The O Zone: Foiled

By lifting a boat's hull out of the water to reduce drag, hydrofoils boost everything from commuter ferries to Navy cruisers—and now, in a human-powered first, kayaks. Norwegian designer Peter Ribe's 17-foot FLYAK works so well that Ribe, a former racer who hadn't competed at the sport's top level in 15 years, recently crushed the 1,000-meter world record of 3:24 by 27 seconds. $2,000; www.foilkayak.com