# The physics of a hydrofoil
**URL:** https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293
**Category:** Foils and Boards - Gear Talk
**Created:** [June 3, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293 "2023-06-03T05:17:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@robbo](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/robbo)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/1 "2023-06-03T05:17:15Z")
I am interested in doing some reading on the physics of a hydrofoil. Maybe go as far as getting into some of the basic equations on the effects of changes to the shape/size of a wing. I come from an engineering background so open to quite technical material, but also have a lot of appreciation for things explained in an easy to understand way 🙂
Are there any highly recommended books / textbooks or videos out there for learning this stuff? Also interested in any books about airfoils / planes along these lines as I’m assuming a lot of overlap.
Thanks for any recommendations.
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### Author:  [@Maxipadd](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Maxipadd)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 10:20am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/2 "2023-06-03T10:20:01Z")
I just picked up this book online a few days ago. Way above my knowledge level but I still think it’s pretty cool. I’m only maybe 10-20 pages in so far. You’d probably have an easier time understanding it than I did due to your background in engineering.
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### Author:  [@J\_L](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/J_L)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/3 "2023-06-03T15:16:59Z")
Also Aero-Hydrodynamics of Sailing by Marchaj
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### Author:  [@J\_L](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/J_L)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/4 "2023-06-03T15:18:52Z")
Marchaj is a bit of a doorstop but it’s more accessible than Theory of Wing Sections
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### Author:  [@Matt](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Matt)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/5 "2023-06-03T16:15:47Z")
This video is a good intro and has 3 specific book recs at the end, all seem very relevant to your goal
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzig8JR2iT0)
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### Author:  [@FoilATX](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/FoilATX)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/6 "2023-06-03T21:06:21Z")
Awesome vidéo, thanks for sharing!
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### Author:  [@silas](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/silas)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2024, 12:51am UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/7 "2024-02-20T00:51:06Z")
Cant really recommend Marchaj for hydrofoil design, very good for wind powered vessels in general though.
Understanding foil sections, whether from Theory of Foil Sections, or Hoerners Fluid Lift and Drag books, or another source, is the basic building block.
Expanding that into 3d wings and design constraints like static and dynamic stability is best found in aircraft design books. Flight Vehicle Dynamics by Mark Drela is a heavy read, but the best coverage of the topic I’ve found, and by the guy who wrote XFOIL, the code everyone uses to design custom foil sections.
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### Author:  [@Matt](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/Matt)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2024, 12:27pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/8 "2024-02-28T12:27:26Z")
@silas have you seen this? Haven’t taken the time to look through, but it has incredible visualisations!
> **[Bartosz Ciechanowski](https://ciechanow.ski/)**
>
> Interactive articles about physics, math, and engineering.
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### Author:  [@silas](https://forum.progressionproject.com/u/silas)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://forum.progressionproject.com/t/the-physics-of-a-hydrofoil/2293/9 "2024-02-28T14:00:17Z")
No, hadn’t seen that. Some very cool visualations and intuitive explanations of normally difficult concepts like flow streamlines.
Looks excellent for anyone with absolutely no background in fluid dynamics, I think a lot of the flow and pressure plots 2D foil sections would seem a lot more approachable after going through that article.