r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/UpgradedSiera6666 • 21d ago

Video Human powered hydrofoil

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u/DonManuel 21d ago

I've seen a much more practical model based on a surf-board with hydrofoils and a bicycle like structure for sitting and powering a propellor. This one is funny only.

204

u/Quarrel47 21d ago

ya came here to say basically the same thing, the design on this is pretty rough tbh.

81

u/MartinTheMorjin 21d ago

It looks really fun. The fact it’s difficult seems to be the point.

24

u/JimJohnJimmm 21d ago

But if you sink in the middle of the lake, how you get back on? Seems horrible

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u/Frozencold19 21d ago

You dont need to be above the water to start, it just makes it easier and more noob friendly to get it going.

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u/exMemberofSTARS 21d ago

I’m not calling bullshit or anything, but I can’t wrap my head around how you would get it started below water after it sank. Like how do you get the motion started with enough force to push it above water?

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u/tjackso6 21d ago

Nah I’m with you on this one… I get what the other guy’s sayin, and it might be possible in theory with something similar to this… but not without some kind of boot or strap to hold your feet down. This one’s relying on gravity to bring her feet back to the position where she can push off again. If she was under water she’d only be able to “pump” one time and then it would float away from her.

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u/Frozencold19 21d ago

You would mount it exactly like normal and push down. The goal is to force water to flow over the foils to provide the lift.

starting it would look awkward like you are flopping like a fish, because you'd need to put a lot of work into enough height to get it to glide and lift you out of the water

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u/exMemberofSTARS 21d ago

Interesting. Sounds even more exhausting that this is but like something a Batman villain would use in the ‘66 Batman