Completely made of carbon fiber reaching over 40 knots of speed. It is powered by a diesel/electric hybrid propulsion driven by two Bmw engines, two generators and two electric Pods aft. Here is Foiler from Enata Marine.
Foiler’s Hull
The hull is made entirely of carbon fiber with mechanical parts made of high-quality stainless steel, aluminum and titanium. The blades and rudders are also made of autoclaved carbon fiber to ensure high rigidity and strength.
How foils work
The boat is just under 10 meters long and has two retractable carbon foils that make it travel five feet above the surface of the water. Foils behave underwater like the wings of an airplane. Because water is 840 times denser than air, the foils can be much smaller than an airplane’s wings and be able to lift the boat. As the speed of the boat increases, the foils begin to lift the hull, just as they do to an airplane on a runway.
Retractable foils, made of carbon fiber, make this yacht fly 1.5 meters above the water. The hull design is state-of-the-art, and with powerful foils you can even forget about seasickness because it increases stability on board. It easily glides over waves even up to 2 meters without bothering passengers.
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Foiler propulsion
The propulsion is a diesel-electric hybrid, which reduces fuel consumption, environmental impact, and also the cost of maintaining and operating the boat. The top speed is 40 knots, but you start flying as early as 18 knots with seven passengers on board (and the skipper). Hidden under the stern is hybrid power provided by twin 320-hp engines, two electric generators, and two waterjets. With a cruising speed of 30 knots, the flying yacht has a range of 130 nautical miles, drawing fuel from its 300-liter tank.
In “full electric mode” it can cruise for about ten minutes at speeds under ten knots; while with the diesel engines, at 30 knots, the range is up to 130 miles. For ease of maintenance, the appendages and retractable propellers are raised and placed out of the water when not in use, which also reduces the height of the yacht for storage and is especially convenient for stowage in superyacht garages.
The builder
Foiler was built by Enata, an industrial group with more than 200 employees with offices in Singapore, France, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. It has three departments: Marine, Aerospace and Industries. The project began in Switzerland in 2010, and the first hull was built in the United Arab Emirates. It is precisely from the combination of all of Enata’s expertise that we have arrived at this solution, which we have only seen for the time being, but which we will also try at sea.
Photos by Guillaume PLISSON
