around three weeks.
The foils convert wave energy directly into propulsive thrust and reduce the ship motions, thereby saving fuel and improving the comfort on board. So, since September 25, the 45-meter (148-foot) Teistin has been partly powered by the waves of the North Atlantic Ocean, transporting thousands of passengers between GamlarĂŚtt, Skopun and Hestur in the Faroe Islands. The ship/foils looks like
I wonder if the foils flip down vertically and are retracted upwards when not used in stormy weather and at anchor.
If you read and watched the attached videos in the post above before posting your negative opinions and your questions you would have known the answers. Try it now.
2 Likes
Thanks. The video didnât load when I tried before but now it works. So the foils, I would call them fins, are stored vertically (between the anchor chain lockers?), pushed out vertically down and then flipped to a horizontal position to convert wave motion into propulsive thrust. I must admit that I cannot understand how these fins can do that. It is not a negative opinion but an admission of not understanding, in this case what, e.g. happens when the fins slam into the surface of the sea after pitching up into the air. Of course the fins will not be used in those conditions but only in calm weather (no severe pitching!). So how does a horizontal fin at the bow produce thrust in the longitudinal direction reducing total resistance of the hull? Do the fins suck down the wave caused by the bow, i.e. reduce the wave resistance of the hull by changing the flow at the bow?
Speculating, but I think they are more likely meant to counteract the pitching movement by using the flow of water over the foils to create a force opposite to the pitching movement.
They are intended to produce an added propulsive force to reduce fuel consumption.
The effect is greatest when there are some pitch motion, but probably not much when âthe bow is out of the waterâ, for fairly obvious reasons.
The present prototype has been developed for small vessels and is installed on a small ferry that operate in open waters in an area where there are more or less constant swells-
The effect of reducing pitch motion, thus increasing comfort for pax and crew, is an added bonus.
Hm, anyone being at sea in severe weather knows that the ship pitches, rolls and heaves, so it is best to stay a little aft, on open deck in fresh air, at center line looking aft where motions are felt no so bad to avoid vomiting, etc. That stupid, flimsy fins can be pushed out from the bow and flip out to stop the motions ⌠and reduce fuel consumption ⌠is in my honest opinion pure stupidity. Only stupid people waste money on such nonsense.
You must be very wealthy from avoiding all the stupid ideas that you wouldnât waste money on lately 
Not sure what avoiding sea sickness has to do with increasing fuel efficiency of the shipâŚ
I think that anyone who has been in the engine room of a ship that has been pitching badly could tell you how smoothing out the pitch would save fuel. All you have to do is listen to the turbos.
Roll stabilizer fins are normally fitted midships. My ships have many of those. In severe weather - big pitching + impact at the bow - you change course/slow down and any rolling is reduced by the roll stabilizers
If you want to fit pitch (???) reducing fins, the best location would be aft to ensure that the props are always below water,in a seaway, etc. Only an idiot would fit any pitch reducing fins at the bow, where they would be knocked off at once in severe weather.
I have a feeling that the designer of these bow foils has never been to sea.
Do you bother to read these threads before you open your mouth and let all sorts of stupid fall out? The reduction of pitching is just an added benefit. The main purpose is to convert wave energy directly into propulsive thrust in order to reduce fuel consumption. In order to make use of the wave energy, the fins would need to be located in the area of maximum vertical translation.
1 Like
To which I reply; Kembali. (Look it up)