Hydrofoil

Swedish boat-builder Candela is looking to make some waves in the local water transportation scene with a fancy new foiling ferry it claims will be world-beating in a number of ways, including becoming the fastest all-electric passenger ship ever made.

Technology appears to be a big topic at this year's Palm Beach boat show, so it's not too surprising to see the launch of a Silicon Valley startup there. Navier is looking to make nautical design more high-tech with a self-piloting electric hydrofoil.

Nemesis Yachts has put forward a blue-sky vision for a super-fast, hydrogen-powered, autonomous luxury catamaran that can rise out of the water on hydrofoils to achieve crazy speeds over 50 knots. Oh, and you can swap this 300-footer's cabins out.

At last year's CES in Las Vegas, Waydoo launched a relatively cheap electric foil board called the Flyer, which went on sale late in 2019. Now the company has hit Kickstarter with a cheaper follow up called the Flyer One.

After launching its first electric-powered hydrofoil board a couple of years ago, Fliteboard now hopes to further elevate the ride experience with an app that offers detailed ride-tracking and over-the-air updates to improve the board's performance.

When a team of engineers discovered a 1988 prototype of a jet fighter-styled hydrofoil out the back of a warehouse, they thought the same thing you and I would, and they couldn't resist fixing it up, putting a new motor in and taking it for a blast.

Hydrofoiling devices are starting to become more common as electric propulsion systems continue to develop. This one's a board you can stand on and accelerate up and out of the water to cruise at a low-drag 28 mph (45 km/h) for up to 80 minutes.

The 2020 Foiler flying yacht has swapped out the hybrid propulsion system of the 2019 model for two 370-hp V8 diesel engines.

Jetskis are a bit like motorbikes for the water. Hydrofoil boards and boats allow users to cut through and rise above the waves. The WaveFlyer merges the two, and throws in electric propulsion for a cleaner and quieter ride.

​Raising boats out of the water on hydrofoils makes them much more comfortable and efficient – and this French design uses electric propulsion and an automatic self-stabilizing system to give you clean, quiet and sexy water transport.

The latest electric hydrofoil board comes from a rather unexpected source: Audi. The company's e-tron program makes a move off land, spawning a vehicle that floats riders through air as it zips across water at speeds up to 27 mph (43 km/h).

It was just a couple of years ago that we heard about Lift Foils' eFoil, a surfboard-like personal electric hydrofoil. And while it does look like a lot of fun, it also costs US$12,000. China's Waydoo is now about to provide some competition, though, with its $7,999 Flyer.