Fastest Sailboat on the Planet!

Not a test boat, but a test bed.
As far as i know, the maxi will be a trimaran with conventional floats for heavy winds/waves----when the conditions are too harsh for the foils.
Under "normal" conditions the boat will fly.

pogo

 

Hydroptere-fastest sailboat on the planet!

This is a really cool picture by Grelain Grenier:


(click on image and then,again, on image that results )

 

Hydroptere.ch is almost ready

Shes complete-almost ready to go:

 

Looks great. Do you remember the length? It seems to be in the 35-40' length. It will be interesting to see how the tests go.

 

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I think you're right. Look closely at the picture and you can see the step in the stb hull-like Parliers cat!

found this:

The geometry of l’Hydroptère.ch is innovative as she is a 35 ft catamaran with a central structural peak and v-shaped foils. She will be equipped with a centreboard to sail with the foils out of the water when conditions are not favourable for 'take-off' and no more with only one rear tail unit as on l'Hydroptère but with two rear tail units known as rudder-elevator. This will improve the balance in flight. The rigging was designed so as to meet a wide range of weather conditions.

 

Why single-chined stepped hulls ?

What i see and think:

As written in the Hp the boat is only a testbed for the l`Hydroptere maxi.
The boat is equipped with two articulating inverted T-rudders. The french call them "rudder-elevators", according to the HP they are "only" for stabilizing the flight.
They can fulfill more tasks.
Those rudders also can give more positive longitudal trim for more lift from the mainfoils while take-off , or in mid-wind conditions.
Furthermore it is possible to give the boat a negative longitudal trim with these rudders, "pushing" the boat on it`s forward sections.
Perhaps sailing in light winds (with the mainfoils up) only with the hulls touching the water up to the steps ? Reducing the wetted surface of these boxy hulls ?
In my opinion the steps are too far forward for this option
But, using a single chined hull with a step in lightwind is a bad idea.
I believe those hulls are for strong winds with big waves or a chaotic wavepattern.
Under those circumstances the foils can get a bad angle of attack, resulting in a loss of lift, or negative lift which occures in a pitchpole.
Remember, the little, short floats of l`hydroptere haven`t had enough volume and could`nt generate enough dynamic lift in the forward sections to avoid the last pitchpole.
Now they`ve made these stepped hulls longer with the planing surface and a lot of volume pretty far forward. This might avoid pitchpoling when the lift from the foils collapses.
The question is, will the maxi be able to lift his mainfoils ?
As `Hydraplaneur already has shown planing on stepped hulls is very fast and stable.
In planing mode L`Hydroptere also could use his rudders for adjusting the trim angle for max. speed, or a safer bow-ap attitude in really heavy conditions.

Groupama used her additional foils when possible.
L´Hydroptere, as a "full-flyer" goes the other way, he uses his hulls when necessary.

Racing around the world the maxi will hardly sail in lightwind conditions, so the french don`t need round bilged hulls that are better for lightwind conditions.
Another hind for this is the missing daggerboard in the renderings of the maxi.
The daggerboard of the l`Hydroptere.ch seems to exist only for lightwinds while sailing without foils. I think they wanna explore all options with this little boat.

I hope my english is good enough for expressing what i think.

What do you think about those stepped hulls ?

pogo

 

Hydroptere.ch

Very well thought out theory, pogo. I imagine that they have found that the steps help the hulls to get on the foils quicker. From L'hydraplaneur's experience we know that the steps are a major drag in lite air-below 20k according to Parlier. He had said at one time that they had a variable geometry solution for that drag-but I never saw it. He was dead slow against ORMA tri's in light air.
I can see that there might be an advantage if the boat was to come off the foils at high speed to have the step there-that's why it's on Hydroptere-but I don't get what their plan is for light air.

 

Now I´ve seen that l`Hydroptere.ch has adaptive hulls (variable geometrie), for lightwinds the steps disappear.

http://xsracing.org/
(scroll down and have a closer look at l`Hydroptere.ch`s port hull)

pogo

 

Great find ,Pogo. I wish they'd say more about it...

click on image

 

Never ever, the french have always been closed.
It`s always a challenge to read between the lines given in their HP, i always got more info exploiting the pix.
Same procedure with the AC boats.
But, we`re after it...

By the way, l`Hydroptere is male.
Parlez-vous pommes-frites ?
Oui oui, mon general ! Il pleut, il pleut !

pogo

 

Le france

I know this is way off topic but I have met a very nice French woman and she has agreed to help me relearn my first language
I am very happy about this

 

Hydroptere-fastest sailboat on the planet!

Spectacular read here by Paul Larsen of Sailrocket and Invictus fame-describes sailing on Hydroptere-nice detail:

http://www.sailrocket.com/blogs

 

Félicitations!

C'est une bonne idée de réapprendre une langue.

Le moyen traditionnelle d'apprendre la langue français avec une femme est quand elle est fâché - "Ramasser tes maudite choses!" is a phrase I learned very quickly.

--
CutOnce

 

Hydroptere-fastest sailboat on the planet!--the 3

Here are renderings of Hydroptere, Hydroptere.ch and the MAXIdroptere:

click on image

 

Twin Headsail Maxi Version

Rather interesting that the newest maxi version for use around the world seems to be evolving towards a catamaran with a central nacelle and an almost masthead cutter looking rig.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/motorsailers/monohull-verses-multihull-powersailers-motorsailers-4499-2.html#post35993

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/motorsailers/monohull-verses-multihull-powersailers-motorsailers-4499-3.html#post36348