THE NGALAWA

The Ngalawa, a boat from Zanzibar is the ancestor of the hydrofoiler.

The floaters equipped  with foils are replaced by a sort of water skis, that simultaneously develop a force of anti drift Fb and a force of lift Fn, in proportion to it’s speed – exactly like a foil.

Here is the foil, Ngalawa and it’s diagram in relation to the foiler :

            Dictionary " From Aak to Zumbra "

In the light of the weaknesses of the foils and foilers (fragility, longitudinal stability, complication of the brain – racking ratio thickness / lift / trail /speed ) the East African solution seems to be very interesting.

It was discovered by the fishermen without any diploma, at a time when the expression « Dynamic Stability » did not yet exist and when the Europeans associated the word « Stability » with a pile of stones to weigh down boats that where already very heavy.  

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