The 14-ft Stormy Petrel (SOLD 10/2/97)

The 14-foot hydrofoil sailboat Stormy Petrel was developed by Dave Keiper, for high-speed sailing on San Francisco Bay. It was thoroughly tested in two seasons in the rough waters of the Golden Gate region of San Francisco Bay. The boat's structures held up beautifully. In fast runs cutting across ferryboat wakes, the boat could even get completely airborne. Naturally, the skipper released the sheet to prevent rolling over. There were some high-speed runs of at least 30 knots. The boat was always well behaved. The development and testing of Stormy Petrel is described in the book HYDROFOIL VOYAGER.

If you want to get flying across the water on hydrofoils right away, there aren't many choices in boats. Sam Bradfield of Hydrosail Inc. (e-mail: hydrosail@aol.com) might have a boat for you. Then there is the production TriFoiler, designed by Greg Ketterman and built by the Hobie company. TriFoiler has a mainhull 16'3" long, and gets some great performance. However, its structures can not take rough-water sailing. Further, buying that boat will set you back $11,900. In comparison, buying the used Stormy Petrel will only cost you $2,900. The advantage of Stormy Petrel is that the boat can sail rough waters and thrive. The answer to the question as to which boat is the better performer would depend upon wind and wave conditions, and boat headings relative to the wind.

(SOLD 10/2/97)

Prev	Home

HYDROFOIL VOYAGER	NEW DESIGNS	BEACH-CAT KITS	Williwaw