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Hydroplanes
are the boating equivelant of "open wheeled" race cars
(eg. Formula 1, Formula Ford, etc), they have been designed purely
for speed. That is the sole purpose of this boat design.
Also known
as a "3 Point Hydroplane", the main characteristic of
the hydroplane are the sponsons that are built lower than the
main bulk of the boat (see Front View illustrations).
At speed, the boat will partly lift out of the water, leaving
only the two sponsons and propeller (the 3 points) in contact
with the water. This is how a hydroplane can have so much speed
with relatively low horsepower, because there is less boat surface
in contact with the water, causing drag.
The types
of hydroplane design basically boil down to 2 types:
1 - Conventional (rear seater)
2 - Cabover (front seater)
The main differences
are that a Conventional has the driver behind the motor and has
a big round "shovel" nose, whereas a Cabover has the
driver in front of the motor and a "pickle fork" front.
Conventional
hydroplanes are older in design and generally slower than Cabovers.
Although, a Conventional hydroplane with the right set-up can
very much still battle against the newer, more efficient, Cabover
designs.
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