Paul,
Air bubbles under the hull?  Wouldn"t that cause more turbulance unless
vented in a low pressure location?
This is an idea that I had thought of for a boat.
(patent applied for as you occasionally say!!)  :D Dan F

It has been proven to work. Air has less friction than water.

Paul Lamar

This was the original idea that lead to the hovercraft.

Peter Whitehead.

I loved a ride in the channel hover craft.

I recently rode a smaller one back and fourth from Portsmouth
(South Sea Hoverport) to the Isle of Wight.


Paul Lamar


It was also the focus of a bunch of tests done by the navy on high speed
torpedo's..
I think they had a fish that normally did ~30knt up to over 100 using some
form of a gas release deal on the nose of it.. [not sure of the finer
details, and it's possibly an old wives tale.. I've never looking into it
too deeply..]

Fwiw

Jarrett


Also the screen of bubbles reduces the sonic signature of surface vessels,
from both active and passive detection.
Flank III was a classified speed, but we actually had a rooster tail, and
could outrun torpedos. Musta been the bubbles. ;-D Westpac '81,'82, USS
Cushing DD-985.
C. Smith

Paul,

Yes this would be a good idea for amphibians.   Even the dead weight of a
scuba tank would be worth the extra 50 hp you need to break suction.
Question is where on the hull do you put the nozzles.  Near the bow on the
Vee cuff?

Doug in Japan.


I don't know Doug. Getting on the step seems to be the big problem.
If you taxi just shy of getting on the step and take a movie you might be
able to make a better guess.

Ken Welter used Nitrous Oxide for years and then he redesigned the hull with
two steps which helped greatly as I recall.

His advice should be very valuable.

Perhaps a valve with three compressor outlets. One for displacement mode,
one for step mode and one for altitude mode.

Paul Lamar

Our destroyer had outlets from just behind the dome, and spaced at intervals
all along the hull.
572' and 105' beam, I could swear we were planning.
C. Smith