A motorboat designed so that it skims the water at high speeds; SYN. hydroplane.
Wing that develops lift in the water in much the same way that an airplane wing develops lift in the air. A hydrofoil boat is one whose hull rises out of the water due to the lift, and the boat skims along on the hydrofoils. The first hydrofoil was fitted to a boat 1906. The first commercial hydrofoil went into operation 1956. One of the most advanced hydrofoil boats is the Boeing jetfoil.