Just some more info. It started off as something shaped like a big optimist sailed in the UK and Australia. These boats were consolidated into an international development class under only a few basic rules, and have evolved into the incredible flying Moths of today. As seen in the pics above.
Max length: 3.355m
Max beam: 2.250m
Sail area: 8m2
Luff length: 5.585m
Mast Length: 6.250m
Weight: Unrestricted (so boat weights around 30kg are common)
Prohibitions : no multihulls or windsurfers.
The fastest boats are designed no longer just with the hull design as the main point. The foils, hull and rig are all key factors in a foiler. There are three basic fast packages out there at the moment, but many home built boats and hybrid boats with equipment from various suppliers also feature well in the results.
Fastacraft – developer of the hydrofoil concept currently in use, and the 2005 & 2006 World Champion boat. The Prowler design has been the benchmark design for a few years and is undergoing a few more changes for the 2008 season.
http://www.fastacraft.com/Bladerider. The 2007 World Championship winning boat. Built in China as a mass produced product, it has suffered from a few production issues early on but these are being sorted.
http://www.bladerideruk.com/Full Force – UK developed package. Currently building the Mistress 3 design, with a new set of foils for 2007. A hard chined hull shape with low freeboard.
Each builder is developing their product more over the winter to be ready for the 2008 season, so it will be interesting to see how all the designs match up at the Worlds in Weymouth in July 2008
http://www.fullforceboats.com/As so some smaller builders
http://www.aardvarkracing.co.uk/http://www.thorpeboats.com/