Foiler

Principle

The hydrofoil ships make it possible to reach important speeds by using the bearing pressure of a wing (plane carrier) in the place of the bearing pressure archimédienne.

In the category of the sailing ships equipped with hydrofoils, it is possible to define several families among whom the foiler (name derived from the hydrofoils which equips this type of boat).

Various families of hydrofoil machines

Foilers

This type of machines does not have as a function to sail entirely taken off like the hydrofoils. The hydrofoils or foils, are there to decrease the surface wet by making déjauger the boat and while making it possible to decrease the size of the floats. In this category, have finds foilers which can only very with difficulty occur their hydrofoils: Paul Ricard of Eric Tabarly, Charles Heidsieck IV with Alain Gabbay by Gilles Vaton, Gerard Lambert in Vincent Levy by MVP VLP (Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost), Sebago with Phil Stegall by Adrien Thomson And of the foilers “mixed” which can sail without foil but with an important loss their capacities speed: Gautier , Future & Meccarillos by Sylvestre Langevin, Ker Cadelac by Marc Lombard

Trimarans with auxiliary foils

They are there “traditional” trimarans which use hydrofoils to decrease wet surface and thus to improve the performances but which have bulky floats. They can thus sail without foils (trimarans of 60 feet of the class ORMA, Groupama with Franck Cammas by MVP VLP)

Hydrofoils

In this case, the purpose of the hydrofoils are to make entirely take off the boat so that it is not any more in contact with the liquid element but by its carrying plans (the Hydroptère of Alain Thébault, Trifoiler TF22 by Greg Ketterman, Windrider Rave by Samuel Bradfield…). One can differentiate the Hydroptère S from the foilers (in any case for the moment) by the number of carrying plans (with share perhaps Géant of Michel Desjoyeaux version 2005). Foilers and trimarans with auxiliary foils being generally equipped with two hydrofoils on the floats and the Hydrofoil S of three (the third being saffron equipped with a horizontal plane).

Foils or plane carriers of the foilers and trimarans with auxiliary foils

For the foilers

The hydrofoils of the foilers, have a design different from those of a Hydroptère. Their surfaces and their profiles being defined to develop a lower bearing pressure and for an almost permanent immersion. Several types of foils were used on the foilers:

- Traditional the foils out of V or with 45° (known as of first generation),

- Foils in Y reversed developed by Sylvestre Langevin and taken again by Marc Lombard. Those had the advantage of working in-depth, thanks to the vertical part of the foil and thus of being not very sensitive to ventilation.

For the trimarans with auxiliary foils

The hydrofoils used on the trimarans with auxiliary foils were at the beginning of the “traditional” foils with 45°. During the Eighties, cabinet MVP VLP with worked much on the hydrofoils (MVP VLP also contributed to the birth of the hydrofoil). One owes them amongst other things, F40 Cookie Cantreau , the trimarans Bottin , Brocéliande , Foncia , Groupama , Géant Today, more and more with trimarans of race are equipped with foils curved or out of spoon (developed by Marc Lombard). They make it possible to improve the vertical bearing pressure and the force anti-drift. The exit of the carrying plans is more in-depth thus more at the variation of the interface air/water and thus less prone to ventilation.

History

One of the first foilers was in 1970, the aluminum trimaran Mantis IV with floats in form of foils. At the end of the years 1970, Roland Tiercelin launched Trimama an aluminum foiler provided with three masts (one on each hull). In 1979 Eric Tabarly made carry out Paul Ricard. It wished at the beginning to produce a hydrofoil but the materials of the time did not make it possible to produce a light and reliable machine. It thus had to be satisfied of an aluminum foiler. 1979 year ostentation for the foilers, saw the setting with the water of Hydrofolie drawn by Xavier Joubert for Alain Labbé and Loïc Caradec. Then it was the blossoming of Gautier , Gerard Lambert , Ker Cadelac , Charles Heidseick IV , Paca ….

Several models of foilers of cruising were put on the market like Foiler 680 per Michel Fortin (1983), Dalibor in Australia or more recently Catri 27 (by Latvia). There be even, of the foilers of leisures standard “trimaran of beach” example: the “Foiler”.

The foilers thus knew their hour of glory during the Eighties. They are in this moment not very present on the seas of the sphere. The trimarans with auxiliary foils showed speeds and a beach of use more important than the foilers. From time to time, of new projects flower like Némo of Jean Philippe Delapierre (28 m) in construction in Nantes (2005-2006) or the boat of 38m on which Loïck Peyron works (with Nigel Irens, Bernard Cabaret, Rémy Laval Jeantet).

Charles Heidseick IV

Very good example of foiler this revolutionary trimaran for the time (September 1984), unfortunately suffered from a construction to the estimate of weight not respected. In addition to its hydrofoils, this boat was to benefit from the large surface of its single arm to the profile of wing of plane, which was at high speed to create a “ground effect”. Its mast wing was to be tilting and its traditional veils replaced by thick veils “inflatable”. It showed a strong potential under certain conditions but forever gained race. Once reorganized, it left to make fast cruising in the Antilles. foiler Charles Heidseick IV

One also must with the pencil of Gilles Vaton, PACA which was the obvious result and optimized of its predecessor Charles Heidseick IV , this foiler appeared much more powerful, grace mainly to an estimate of weight respected much better.

External bonds

International The Society Hydrofoil (in English)
the Hydrofoil Alain Thébault
Foilers! French blog on the topicality of the sailing ships with foils

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