Many tritoon boats are great candidates for hydrofoils but there are a few qualifying questions that must be answered first. It mainly comes down to the current boat speed and number of lifting strakes already on the boat.
Will Hydrofoils work on my tritoon boat: Speed requirements
Due to a bunch of physics that will be explained in a future blog, hydrofoils work best within certain load and speed ranges. The same is true with airplanes. Their wings are sized based upon the speed and load of the plane. The same is true with hydrofoils.
Knowing this, Hydrofin engineered our hydrofoils to be most efficient on boats weighing between 2,000 – 4,500 lbs and with speeds between 25 – 45mph. Our hydrofoils will still generate lift below 20mph but it’s not enough to physically see or feel while your driving the boat. Conversely, if the boat already goes 45mph or faster, the hydrofoils may get too much lift or cavitate which can negatively impact ride quality.
Will Hydrofoils work on my tritoon boat: Lifting Strakes
If the boat doesn’t have lifting strakes, our tritoon hydrofoil kit will work great as long as the current speeds are within that 20 – 45 mph speed range. As the number of lifting strakes increases on your boat, the benefits of adding the foils decreases. Said another way, a boat with no lifting strakes will get the most benefit while a boat with 4 lifting strakes will get minimal or possibly no benefit.
What are lifting strakes?
Lifting strake are aluminum extrusions that are welded to the bottom of the boat to help it plane. Since pontoon logs are mostly round, lifting strakes create a flat surface for the boat to ride while on plane.
Lifting strakes come in different shapes and sizes. Most are triangular but some of the newer and higher end boat make stepped lifting strakes. There is a lot of controversy about the benefits of lifting strakes because the efficiency gains are difficult to quantify and differ greatly from boat to boat.
How do I know if my boat has lifting strakes?
The easiest way to confirm if your boat has lifting strakes is to look at the inside bottom of the hull. If the log is round, without any welded extrusions, it does not have lifting strakes. Here are several pictures that will help you confirm if your boat has lifting strakes (or not).
What can I expect in terms of performance improvements?
As mentioned above, if your boat DOES NOT have lifting strakes, the benefits of adding Hydrofin’s will be significant in terms of speed, fuel economy, and ride quality.
Speed: Most tritoons that don’t have lifting strakes should gain between 5 – 8 miles per hour by adding Hydrofin’s Super Ride XL hydrofoils.
Fuel Economy: Most tritoons that don’t have lifting strakes should experience fuel savings between 20-30% at cruise speeds. Hydrofin hydrofoils are most effective and efficient between 25-35mph.
Ride Quality: Since the boat is riding higher on the water, the ride quality will be better since passengers aren’t feeling the pound of every wave. Most tritoons will ride 8 – 10” higher in the front and 3 – 5” higher in the back. Riding higher on the water will also enable the boat to turn easier and maintain speed through the turns.
Hydrofin’s recommendation:
If your boat does not have lifting strakes or has small (2 – 3”) lifting strakes, our Hydrofoils are going to make a meaningful improvement that likely justify the cost. If you’re boat has larger lifting strakes (5 – 6”) or more than 2 lifting strakes, the gains from adding Hydrofin will be minimal and likely not worth the expense.