A boat on wings. Hydrofoils Boats and hydrofoils

Launched on the waters of Lake Maggiore, the boat with built-on “wings”, created by the Italian inventor, reached an unprecedented speed for 1906 - 68 km/h. The boat's engine had a power of only 60 horsepower and drove two propellers rotating in opposite directions.

Operating principle

hydrofoils- these are devices included in the structure of the ship’s hull, made in the form of wings (hence the name). Their main purpose is to reduce friction and resistance of water, the ship's hull, and also reduce the vessel's draft.

The principle of operation of hydrofoils is similar to the wings of aircraft. At high speeds, due to the bending of the wing, the ship rises above the water. Only the wings and engines remain submerged. The optimal propulsion force of a vessel depends on its speed. Since the density of water is 800 times greater than the density of air, the wing area, as well as the speed of the ship, with the same buoyancy force as that of an airplane, will be 800 times less.

• Such vessels are capable of moving through water in two modes: In normal ship mode. Each type of hydrofoil has a design speed at which the buoyancy force lifts the ship's hull above the water (similar to the takeoff speed of an airplane). Before reaching this speed, the ship is immersed in water, in accordance with Archimedes' law
• . At the same time, the draft increases greatly, as the wings increase it. To solve this problem, folding wings and rising propellers are used. In hydrofoil mode. Reaching pushing speed, the ship rises above the water

, by reducing the friction force, the speed increases sharply, and the draft becomes minimal.

There are two main types of hydrofoils:

As the area of ​​contact of such wings with water increases, the buoyancy force they create also increases. Thanks to this property, the vessel is more stable when waves occur. To improve the smooth movement of the ship in heavy seas, partially submerged wings can be equipped with automatically controlled flaps.Fully submerged (U Control of the buoyancy force when the wing is completely immersed in water is carried out by changing the angle of attack (rotating the entire wing) or deflecting the flaps, which are located on the fixed wing, along the trailing edge. Regulation of the vessel's position above the water is provided by an automatic control system. The control computer monitors the position of the vessel and automatically balances it.

The control system must have a very high reliability coefficient, since if it fails, the U-wing vessel can capsize.

Hydrofoils can be positioned in different ways, both relative to each other and relative to the ship's hull.

There are three types of hydrofoil configurations used in practice:

1. The wing arrangement is similar to an aviation one (aircraft layout). In this position, the large wing (main) is located in front of the metacenter of the ship, and the smaller wing (secondary) is located behind the center of gravity. Wings of this type are used on small ships with a shallow draft.
2. The wing arrangement is “canard”. This design involves placing a smaller wing in front of the main one (resembling the shape of a duck). They are used similarly to “aviation” ones.
3. Tandem scheme. Tandem wings are equivalent to each other and are located in front and behind the metacenter of the vessel, at the same distance from it. A similar design is used in the design of large, seaworthy hydrofoil vessels.

Hydrofoil propulsion systems

To reach the glide path (that is, to achieve a speed sufficient to “stand up” on the wings), the ship must have a powerful engine. On ships with hydrofoils, internal combustion engines (diesel) and gas turbine units are used.

Water-jet and screw propulsors are used together with them. Large-tonnage ships are equipped with both types of propulsors, switching depending on the mode of movement of the ship; most often they are driven by gas turbine units.

Features of wing movement in water

When a hydrofoil moves in water, a zone of low pressure forms on its upper surface. This contributes to the formation of air bubbles, this effect is called cavitation. When air bubbles collapse, they can damage the wing. An area of ​​low pressure sufficient to cause bubbles to form occurs when the ship reaches a certain speed.

• Based on the occurrence of cavitation, hydrofoils are divided into two types: Their maximum speed is lower than the speed required for cavitation to occur.
• Supercavitating. Wings for high-speed vessels. The wing profile is designed in such a way that cavitation bubbles collapse at a distance from the wing surface.

In 1956 it was developed new type of wing profile, designed to become independent from cavitation. He is symmetrical wedge. When moving in a liquid, positive dynamic pressure arises on its faces. On its outer convex side the pressure decreases, and on its concave side it increases. In the high pressure region that occurs on the convex side of the curved wedge, no cavitation effect, and at high angles of attack of the wing, the bends of the trailing edges delay the occurrence of cavitation.

Features of the use of hydrofoils

The introduction of hydrofoils led to changes in the architecture of the ships using them. To reduce the aerodynamic drag of the hull, ships of this type have become streamlined. Due to the low load capacity, the main purpose of such ships was the transportation of passengers and excursions, their internal cabin layout corresponds to the aircraft cabin.

Wheelhouse(captain's bridge) are located at the bow of the ship to improve visibility when passing winding rivers. Utility rooms are located between the passenger compartment and the engine room, thereby reducing engine noise (penetrating into the cabin) and increasing passenger comfort.

For ship design hydrofoils were developed new hull development techniques. Taking into account increased bending moment. In addition, the operating features require strong waves hitting the hull when the vessel is planing.

All these factors are determined by the design of the wing device, especially the nose one. As a result of the use of hydrofoils, developed under the guidance of Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor N.V. Matthes, managed to reduce the dynamic loads on the body to 50 - 60%.

The hydrofoils and hull of the ship average 45–55% of its empty weight. That's why optimal materials lightweight and durable alloys are used to create gliders aluminum and stainless steel, for making wings. Currently, many small ships use wings made of fiberglass with reinforcement allowing to significantly reduce the weight of the vessel.

The technology for manufacturing hydrofoils is very expensive. Therefore, in some cases, designers resort to worsening hydrodynamic characteristics, reducing the cost of building a ship. For example, riveted body joints are replaced by welded joints. This makes the structure heavier, but greatly reduces the complexity and cost of the work.

Ways to control hydrofoils

The buoyancy force on a hydrofoil vessel is controlled by changing the angle of attack of the wing or by flaps. Currently, all control systems are automated. The operator performs only rough control - turning, decelerating and accelerating the vessel, and stabilization of the movement is provided by the central processor of the vessel control. Receiving information about the position of the vessel from sensors, it transmits signals to change the angle of attack of the wing or flap. Holding the vessel in the position specified by the operator. For gliders, only the fastest processors and sensors are used, since the time for signal transmission and processing at high speeds should be minimal.

The invention relates to inflatable vessels intended for entertainment and sports. An inflatable hydrofoil boat contains cylinders and a bottom and has on the lower surface of the side cylinders or three or more cylinders longitudinal through pockets (sleeves) of such a size that poles protruding from the pockets on both sides are tightly located in them. Hydrofoil struts are attached to the ends of the poles. The boat's safety is ensured when it hits an underwater obstacle. 4 salary f-ly, 2 ill.

Inflatable boats of various designs are known, see, for example, A.S. No. 608695. Their disadvantages are poor seaworthiness (running in rough seas) and relatively low speed. At the same time, it is well known that hydrofoil boats have a smooth ride in rough water and a higher speed. But there was no successful solution for attaching wings to an inflatable boat.

The essence of the invention is that the boat has on the lower surface of the side cylinders or three or more cylinders longitudinal through pockets (sleeves) of such a size that poles protruding from the pockets on both sides are tensioned in them, and hydrofoil struts are attached to the ends of the poles . The pockets should be of such a width that the poles are securely fixed in the pockets when inflating the cylinders.

It is best to secure the posts to the poles with clamps that fit around the ends of the poles, or that fit loosely over them and are secured in other ways, such as with pins.

An option is possible when the drains have cylinders that are telescopically (coaxially) inserted inside the ends of the tubular poles. All free space of tubular poles must be filled with foam. The struts to the wings must be firmly attached.

A big nuisance for a hydrofoil is hitting an underwater or floating obstacle. In this case, the pockets can consist of two strips of material connected by a destructible, that is, specially weakened fastening. For example, the joining parts of the strips may have eyelets connected in pairs on different sides with cords of relatively low strength.

Then, when hitting an underwater obstacle, the cords sequentially break, and the entire structure, consisting of two rods and two hydrofoils with struts, flies back, and the boat splashes down on the bottom in an undamaged state. This sets an inflatable hydrofoil boat apart from rigid hull boats, which can suffer significant damage during such an impact, even threatening buoyancy.

It will take about half an hour to return the structure to its previous appearance.

You can more quickly restore a design where strips of material are connected with a strong zipper, and the zipper slider should be directed backwards and should not have a stopper. And the rear end of the zipper is fastened with two eyelets and a cord.

Or a second runner, directed in the same direction as the first, and secured from moving in both directions with a thread of low strength.

Or an option is possible when the rear end of the “zipper” is fastened with a channel shaped like the letter “P”, with the channel ribs facing inside the letter “P”.

Then, when you hit an obstacle, both zippers will simply unzip. In this case, restoring functionality will take one or two minutes: just insert replacement sliders and tie them on (the old front sliders are lost in an accident, and you need to have a small supply of them).

If there is no need for high speed and seaworthiness, such a boat can be successfully used without wings.

Figure 1 shows a boat, where: 1 - cylinders, 2 - sleeve, 3 - pole, 4 - wing struts, 5 - hydrofoils.

Figure 2 shows the simplest version of the wings, where: 3 - a pole, 6 - a duralumin plate bent in the form of a clamp, attached to the wings 5 ​​with screws 7 and clamping the pole when the wing screw 8 is tightened.

The boat works like this: the motor accelerates the boat, and it goes into foil mode.

1. An inflatable hydrofoil boat containing cylinders and a bottom, characterized in that it has on the lower surface of the side cylinders or three or more cylinders longitudinal through pockets (sleeves) of such a size that poles protruding from the pockets on both sides are tightly located in them sides, and hydrofoil struts are attached to the ends of the poles.

2. The boat according to claim 1, characterized in that the racks are attached to the poles with clamps.

3. The boat according to claim 1, characterized in that the racks are attached telescopically to tubular poles.

4. The boat according to claim 1, characterized in that the pockets consist of two strips of material with eyelets, and the eyelets are connected in pairs with cords.

5. The boat according to claim 1, characterized in that the pockets consist of two strips of material connected by a zipper directed backwards, with the first slider tied with a thread in front, and the second slider directed in the same direction tied in front and behind, or the back part of the strips is fastened with thread through eyelets, or the back part of the “zipper” is fastened with a channel in the shape of the letter “P”, with the channel ribs facing inside the letter “P”.

The boat "Meteor" is a river passenger ship. It is a hydrofoil-powered vessel. It was developed by the domestic shipbuilder Rostislav Alekseev.

History of "Meteor"

The boat "Meteor" dates back to 1959. It was then that the first such experimental vessel was launched. Sea trials took almost three weeks. Within their framework, the very first boat "Meteor" covered the distance from Gorky to Feodosia. The ship was built at a plant called Krasnoe Sormovo.

The Meteor spent the winter in Feodosia. He set off on his return journey only in the spring of 1960. This time it took him five days to swim from Feodosia to Gorky. The tests were considered successful by all participants.

Mass production

Everyone was happy with it, so already in 1961 it was put into mass production. It was established in the name of Gorky, who was located in Zelenodolsk. Over 30 years, more than 400 ships from this series were produced here.

At the same time, the design bureau did not stand still. New and improved versions were constantly being developed. Thus, Nizhny Novgorod designers proposed making the Meteor on hydrofoils. In this case, imported engines and air conditioners were used. The history of this ship ended only in 2007, when the line was finally dismantled and rebuilt for ships of a new class.

Inventor of "Meteor"

The shipbuilder Rostislav Alekseev is rightfully considered the creator of the Meteor boat. In addition to aircraft on air wings, his merit is the appearance in our country of ekranoplanes (high-speed vehicles flying in the range of an aerodynamic screen) and ekranoplanes (using the screen effect for flights).

Alekseev was born in the Chernigov province back in 1916. In 1933 he moved with his family to Gorky, where he developed a successful working career. He graduated from the Industrial Institute and defended his thesis on hydrofoil gliders. He started working as a shipbuilding engineer.

During the Great Patriotic War, he was allocated resources and people to create hydrofoil combat boats. The leadership of the Soviet Navy believed in his idea. True, their creation was delayed, so they never had time to take part directly in hostilities. But the resulting models convinced skeptics of the feasibility of this project.

Work on "Meteor"

A group of scientists began to develop the “Meteor” hydrofoil under the leadership of Alekseev. Initially it received the symbolic name "Rocket".

The world community became aware of this project in 1957. The ship was presented at the international festival of youth and students, which took place in Moscow. After this, active shipbuilding began. In addition to the Meteor boat, whose technical characteristics turned out to be impressive, projects were created under the names Burevestnik, Volga, Voskhod, Sputnik and Comet.

In the 60s, Alekseev created an ekranoplan for the navy and a separate project for the airborne troops. If the flight altitude of the first was only a few meters, then the second could rise to a height comparable to airplanes - up to seven and a half kilometers.

In the 70s, Alekseev received an order for the landing ground effect vehicle "Eaglet". In 1979, the world's first ekranolet ship was adopted by the navy as an official combat unit. Alekseev himself regularly tested his vehicles. In January 1980, while testing a new model of a civilian passenger ekranolet, which was supposed to be completed for the Moscow Olympics, it crashed. Alekseev survived, but received numerous injuries. He was urgently hospitalized. Doctors fought for his life, two operations were performed. But on February 9, he still died. He was 63 years old.

Hydrofoils

The hydrofoil Meteor is a striking example of ships of this class. It has hydrofoils under the hull.

Among the advantages of such aircraft are high speed of movement, low resistance when moving on the wings, insensitivity to pitching and high maneuverability.

However, they also have significant disadvantages. Their main disadvantage is low efficiency, especially in comparison with slow-moving displacement vessels, and they begin to have problems when the water is rough. In addition, they are not suitable for unequipped parking lots, and to move they need both powerful and compact engines.

Description of "Meteor"

"Meteor" is a hydrofoil motor ship, which is designed for high-speed transportation of passengers. It runs on diesel and is single-deck. Used exclusively during daylight hours on navigable rivers. It is also possible for it to move through freshwater reservoirs and lakes, but only in areas with a predominantly temperate climate. It is controlled remotely, its movement is controlled directly from the wheelhouse.

Passengers are seated in three salons with comfortable and soft seats. They are located in the bow, middle and stern parts of the vessel. A total of 114 passengers can be accommodated. Movement between parts of the vessel is carried out through the deck, from which doors lead to the toilet, utility rooms and engine room. In the middle salon there is even a buffet for those who want to refresh themselves.

The wing device includes load-bearing wings and flaps. They are fixed to the sides and bottom racks.

The main engines are two diesel. At the same time, to service the power plant, a combined unit consisting of a diesel engine with a power of up to 12 horsepower is required. The mechanical installation is controlled from the wheelhouse and engine room.

Power supply of the ship

"Meteor" is a motor ship for which two running DC generators are considered the main source of electricity. Their power is one kilowatt at a stable and normal voltage.

There is also an automatic machine for simultaneous operation of batteries and a generator. There is also an auxiliary generator, which is used directly to power consumers.

Specifications

The passenger ship "Meteor" has enviable technical characteristics. The empty displacement is 36.4 tons, and the full displacement is 53.4 tons.

The length of the vessel is 34.6 meters, width is nine and a half meters with a hydrofoil design span. The height when parked is 5.63 meters, when moving on the wings - 6.78 meters.

The draft also differs when stationary and when moving on the wings. In the first case, 2.35 meters, in the second - 1.2 meters. Power varies from 1,800 to 2,200 horsepower. "Meteor" can reach a maximum speed of 77 kilometers per hour, as a rule, it is operated at a speed of 60-65 kilometers per hour. Autonomously, the ship can sail about 600 kilometers.

One of the disadvantages of Meteor is fuel consumption. Initially, it was about 225 liters per hour, but thanks to the use of new modern engines, today it can be significantly reduced - by about 50 liters of fuel per hour.

The crew is small - only three people.

Countries where Meteor is distributed

Currently, serial production of Meteors has been discontinued, so new ships of this type are no longer appearing. But their exploitation continues today. In particular, they are used by the river fleet of the Russian Federation, and they are also common in other countries.

Until now, they can be seen in Hungary, Greece, Vietnam, Italy, Egypt, China, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

These river hydrofoils were actively used in Bulgaria until about 1990, in Latvia until 1988, in Ukraine until 2000, in the Netherlands until 2004, and in Germany until 2008. Now in these countries they have been replaced by more modern ones vehicles.

Safe Travel

Exciting river trips and walks are still organized today using Meteor. Safety on board the ship for passengers is guaranteed by a special control system and regular thorough maintenance of all devices and mechanisms. Therefore, we can say with confidence that when you set sail on the Meteor, you do not risk anything.

You can take a ride on this river boat in different parts of the country. For example, excursions from St. Petersburg to Peterhof and back are very popular today. The ship sets off through the picturesque places of the Neva, tourists can enjoy the amazing beauty of Northern Palmyra. Moreover, everything is done for the convenience of people; it is not even necessary to waste time in line at the box office; it is enough to purchase a ticket online.

This high-speed river boat will delight you with a smooth ride, which is provided by powerful and reliable modern engines. On board each vessel there are radio navigation control, communication and air conditioning systems.

In three comfortable cabins, passengers are protected from any vagaries of nature. In soft chairs that take the form of a tourist, they can fully relax, have a snack, using folding wooden tables hidden in the armrests.

Between the chairs there are also round tables made of natural wood, which are much larger. They will come in handy if you are traveling with a friendly group.

Service for tourists

It is worth noting that today these vehicles are mainly used for tourism purposes. Therefore, they organize the most comfortable pastime. Great attention is paid to service.

Companies organizing such river cruises provide a full range of services, providing everything a vacationer might need. For example, tourism services, which include not only the transportation and accommodation of passengers, but also the organization of nutritious meals, exciting entertainment programs and educational excursions.

By using the convenient form for ordering tickets for these river ships on the Internet, you will not only save time, but also fully enjoy an unforgettable journey along the great rivers of Russia.

There are many fascinating and useful facts about the Meteor ship that will not only broaden your horizons, but also make a trip on this ship even more exciting.

Most of them are collected in a book called “Winged”, which combines all the most interesting things about this unusual type of water transport.

For example, one of the captains of the Meteor ship, which moved on hydrofoils, was the famous Hero of the Soviet Union, participant in the Great Patriotic War, Mikhail Devyatayev. While fighting against the Nazi invaders, he was captured, but managed to free himself and even hijack an enemy bomber.

A successful escape was achieved in February 1945 from a concentration camp located in Germany.

And in 1960, the new ship was demonstrated to the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev. The famous aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev, who was present, was so impressed by what he saw that he even asked the main developer, Alekseev, for permission to jointly control the ship.

Today, the Meteor has been replaced by the passenger ship Lena, which is also produced at the shipyard in Zelenodolsk. In the future, this project is being developed at a shipbuilding plant located in Khabarovsk. It is capable of covering a distance of 650 kilometers. At the same time, it develops an average speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour. Capable of accommodating 100 passengers or 50 with VIP accommodation. And the crew is only 5 people.

The appearance of hydrofoil boats (such as Raketa, etc.) on the rivers and seas of the USSR aroused great interest in hydrofoil boats.

In 1959, based on the data on the hydrofoil boat by engineer S. Tiain, published in the journal “Technology of Youth” No. 3 for 1959, several versions of hydrofoils were manufactured for the standard duralumin boat “Kazanka” with a “Moscow” engine with the power 10 l. With. The option shown in the drawing gave the best results when tested.

Making wings

To make a set of wings you need:

• for the front wing: one strip 1550 mm long per wing; two strips for support posts, 450 mm each; two racks made of sheet iron measuring 200X60X2.5 mm and a support plate for the strut 150 X 45 X 2.5 mm;
• for the rear wing: fender strip 1350 mm long; two strips for support posts, 350 mm each; one support strut made of sheet iron 200X60X2.5 mm and a support for it. The support struts are installed at the angle indicated in the drawing.

The transom is reinforced with a 3 mm thick duralumin sheet riveted to the angles - the transom posts.

To process the wings, a device is made from channel No. 10 with a length of 1300 mm. The height of the shelves should ensure that the wing strip laid in it touches at three points, which will ensure good and accurate fastening of the strip when processing it with a milling cutter.

The wing blank, laid in the channel, is secured with strips and processed to a width of 120 mm, and then milled onto the plane from the concave side to a thickness of about 7 mm so that the edges are sharp. The performance of the wing depends on the accuracy and cleanliness of strip processing.

The processed strips are bent according to the templates with the angles indicated in the drawing, in a cold or hot state under a press. The camber must be precise to produce uniform angles of attack across the wing span.

Wings with struts are assembled according to a pre-prepared template, taking into account the curvature and inclination of the sides of the boat (to avoid adjustment after welding). The welding areas are cleaned, and the wing, if it is not made of stainless steel, is chromed or tinned; the paint on the wing does not adhere well, and without coating the wings quickly rust.

Installing fenders on a boat

The front wing is installed at a distance of 2700 mm from the transom, at an angle of attack of 0° to the keel, at a vertical distance of 200 mm from the keel at an equal height from both cheekbones and is secured with 6 bolts. First, the front lower holes with a diameter of 5-6 mm are drilled and the wing is pre-fixed; then the wing is accurately leveled, after which the remaining holes are drilled and bolts are installed in them.

The central strut is attached to the keel last. By moving it forward or backward, raising the front and rear ends of the support, you can change the angle of attack of the middle part of the wing. The rear fender is installed similarly to the front fender directly at the transom.

Having secured the front and rear fenders to the sides and keel of the boat, you should check them using a cord stretched from the front to the rear fender. The cord should lie along the lower planes of the wings without gaps, which will determine the zero installation angle of attack. The production of wings does not require much expense and time, since their profile is determined by the radius of the pipe, and processing is simple.

The initial installation of the wings takes 2-3 hours, subsequent installation and shooting - no more than 30-40 minutes.

Testing the boat on the water. The first runs are made by one person. A bag of sand weighing 25-30 kg is taken into the boat to determine the centering of the boat and the seat of passengers. Choose a quiet day and a deserted place on the water.

Having placed the bag at the midsection, the driver, sitting at the engine in the stern, gives a smooth increase in the number of engine revolutions. As the boat begins to move, the bow begins to rise due to the large area of ​​the front wing. At this moment, a positive angle of attack of the wing is formed and it quickly pushes the bow of the boat out of the water. When lifting, the front wing partially comes out of the water and the lift is balanced by the weight of the bow of the boat.

The rear wing continues to rise, lowering the bow of the boat and reducing the angle of attack of the wings. The speed of the boat gradually increases.

As soon as the stern of the boat leaves the water, the motor sharply increases the speed due to the reduced load on the propeller. The speed should be smoothly reduced to normal and the boat will move on its wings. This can be felt by the absence of impacts on the surface, the height of the hull above the water and the absence of wave formation from the bow and stern of the boat. If the boat does not come out onto the fenders or, when released, falls off them, you need to change the alignment by moving the sandbag forward or backward.

Rocking the boat from side to side is a sign that the wing is very close to the surface of the water. In this case, you need to reduce the engine speed or change the alignment.

The boat easily obeys the steering wheel, has a tilt towards the turn and moves smoothly along the circulation radius, which depends on the speed, but does not exceed 50 m.

The boat comes out on its wings and moves steadily with 3 people on board.

Two years of experience in operating a hydrofoil boat has shown that, with a displacement of about 400 kg, it has twice the speed of a conventional boat of the same design with the same engine; has good stability and controllability. Installing fenders allows for greater gas savings.

The boat's seaworthiness is good. The boat can navigate waves up to 30 cm high freely.

To fully extract the power of the Moskva motor, it is recommended to increase the propeller pitch from 240 to 270-300 mm.

In search of a better profile, shape and area of ​​the wings, wings were made from pipe with a radius of 250 and 265 mm. The first of them gave greater lift, but lower speed due to increased drag. A wing made of a pipe with a radius of 265 mm with the same area lifts 3 people and gives the best result.

With different areas of the front and rear wings, the boat behaves unstably: if the position of the CG remained unchanged, then with an increase in speed the larger wing came out of the water. The same phenomena were observed if the wings had different mounting angles.

V.L. Vasilkyavichus, G.R. Krinickas
KiYa Magazine No. 2 1964

To install wings or not to install! Perhaps this is the most significant question that arises among many amateurs. And this is natural. A small motor vessel with hydrofoils has not only advantages, but also a number of specific disadvantages, which sometimes make one doubt the advisability of installing foils. Therefore, you should understand the matter well and weigh the pros and cons. A hasty and thoughtless decision about the suitability of the hull for installing wings, the selection of an inappropriate wing design and the wing device as a whole can lead to failure.

So, what do we think are the disadvantages and advantages of a hobby foiling boat?
If we talk about the shortcomings, then first of all we should note that most of them can only be explained by an unsuccessful design solution of the wing device.

The main obstacle to the development of amateur wing boats is the complexity of manufacturing the wings themselves. After all, the wings must be made with exceptional precision, their profile must be kept strictly constant, they must be mirror polished, otherwise the wings will only get in the way. It’s clear to everyone: you can’t do without factory equipment and special tools.

The best, but also the most scarce material for making wings is stainless steel sheet. The use of conventional steels is associated with great difficulties, since they have to be protected from corrosion. Light alloys and plastics complicate the design, have little strength and wear out quickly; If damaged, the wings are also difficult to repair. These materials are successfully used for the manufacture of load-bearing parts of the wing device. There can be only one way out of this predicament: it is necessary to establish a factory production of blanks for wings (several standard sizes) made of stainless steel and make the purchase of these blanks possible for every amateur.
A very important disadvantage of a hydrofoil vessel is its significant draft. On such a ship it is almost impossible to approach an unequipped shore, it is impossible to land on an island or make your way into a green bay. But this is the most interesting and tempting thing about hiking.

The disadvantages of ships on wings include low seaworthiness, although it is still higher than that of gliders. A winged motorboat 4-5 m long overcomes waves up to 0.35 m high in wing mode. By the way, it must be said that even on a regular motorboat of the same size, walking at a speed of more than 25 km/h on a wave higher than 0.35 m is both unpleasant and Dangerous.
The carrying capacity of a winged ship, other things being equal (same displacement, power, etc.), is reduced
hesitating. For example, the Kazanka motorboat with the Moskva engine in propeller mode can carry only three passengers, instead of five “afloat”.

Finally, the cutout on the transom for the outboard is also a disadvantage as it weakens the transom and allows water to enter the boat.

Is it possible to rid an amateur winged boat of these shortcomings? Of course yes! (With the exception of the complexity of making the wings themselves.) This requires making a folding wing device that allows the wings to be quickly and conveniently retracted above the water level, like an airplane landing gear. The authors of this article have developed a lift-and-fold wing device that allows you to quickly and conveniently transform a “Kazanka” from an ordinary one into a winged one and vice versa: this requires only 45-50 seconds! All operations are performed by one person, regardless of the depth of the reservoir and the distance from the shore, with the Moscow outboard engine running. A boat with the wings retracted can be pulled out even onto a rocky shore.

The feasibility of such a wing device is beyond doubt.

Now let's list the advantages of a ship on wings. All other things being equal, the speed of a hydrofoil motorboat is 30-50% (and sometimes more!) higher than that of a hydrofoil motorboat, while simultaneously improving seaworthiness. As speed increases, travel distance and, in some cases, hourly fuel consumption decreases. The latter depends mainly on the power and direction of the wind, but ultimately the fuel savings is 30-45%. And this is far from of minor importance, especially on long journeys. We all know very well how much fuel outboard motors consume per unit of travel!

Thus, we can conclude that wings save time and increase cruising range. We won’t talk about other advantages of wings: from a technical point of view, they are less important and are assessed differently by amateurs.

However, the feasibility of installing hydrofoils on an amateur vessel is determined not only by the technical side of the issue, but also by the nature of the body of water on which it is supposed to sail. We must not forget that amateur vessels with wings are not suitable for sailing the seas, large lakes and large reservoirs. On such reservoirs, a calm surface is extremely rare; The slightest breeze causes intense excitement, making it difficult to sail on the wing.

On the other hand, small lakes and streams that are not connected to other reservoir systems turn out to be cramped for a winged motorboat, for which a 50-kilometer distance is considered quite modest. This should also be kept in mind.

The best bodies of water for sailing amateur vessels on wings are large calm rivers, small lakes connected into entire systems, long narrow reservoirs, shipping canals, etc.

What type of wings should I choose? Hydrofoils can be successfully installed on any hull that has a fairly low weight and planing or semi-planing contours, but it is better to use hulls that are: 1) lighter and more rigid; 2) longer and narrower; 3) with the most streamlined shape above the waterline (without unnecessary add-ons); 4) metal (especially light alloys), not wood; 5) with outboard engines, not stationary ones.

The best hull for installing hydrofoils is still the duralumin motorboat “Kazanka”!
For amateur vessels, we can offer two types of hydrofoils (“a” and “b”), shown in Fig. 1. Both types of wings are self-regulating, low-immersion. A combination of these two types may be option “c”.

Types of hydrofoils.

A - flat; b-V-shaped; c - trapezoidal.

Briefly about everyone.

Type "a". Advantages: smaller in size; creates greater lifting force; quickly brings the boat to foil mode; easier to manufacture; The boat is easy to steer along the course. Disadvantages: great sensitivity to waves (it breaks down at the slightest wave), changes in speed and angle of attack; limited speed range; reduced lateral stability; high racks; low rigidity.

Type "b". Advantages: at a certain angle, the V-shape is completely insensitive to waves (does not break even with a large wave); reliable self-regulation; the boat holds its course well; less sensitive to changes in angle of attack and speed; greater stability of the boat; wide speed range; shorter than the rack; sufficient rigidity. Disadvantages: worse controllability (large circulation, significant resistance to course changes); large dimensions; more difficult to manufacture.

Option “c” acquired almost no advantages over type “a” (self-regulation only slightly improved), but the main disadvantage - greater sensitivity to excitement - remained. Motorized vessels with such wings require particularly precise alignment; They are stable only at a certain speed and in completely calm water. Even with slight waves, breakdowns often occur; the ship’s hull constantly flops into the water. This scheme is more appropriate to use for longer and heavier hulls with a higher specific wing load. Our experiments confirm that form “c” is much less reliable than “b”, and we do not recommend using it on amateur
courts

The planform of the wing has little effect, so a rectangular shape like
the simplest.

One of the difficult tasks is determining the profile and area of ​​the wings.

The most reliable and easiest way is to use generalized data on existing small vessels on wings.
When selecting an engine for an existing vessel or, conversely, a vessel for an engine, you can be guided by the specific power indicator (the total weight of the vessel divided by the engine power), the value of which is usually taken from 25 to 35 kg/l. With. (for heavy boats with stationary engines no more than 30 kg/l.s).

For example, a duralumin motor boat "Kazanka" (old) with an outboard motor "Moscow" and two passengers on board has a total weight of 300 kg. Thus, the specific power of the boat is 30 kg/l. pp., this provides it with good performance in wing mode.

The working area of ​​the wings can be approximately determined by specifying the specific load on the wings, which should be in the range from 0.115 to 0.155 kg/cm2 (larger values ​​are accepted for more powerful engines) with a specific power of 20/25 kg/l. With. The front wing is usually installed so that it bears up to 60% of the load of the vessel's weight.

Knowing the specific load on the wings and the load on each wing, it is easy to calculate the area of ​​the wings using the formula

where F is the wing area, cm2; Q - wing load, kg; p - specific load on the wing, kg/cm2.

The dimensions of the wings (length, width) can be calculated from the wing aspect ratio A, which is the ratio of the wing length to the width. You can take: A = 11/13 for the front wing and A = 7/8 for the rear.

One of the wing dimensions - width or length - is specified for design reasons. When using standard profiles, the wing width is given.

Concluding this brief review, it is necessary to dwell on one more very important circumstance, to which many amateurs do not attach due importance, for which they sometimes pay dearly. We are talking about the need to understand the principles of operation of a hydrofoil.

As simple as everything looks from the outside, in fact everything is so complicated. A hydrofoil obeys the laws of aerodynamics, like an airplane wing, and hydraulics. In order to independently design even a small winged ship, in addition to knowledge of the basics of shipbuilding, you need certain knowledge of the laws of aerodynamics and hydraulics. No need to be scared! For us amateurs, basic knowledge is sufficient, but it is required. More than once we saw how other builders suffered, trying at all costs to get their ship onto the wings, but the wings still refused to lift, although they were made carefully. Changing the angle of attack had no effect. I had to return to the shore in shame - and for the umpteenth time! Golden hands could not help when the most basic knowledge about the operation of the hydrofoil was lacking.

Some of these comrades, for example, were deeply convinced that lift was created only by the angle of attack of the wing, like a sliding plate or glider, and therefore installed wings of an asymmetrical profile “upside down” - with the convex side down. When nothing worked, they believed that the reason for their disappointment was that they had made the wings convex too little. It was almost impossible to convince them.

For all those who are interested in hydrofoils and intend to attach them to their ships, first you need to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the literature. This will allow you to avoid many (including gross) mistakes, and it will be easier to eliminate defects and make adjustments.

We consider it obligatory for everyone interested in wings to carefully read the books “Ships on Wings” (1960, Sudpromgiz) by M. A. Luchansky and A. A. Yanovsky; “Motor Boat” (1962, Sudpromgiz) by L. L. Romanenko and L. S. Shcherbakova and “Sea Hydrofoils” by V. S. Murugova and O. V. Yaremenko (1962 g., “Maritime transport”). The materials contained in this issue of the collection “Boats and Yachts” will also be of great help.

Our wing device design. In 1962, we designed and manufactured lift-and-fold fenders for the latest production duralumin motor boat “Kazanka”. We had two such boats and two Moskva engines at our disposal, so two sets of wings were made (one per boat) with minor differences in some elements and dimensions. Over the course of one and a half summer seasons, in a wide variety of conditions, about 2000 km have already been covered on the wings.

The figure shows a general view of the boat with the wings installed in the working position.

Nasal wing. The nose wing device is shown in the figure.

The lower and upper parts of the composite rack 2 are cast from aluminum alloy, and the middle part connecting them is made of aluminum pipe. The lower part, located in the water, is profiled; it is polished to a mirror finish and ends with a detachable fairing designed to attach wing 1 to the strut. The plane of the fairing connector is precisely adjusted to the wing profile, since the rigidity of the connection depends on this. The wing is attached to the stand (between the fairing parts) with two M6 and one M4 screws. The hollows above the screw heads are filled with mastic and varnished.

Attached to the stand with three M6 screws is a support plate 7, which has a semicircular recess on one side, with which it fits into a machined groove on the support trunnion 8 of the lower support 4. The radius of the recess on the plate 7 corresponds to the inner radius of the recess of the trunnion (10), and the thickness corresponds to the width ( 4 mm). The plate covers a little more than a quarter of the inner circumference of the trunnion and can rotate around its longitudinal axis when the angle of attack changes, but is kept from shifting along the trunnion axis by the side surfaces of the groove.

During movement, water resistance and the lifting force of the wing constantly press the plates 7 against the axles. To ensure that the plates do not move away from the axles when parked or when reversing, there are tension springs 5; To tilt the wing forward, you need to unhook the springs from the sides of the boat.

The connecting bolt 9 of the upper support 3 passes through the precise hole of the cast tip at the upper end of the rack.

The lower supports 4 cast from aluminum alloy with trunnions 8 screwed into them (M10 trunnion thread) are attached to the cheekbones of the boat using three M6 bolts. The upper supports 3 are also cast from aluminum alloy. They are located under the flange of the upper edge of the boat's sides and are secured with three M6 bolts. To be able to adjust the angle of attack of the wing, the hole for connecting bolt 9 is made in the form of a groove. Connecting bolt 9 is made in such a way that, by tightening the nut, it can be secured anywhere in the groove without pinching the tip of the stand, which can always rotate freely on the neck of the bolt. The width of the groove exactly corresponds to the diameter of the bolt 9 (0 10), and the curvature corresponds to the radius R-480. To determine the angle of attack of the wing, there are divisions on the upper support 3, and a stroke on the tip of the strut.

Nose folding wing device assembly

To fold back the wing, i.e. put it in the “retracted” position, you must:
1) unhook spring 5 from the sides of the boat; in this case, under the action of the weight of the wing, the struts will move away from the axles 8, rotating on the bolts 9, and become vertical;
2) get out onto the bow of the boat, grab any of the racks with one hand and lift the wing forward until it catches on the double hook (K in Fig. 2) on the bow;
3) hang the hanging ends of the springs 5 ​​on the racks or wing. If the boat is being prepared for mooring or will be left unattended for a long time, it is necessary to put a protective cover on the fender.

The 21° tilt of the struts is due to the fact that the wing must be in a certain place relative to the center of gravity of the boat, and to obtain the required radius of rotation of the wing, the appropriate length of the struts and the position of the center of rotation are needed.

Stern wing. The aft wing device differs in design and principle of operation from the bow one. In order to reduce the time for lowering and raising the wing and engine, and also to avoid making a cutout for the engine in the transom of the boat, a very convenient scheme was used: the wing, struts and under-engine shield are combined into one common unit, located directly behind the stern of the boat. This unit is not directly attached to the boat, but is inserted from below into the guides of the transom frame and held in it by two clamps.

Transom frame

The transom frame (Fig. 4) is made of 25X25 steel angle with electric welding and is designed to hold the aft wing unit in a certain position. Vertical posts 1 simultaneously serve as guides. When assembling and welding racks 1 to crossbars 2, it is necessary to achieve strict parallelism and symmetry in the location of the racks. To fasten the frame to the transom of the boat, two pins 3 are welded at the top, and at the bottom - two ears 4 with holes for the passage of fingers 5. Eyes 6 are fixed to the transom at the very bottom of the boat on rubber gaskets 7.

Studs 3 fit into several oblong holes in the upper part of the transom. The tilt of the frame is fixed by tightening the nuts; By thus turning the frame around the fingers 5 at a certain angle, you can adjust the angle of attack of the stern wing.

The non-interchangeable struts 2 of the aft wing 1 (Fig. 5) are cast from aluminum alloy and end at the bottom with detachable fairings designed, like the front struts, for attaching the wing. The lower part of the racks is profiled and polished to a mirror finish. In the middle and upper parts of the racks on both sides there are several bosses designed to form guide prisms and bases for clamps and fastening of the engine shield.

Clamps 3 fix the position (upper or lower) of the wing assembly in the transom frame, since under the action of spring 7, the clamp rod 6 enters holes 8 (in Fig. 4) on the guide post. To remove the locking rod from the hole, just pull the cable (from the motorcycle) 9 with ring 8 at the end. All parts of the clamps are steel.

Steel cross rods 4 are used to select play in the guides, and the top one is also a handle for raising and lowering the unit. Rubber pads on the rods serve to compensate for the non-parallelism of the guides 2. The under-engine shield 5 is made of a wooden board and is used to mount the outboard engine.

The assembled wing assembly is inserted from below into the guides of the transom frame and placed on clamps in the upper holes of the guides (or clamped with clamps), after which the free play in the guides is finally selected by tightening the nuts of the transverse rods.

For better sliding of the wing strut prisms along the guides, textolite spacers are glued to them (not shown in the drawings); Guides and clamps must be lubricated frequently.

To prevent the wing assembly from falling out of the guides when lowered to the lower position, after inserting the wing assembly into the guides during assembly, their lower ends are covered with special safety plates (9 in Fig. 4) with rubber dampers. It goes without saying that the ease of moving the wing assembly along the transom frame guides depends on the accuracy and precision of the manufacture of parts and assembly of the assembly.

The under-engine shield must be installed on the wing struts so that the anti-cavitation plate of the Moskva engine suspended on it is flush with the wing and at a distance of at least 50 mm from the trailing edge of the wing. This condition must always be met.

In the guide posts of the transom frame, lower and upper holes are drilled through the clamp bushings for the clamp rods to fit into them. The lower holes correspond to the working position of the wing, and the upper ones correspond to the “retracted” position of the wing. In the working position, the wing is 160 mm below the keel of the boat; in the “retracted” position, the wing rises above the keel of the boat by 15 mm and is completely hidden behind the transom. Thus, the travel of the wing assembly along the Guides, that is, the distance between the holes for the clamps in the guides, is 175 mm. To lower the stern wing to the working (lower) position, you must:
1) stand facing the engine, insert the index fingers of both hands into the clamp drive rings and grab the upper transverse link at the struts;
2) slightly lifting the entire assembly up, pull the rings; In this case, the clamps easily disengage.
3) smoothly lower the entire wing assembly down, releasing the rings, and wait for the characteristic click of the clamps sliding into the lower holes of the guides;
4) check whether the latches are completely inserted.
If the clamps do not fully enter the guide holes, this means that the collar of the clamp rod is located at some distance from the guide sleeve. To fully insert the lock, just pull the rod upward several times.

Retracting (raising) the wing is done in a similar way, but, naturally, more effort has to be applied.
When the boat moves in displacement mode (with the wings retracted), an elevated engine position (higher than usual), as practice has shown, does not worsen the boat's performance, but, on the contrary, slightly improves it at full speed.

Installing finished fenders on a boat. To install the wings, the boat must be placed on trestles (at a height convenient for work) with the bottom up. The keel of the boat must be strictly horizontal (checking is carried out using a plumber's level); The roll must be eliminated so that the center plane of the boat is perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

The aft wing is installed first, and then the bow wing. The wings are installed horizontally so that the elements for adjusting the angle of attack (connecting bolts for the nose wing, and studs for the rear wing) are in the middle position. In relation to the horizon and the bottom of the boat, the ends of the wings should be located symmetrically. The leading edges of the wings must be perpendicular to the keel of the boat, and the distances from them to the keel must correspond to those indicated on the drawings. Misalignment of the wings relative to each other is not allowed.

When installing and checking the position of the wings, it is necessary to use clamps of different sizes and other devices that ensure reliable retention of the entire wing device in the desired position. Only after several repeated checks, making sure that everything is installed correctly, can you start drilling holes in the boat hull to install the reference points. It is recommended to drill the holes for the clamps in the transom frame guides as a last resort, after completing the adjustment and eliminating play in the guides.

The location of the lower plane of the wings parallel to the keel (both the keel and wings are level) corresponds to the theoretical zero and optimal practical angle of attack of the wings. The fact is that when the boat moves, the wings, installed at different distances from the keel, extend to approximately the same distance from the water surface, and the difference in the distance to the keel (about 40 mm) forms the trim of the boat and, therefore, the inclination of the wings to the water horizon, i.e. some positive angle of attack.

If you adjust the wings, you can easily find a position where they do not create lift and the boat will continue to move without lifting or burying its nose in the water. This position will correspond to the actual zero position of the angle of attack of the wings (provided that the boat is centered). To apply divisions on adjusting elements, the zero position can be taken as theoretical,
and the actual “zero” is at the discretion of the boat owner.

Manufacturing of the wing device. To make the wings, we used 8 mm thick stainless steel sheet. Using scissors, we cut blanks corresponding in length to the size of the finished wings, and in width - with an allowance of 2 mm. After straightening, the workpieces were transferred for milling. First, the base layer of metal was peeled and removed tangentially to the profile generatrix on a universal milling machine using a universal rotary head with an end mill. After this treatment, the upper part of the wings took the form of a polyhedron. To finalize the profile of the wings, profile cylindrical cutters were used: one for the bow wing, the other for the stern wing. The profile cutters were made on our own from high-speed steel R1B, and their width corresponded to the width of the wings, and the final processing of the profile was carried out immediately along its entire width on the same machine. Thus, the accuracy of the profile directly depended on the manufacturing accuracy of the cutter. The lower surface of the wings was not milled.

Aft wing assembly assembly.
Polish the surfaces of the wing and the lower part of the struts.

(Large format)

Subsequently, the wings were subjected to metalworking - cleaning the surfaces and edges with a file and preliminary straightening - and then grinding and final polishing with felt wheels using various pastes. At the same time, the direction of grinding and polishing was observed - across the wing from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The wings were polished until their surface acquired a mirror-like appearance.
The polished wings were bent and carefully straightened.

The manufacture of the wing device does not pose any particular difficulties, since all parts are manufactured using conventional methods and universal tools in ordinary workshops, not excluding casting from aluminum alloys.

It should be noted that one should not rely too much on the perfect “identity” of factory standard boat hulls in relation to some linear and angular dimensions and design. It is necessary to carefully measure the hull and inspect the structure so that appropriate adjustments can be made to the drawings of the wing device in a timely manner.

Preparing the Moscow engine. The feather, gear housing, anti-cavitation plate and part of the stern tube (up to the connector at the bottom) must be cleaned, removing paint, unnecessary protrusions and irregularities, and polished to a shine. This is not difficult to do, since aluminum alloy is polished easily and well. You cannot limit yourself to sanding (even with the finest sandpaper): the sanded surface quickly corrodes and becomes overgrown. If it is not possible to qualitatively polish these parts, it is better to coat them with a good waterproof varnish after sanding. The better the surface is polished, the lower the water resistance, the less corrosion and sediment sticking. This also applies to stands with fairings.

It is recommended that after each trip the polished surfaces of the struts and engine are lightly wiped with a clean cloth soaked in gasoline and lightly lubricated with oil; this greatly increases the durability of polished surfaces.
The most serious attention should be paid to the propeller: every now and then it has to be adjusted, the edges tucked in and, of course, polished well. To make full use of the engine power, it is good to have several selected propellers with different pitches (for example, 270, 300 and 320 mm).

To ensure successful foiling, the engine must always be well adjusted. It is advisable to switch the engine to A-72 gasoline, for which it is necessary to increase the compression ratio from 6.1 to 7.0/7.2.

Tests and sailing on wings. Before starting the tests, it is necessary to check the correct installation and reliability of fastening of the wings and the wing device. We remind you that the wings must be set to the theoretical zero position. It is desirable that the propeller axis be parallel to the plane of the wings (for adjustment there is a device on the engine itself).

You should choose a good, calm day for testing. It is recommended to carry out tests together, without additional load (luggage), in a deep and straight section of a reservoir with calm and clear water. You can set up a control section on the shore to check your speed. The tester, who is also the helmsman, must even before this learn to control the boat and engine well. Here we must warn that gross mistakes in boat control, which are often made by beginners, can lead to very undesirable and sad consequences. The boat, as usual, must have life-saving equipment; if there are life jackets, they should be worn.

First you need to warm up the engine and check if it works well; To do this, you can walk a little with the wings “retracted”.

The helmsman sits on the rear bank near the engine, and the passenger sits on the middle bank. The fuel tank is located between them. Then lower the wings into the working position and check whether the stern clamps are fully engaged. The engine can be started even before the wings are lowered, since after this it is deeply immersed in the water
and starts worse. Having turned on the reverse and set the boat on the intended course, gradually increase the speed. If everything is done correctly, then upon reaching a speed of 20/23 km/h the boat will begin to smoothly emerge on the wings and sharply pick up speed. The process of reaching the wings can be traced from the boat by the gradual movement of the wave generated by the hull from the bow to the stern; the disappearance of this wave corresponds to the moment of complete separation of the hull from the water and emergence onto the wings. A sharp increase in engine speed and revolutions begins.

If the boat does not come out on the wings when the gas is applied to “full”, the passenger should move closer to the stern; if this does not help, then the nasal wing is not installed correctly. It is necessary to slightly increase the angle of attack (move the connecting bolts towards the stern). Too large an angle of attack of the bow wing leads to the wing jumping out of the water, followed by disruption of the wing mode, after which everything repeats again (as they say, the boat “puts up a goat” or “jumps like a goat”).

The low angle of attack of the stern wing is revealed by the low position of the stern of the boat; Sometimes the food drags through the water. Too large an angle of attack of the stern wing leads to disruption of the wing mode and burying the boat with its bow (when a certain speed is reached). Note that the rear wing is several times less sensitive than the front wing; this is one of the laws of hydrodynamics.

If the movement of the passenger along the boat between the front and middle banks does not significantly affect the wing stroke of the boat, the adjustment of the wings can be considered complete. If there is cargo in the trunk or another passenger, you have to slightly increase the angle of attack of the bow wing.

Now you can start measuring speed and mastering driving a boat on the foil. At first, driving a boat on the wings seems difficult and tiring.

Increasing speed requires increased driver attention, especially in busy areas where there are many different vessels, restrictive signs, fishermen, swimmers, etc.

The main difficulty is making turns, which require some skill from the driver. You have to forget about sudden and sharp turns altogether. Wings, no matter what type they are (especially V-shaped), strongly resist changes in course and roll of the ship. This forces the ship to turn with a lot of circulation. If, for example, a left turn is made and the engine (outboard) moves the stern of the boat to the right, then the front wing also intensively moves the bow of the boat to the right. As a result, the boat begins to go obliquely and turns very slowly. The driver has to move to the left side of the boat in order to overcome the resistance of the wing and create a roll to the left side, after which the turn begins to be smooth and the circulation decreases. As experiments have shown, the agility of the boat is significantly improved if small vertical feathers are installed under the front wing (as if an extension of the struts), shown in Fig. 3 with a dotted line and marked with the number 6.

It should also be borne in mind that a vessel moving quickly on its wings decelerates much more slowly than a conventional displacement vessel. After a sharp release of the gas, the oncoming flow of water vigorously tilts the engine back and puts it on the lock (if it is a Moscow), and the boat continues to slide on its wings until it gradually loses speed, which takes a fair distance. In such cases, it is recommended to remove the gas gradually and it is better to try to change the course, which is more effective.

Overtaking and passing must be done very carefully, at low speed. The crest of the resulting waves is best passed in displacement mode at an angle close to a straight line. If this rule is not followed, you can break your wings, and in case of a big wave, you can even crash. Meeting a boat at speed with a large wave is equivalent to colliding with a hard rubber wall; if the boat survives, the crew will probably end up overboard.

Various objects floating on the surface of the water (pieces of boards, logs, logs, empty bottles, twigs, etc.) pose a great danger to the wings. On the surface of calm water and during the daytime they are clearly visible, but with the appearance of waves or darkness they seem to disappear under water. Taking into account the high level of contamination of some reservoirs, we warn inexperienced drivers: riding wings at night or in fog is more than risky and is in no way recommended.

The driver of the winged boat should remember that he controls two terrible knives that mercilessly cut everything in their path. Therefore, you must strictly adhere to the rules of navigation on waterways, monitor the situation, and do not go at full speed where people are swimming nearby or there is heavy traffic of ships and boats.

The performance of our boats. Many, of course, are interested in the performance of our boats. What is the maximum achieved speed, payload, handling and seaworthiness? Finally, are the wings and the wing structure sufficiently rigid? Has the feasibility of installing wings been confirmed?

We answer. We spent a lot of time and a lot of work making the wings and installing them on the boats, but in order to answer these questions for ourselves, we spent no less time subjecting the wings to comprehensive, sometimes risky and tough tests. We sailed in good weather and on the most stormy days with strong winds; made the sharpest turns at high speed; at maximum speed they overtook and passed various ships; repeatedly crashed into the wave as if it were a wall; subjected a fully loaded boat to unusual shaking on a shallow, high wave. Finally, we deliberately drove into sandbanks. In addition, cases occurred that were not at all covered by our test program.

Preparing for each next test, we not only discussed the upcoming observations, but also thought about the possible consequences, took all precautions and even trained specifically. This helped us keep the boat, the wings, and ourselves intact. But we tested our design well, received a lot of valuable data and a wealth of experience in driving a ship on the wings. This helps us now create even more advanced designs for more powerful engines and significantly higher speeds.

The underwater part of the engines (Moscow) and the propellers were finished and polished. Almost all tests and further sailing on the wings were carried out with a standard propeller (pitch - 242 mm). At the same time, the speed indicators were as follows under normal swimming conditions:
- the highest speed with one person with a total boat weight of 283 kg is 43 km/h;
- Speed ​​with two passengers with a boat weight of 358 kg - 41 km/h;
- speed with three passengers with a boat weight of 450 kg - 38 km/h.

It should be noted that at maximum speed the engine operates at very high speeds and prolonged movement in this mode is unacceptable. An engine with a standard propeller can be operated at speeds of 35-38 km/h. To increase speed, it is necessary to use a larger pitch propeller.

Preliminary tests and calculations show that with the Moskva engine, with a boat weighing no more than 350 kg, you can achieve a maximum speed of 50 km/h and an operating speed of 45 km/h. To do this, you need to prepare the engine and very carefully calculate and select the propeller. When the speed increases above 40 km/h, you also have to take into account noticeable air resistance, since the new Kazankas have significant windage.
The maximum carrying capacity of our boats in foil mode is 250 kg, which corresponds to 3 passengers, 25 kg of cargo and the total weight of the boat is 458 kg. As sailing conditions worsen (wind, waves), the load capacity decreases to 208 kg and even lower (to the total weight of the boat 350 kg). If we remember the power indicator, then this will turn out to be completely natural: after all, the indicator is 40 kg/l. With. is extreme. As you can see, we even exceeded it.

The seaworthiness of the boats is good. A boat on the wings easily overcomes waves up to 0.35 m high. At the same time, short and high waves are overcome very well, and the wing mode is disrupted only when the wave hits the bow of the boat and strongly slows it down, but the boat immediately goes out on the water again. wings. The situation is different on long waves, especially those that remain behind ships passing against the current at a distance of 150 to 700 m astern. They are almost invisible, but they confidently disrupt the wing mode.

The rigidity of the structure is quite sufficient. To confirm our conclusion, we will talk about several cases that were not planned by the test program and which, perhaps, should have been “kept silent.” One fine day, the aft wing at full speed crashed into a half-meter piece of thick board with nails. A strong blow followed and such a fountain of water rose that the engine immediately stalled and the driver was splashed with spray. However, the wing remained undamaged, although a large piece of the leading edge was broken off in the strut (it had to be glued in later).

One day we were returning from the Nevėžis River and were in a hurry. It was getting dark. In some places there was thick fog over the river, further impairing visibility. Every now and then the windshield fogged up. At the turn, we came too close to the shore, first the engine feather and the front wing touched the gravel bottom, and then crashed into it so that the boat stopped, and by inertia we flew over all the banks into the bow. The screw key was cut off. The boat stood with its wings on the bottom, without touching the water with its hull. However, it turned out that nothing terrible happened. I had to correct the leading edges of the wings and propeller in several places and replace the key. The connecting bolts on the upper supports of the nose wing moved slightly out of place. After 15-20 minutes we tried to walk on the wings again. Everything was fine, but it became dark. This is the only reason why the wings had to be raised. In memory of this incident, several irremovable marks remained on the wings, but they coincide with the direction of movement and do not interfere.

In similar conditions of poor visibility, one of us was “lucky” (to great shame, of course) to run into a milestone. It seemed that this was more than enough to break not only the wings, but also the boat itself, especially since the pole was solid (about 85 mm in diameter). But no: the pole was cut off by a wing, and its one and a half meter end flashed overhead. The wing remained completely undamaged; It was not even possible to find the impact site on it.

Let us note once again that stainless steel is still an irreplaceable material. Neither light alloys nor plastics would withstand such tests.

People ask us: “What did you get from installing the wings?” First of all, we haven’t “lost” anything. The boat itself remains what it was. You can successfully swim, fish, and hunt on it in the old way, since the wings do not interfere at all. True, the weight of 27 kg was added, but does this really matter during displacement sailing? If the boat needs to be transported, then in 10 minutes the wings can be removed from the boat altogether. And, secondly, we received not so little (and not everything has been used yet!): the speed increased by an average of 14 km/h; the cruising range has almost more than doubled; Fuel savings are around 40%. Is this not enough?

It is interesting to note that almost all the numerous eyewitnesses of our voyages express a desire to put wings on their boats. Some of them, having two engines, would gladly give up one of them and get wings instead.