Completely made of carbon fiber that reaches over 40 knots of speed. It is powered by a hybrid diesel/electric propulsion driven by two BMW engines, two generators and two electric Pods aft. Foiler by Enata Marine. In fact, this boat only needs 18 knots and here it is flying a meter and a half above the waves, eliminating seasickness and offering passengers a quiet and peaceful experience, without cutting the waves.
Foiler’s hull
The hull is made entirely of carbon fiber with mechanical parts in high quality stainless steel, aluminum and titanium. The blades and rudders are also made of carbon fibre in the autoclave to ensure high rigidity and strength.
How foils work
The boat is just under 10 meters long and is equipped with two retractable carbon foils that make it travel a meter and a half from the surface of the water. The foils behave underwater like the wings of an airplane. Because the water is 840 times denser than the air, the foils can be much smaller than the wings of an airplane and be able to lift the boat. When the boat speed increases, the foils begin to lift the hull, just like an airplane on a runway.
The carbon fibre retractable foils make this yacht fly 1.5 metres above the water. The hull design is cutting-edge and with the powerful foils even forget about the seasickness because it increases the stability on board. You can easily slip on waves up to 2 meters without bothering passengers.
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The propulsion of Foiler
Propulsion is a diesel-electric hybrid that reduces fuel consumption, environmental impact and also the costs of maintaining and operating the boat. The maximum speed is 40 knots, but you start flying at 18 knots with seven passengers on board (and the skipper). Under the stern is the hybrid power provided by two twin 320 hp engines, two electric generators and two water jets. With a cruising speed of 30 knots, the flying yacht has a range of 130 nautical miles, drawing fuel from its 300 litre tank.
In “full electric mode” it can sail for about ten minutes at speeds below ten knots; while with diesel engines, at 30 knots, the range reaches 130 miles. For ease of maintenance, the appendages and retractable propellers are lifted and placed out of the water when not in use, which also reduces the height of the yacht for storage and is particularly convenient for storage in the garages of superyachts.
The manufacturer
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 started in Switzerland in 2010 and the first hull was built in the United Arab Emirates. It is precisely from all of Enata’s expertise that we have come to this solution, which we have only seen for the moment, but which we will also try out at sea.
Photos by Guillaume PLISSON
