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Comment by SigmundA | Hacker News Reader

How much does it cost to replace the foils should you tear them off? Because honestly on a pleasure boat say in Florida where I am your not going to hit a log but you will drag bottom at some point due to shallow waters and tides. Most outboards have some sort of skeg damage due to dragging bottom or strikes. Replacing props and lower units or repairing the skeg is very common.

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Total loss. Even on an alumunium hull, not to mention composite.

Besides, it might not sink, but the collision will throw people around, and it's not like boats have seat belts or people accustomized to using them.

It is really not obvious that it would be worse experience than sitting it with your fiberglass hull. (Clearly worse than an aluminum hull though.) This happens all the time in the Pacific Northwest where I boat, floating logs. Worst are the deadheads, waterlogged so they float vertically just below the surface. Never known anyone to actually sink, but there've been a few destroyed propellers and thousands of bucks worth of hull repair.

Again here in FL dragging sandy bottom is pretty common and most of the time no big deal, maybe scuffing your skeg. Many times what happens is you're out of the channel on a plane no problem, then you slow down come off a plane and oops the water is too shallow and your lower unit /prop hits being the lowest part of the boat.

Hitting a rock might bend your prop and you might need to replace, many carry a spare prop on board as it can be replaced relatively easy even out on the water with an outboard.

That same situation with a foil boat would be disastrous, again just one very expensive and dangerous mistake.

My guess would be treat it like when you pull the chute on a Cirrus GA aircraft. Total loss, but you didn't die!

Mikael at Candela here. The cost of replacing the foils vary, but considerably less than the lower unit of an outboard on 25 foot boats. I actually ran over a submerged chain and broke the foil once - the only time that has happened in Sweden. Took us an hour to replace it, so no big deal You hoist the foil/struts down completely and insert a new one.

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