Red Funnel announce new fast ferry
- Thread starter flaming
- Start date
Aja
Well-known member
Went to Albania on one. Had a bit of a list to starboard and I wondered if it was going to get up on its foils, but 1960's technology still worked well.
TiggerToo
Well-known member
OK guys. You are all a bit behind the curve here.
The idea behind the hydrofoil component is about 100 years old. The first actually operating ones came in 50 years after that:
Aliscafo - Wikipedia and Enrico Forlanini - Wikipedia
(use google translate, if Italian is not your forte)
The idea behind the hydrofoil component is about 100 years old. The first actually operating ones came in 50 years after that:
Aliscafo - Wikipedia and Enrico Forlanini - Wikipedia
(use google translate, if Italian is not your forte)
flaming
Well-known member
I don't really think the hydrofoil part of this is the bit that is especially noteworthy....
capnsensible
Well-known member
Many tides ago I was uncomfortably close to a red funnel hydrofoil that wiped out a nearby yacht at the start of a Round The Island race. A yacht even closer rescued the two crew who were all sorts of lucky to survive.
TiggerToo
Well-known member
the idea of the hydrofoil was first developed by Forlanini in the first decade of the 1900's. His first working prototypes around 1910 (on the Swiss/Italian lakes).
Of course electric motors predated all of that by several decades.
The Isle of Wight ferries are not particularly novel as ideas, or realisation. But it will be fun to see some ev boats working: I hope they will turn out to be commercially viable.
mainsail1
Well-known member
I wonder if it will be like the Cowes chain ferry.......mostly out of service. Time will tell.
ashtead
Well-known member
At least RF not run by local council unlike the chain ferry so no excuse to blame the previous administration or the breakwater if it fails though for red funnel. Pleased to see RF development -just need a faster car ferry though like a Condor . Wightlink for all their new ferry Victoria of wight cannot seem to make run on time even in good weather a 30 min delay from Portsmouth seems common. In bad weather the Victoria seems to struggle unlike the old retro style saints which seem more robust. I also think the actual culture of staff at RF is better than wightlink who struggle to remember it’s a service business.
bignick
Active member
Completely agree. Hydrofoils are old technology to Red Funnel, but the electric aspect is definitely interesting.
Not sure how they will achieve rapid turnarounds, as you would think they would need to recharge between each leg, otherwise you would be carrying huge batteries to provide enough power for a full day.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Our lights will go dim if they recharge at West Cowes
LittleSister
Well-known member
ashtead
Well-known member
Talking of electric technology I see swan 88 hull no1 now fitted with large batteries for electric power. A rather smart new version parked up I saw the other day.
Frogmogman
Well-known member
Aka Cockroaches
Iliade
Well-known member
Who said it was going to have batteries?
[Yes I know that was for for petrol.]
[Yes I know that was for for petrol.]
ylop
Well-known member
The Swedes and Norwegians started introducing electric hydrofoils a couple of years ago, and one of the interisland ferries in Orkney is due to trial them soon. Given 350kW chargers are available for cars, I don’t think charging at turnarounds is going to be the rate limiting step (certainly if they can have port and starboard battery banks charging from two chargers).
mainsail1
Well-known member
Bajansailor
Well-known member
Some more info about the Artemis EF-24 ferry here -
Artemis Technologies | Hydrofoil EF-24 Passenger Ferry
Artemis Technologies | Hydrofoil EF-24 Passenger Ferry
jlavery
Well-known member
All looks very impressive but currently vapourware.
ProDave
Well-known member
May I be the first to predict it will end up over budget and late, not unlike a certain 2 ferries being build in a Scottish shipyard right now.
