Browsing: Foils

Boat Reviews
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Shannon Unveils New Amphfoils

The Shannon Boat Company in Bristol, Rhode Island, recently unveiled its plans for a new series of Amphfoil hydrofoils that are designed to revolutionize boating. Shannon says it developed the Amphfoils after eight years of R&D and it has patented the design and technology in 40 countries around the world. They use new hydrodynamic and aerodynamic technologies to redefine a traditional hydrofoil and deliver speeds of up to 70 mph and a range of 350 nm. They also use 75 percent less energy than a traditional gas- or diesel-powered boat, according to the company. The Amphfoils combine the stability of…

Cruising Life
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Aquila, Beneteau, Introduce Foils on Cruising Powerboats

Foils, it seems, are coming to powerboats. Introduced on America’s Cup and other racing  sailboats a few years ago, they are now being tested and launched on recreational powerboats. At the Miami boat show, Aquila announced it would offer foils as a $27,000 option on their 36-foot cruiser, while in France, Beneteau announced that they had just tested foils on a 31-foot prototype. In Miami, Lex Raas, the president of Aquila (part of MarineMax), displayed a model of the foil that sits between the hulls of the Aquila 36 catamaran. There’s a relatively large foil in the middle of the…

Boat Reviews
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New, All-Electric, Foiling Sea Bubble Is Built to Beat Traffic. See It In Action in Paris

Now being tested in the Seine in Paris, the all-electric Sea Bubble, a 16-foot, all-electric hydrofoil, could be the water taxi of the future. In other permutations, it also could take you around your harbor or lake, or simply give you a new, cool, eco-friendly vessel. The founders of Sea Bubble say you should think of it as “a James Bond car, available for everybody, but with zero waves, zero noise, zero CO2 emissions.” Designed by Alain Thébault, who also designed the record-setting 50-knot-plus Hydroptère, a sailing hydrofoil trimaran, the Sea Bubble is powered by two electrically driven props. You…

Cruising Life
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New, Prize-Winning RIB that Flies on Two Adjustable Foils

Here’s a first: A flying RIB, or more precisely, a RIB that is able to fly on two foils built into the hull. Developed by SEAir on a Zodiac Pro 5.5 hull, the flying RIB just won the 2017 Innovation Award at the Nautic Paris Boat Show. SEAir has been working for two years to perfect the foils, which are full integrated into the Zodiac’s deep-V, fiberglass hull and move up and down in a shaft, with an adjustable angle of attack. The Zodiac Pro 5.5 is 18 feet long with an 8’4” beam and powered by a Yamaha F115-hp…