FOILER: THE FLYING YACHT READY TO WOW THE FRENCH RIVIERA
UAE-based ENATA Marine, world’s first production foiling yacht, rocked last 2018 Dubai International Boat Show with the world debut of its new FOILER yacht. Now FOILER is ready to wow French Riviera. FOILER – the Flying Yacht – thanks to its revolutionary appeal and futuristic design will have a permanent berth at the Yacht Club de Monaco and in Saint Tropez – this summer, from mid July 2018 where it will be available for sea trials. Strictly upon advanced reservation, we’ll soon inform you about logistic details.
GREAT STEPS IN FOILING TECHNOLOGY
Delivering a smooth and exhilarating ride for passengers, FOILER offers a comfortable high-performance driving experience for whoever is at the helm. Its retractable carbon fiber hydrofoils deliver strength, rigidity and lightness, allowing the yacht to fly 1.5 meters above the water for the most exciting and relaxing yachting experience.
Foiling technology has been around for a very long time and is used mostly in sail boats and kitesurfing, however Enata has made the first hydrofoil yacht which is easy for anyone to use and very efficient.
FOILER has a huge window of efficiency as it starts to foil at 12 knots and is completely out of the water at 17 knotswith a maximum speed of 40 knots in flight mode. It is also incredibly easy to use and drive, just like a sports car: you just press a button for the foils to deploy and you can be on your way.
Handling waves up to 2.5m to 3m in foiling mode (conditions with 5 to 6 Beaufort), while still providing complete comfort for up to 8 people, the FOILER can retract the foils and be used as a classical boat in more extreme conditions.
ENATA EXPERTISE
“We are a family of sailors and kite-surfers and have started foiling in kite and catamaran since about 10 years. We’re fully aware of all the benefits of foiling” stated Alois Vieujot – Manager at Enata.“This was a very natural step for Enata. We produce large competition and professional drones, as well as racing sailing boats and kitefoils. The FOILER is really a blend of all those technologies. To start this project, we merged our R&D with the Swiss company Hydros that already produced a working FOILER prototype in 2015. The FOILER is the result of a long process that combined all the skills of the company and I think we offer an outstanding product that is both delivering outstanding comfort and performance whilst being very easy to use.“
The shape of the foils – as well – are different than before, thanks to new advancements in technology. New Enata R&D technologies have helped develop a better foil that is both very performing, comfortable, and auto stable.
The foils are fully retractable. With our patented system, the FOILER switches from foiling mode to Archimedean mode in a few seconds. When moored or at the harbour, the foils and electric torpedoes – which propel the boat – are entirely out of the water. That way they stay dry and clean, thereby reducing the maintenance.
The hull of the FOILER has also a very elaborate design to provide very smooth take-off and landing phases, even in the waves.
COMFORT, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
The FOILER brings different advantages such as comfort and safety – thanks to the hydrofoils the yacht is above the ocean and not affected by the waves, completely steady even in bad weather. Since its not jumping around, it’s a lot safer than a regular yacht. It’s also a lot easier to drive and the steering is extremely directional without and lag.
The FOILER really brings a lot of advantages also when it comes to the environment. The first one is the fuel consumption. Due to it being lifted in the air, there is much less drag, thus a lot less fuel needs to be used to move the FOILER. On top of that, it uses a hybrid propulsion system. Two diesel engines power a large battery, that then feeds the electric torpedoes (propellers).
All of this combined makes the FOILER about 20% to 50% more fuel efficient than other yachts. You can even go completely silent in full electric mode at 10 knots for up to 10min, and get a larger range at lower speeds, which is very pleasant for port maneuvers or for fishing/trawling.
Another great advantage is the elimination of the wake behind the FOILER. Due to it not moving as much water, it barely produces a wake. This means it doesn’t bother anyone around it, and has way less impact on the environment.
Finally, due to the hybrid system and it being above the water, it generates very little noise. Very low engine noise and no noise from the waves hitting the hull. It is extremely quiet. All of this combined means that everyone/everything around you won’t even know you just passed by flying at 40 knots!
“The best word to describe driving the FOILER is tranquility” – continues Alois Vieujot – “It its extremely relaxing and easy to use. You don’t have any movement form the waves underneath as you are above them. It is extremely stable and safe, like a flying carpet over the ocean. It also eliminates sea sickness. The feeling is total comfort and tranquility. Going back on a regular motor boat really feels like going back in time”.
INNOVATIVE FUTURE AT ENATA MARINE
Enata Marine has a very large variety of projects. From boats and yachts, kite-foils, to planes and architecture, and constantly growing. They specialize in innovation, high performance, composite products, and have had projects such as the GTCat, Multi50, and the SR71 Blackbird. GtCat being a catamaran fully out of carbon fiber which uses large curved foils. The Multi50 is a trimaran, which will compete on the Transatlantic race La Route du Rhum. And thirdly, the SR71 Blackbird is a large 4 meter remote control carbon fiber plane that just won the world competition at TopGun.
