Gunboat G4 with UptiP Foils

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by Doug Lord, May 12, 2014.

  1. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

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  2. Corley
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    Corley epoxy coated

    My observation is that it seems a pretty heavy boat to attempt to fly. I mean it weighs more than the prototype of my project racing F40 trimaran built out of mostly non exotic materials (G4 weighs 600kg more lightship).

    I look at the brief for the G4 and find it confusing. They want to build a performance boat but they also encumber it with some pretty heavy gear at the same time.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2014
  3. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    G4

    I think the UptiP renders were a last minute addition to the website-the little video only talks about the boat with foil assist "C" foils. I don't think there's a problem making it light enough to foil-whether it would be competitive with other foilers near its size is a whole 'nother matter. You can foil a Moth with two adults on the boat but you couldn't win the worlds.....
     
  4. Corley
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    Corley epoxy coated

    I guess I didn't put that very clearly. I was thinking more in terms of gainfully foiling rather than just doing it for the sake of it. I understand it's a Gunboat and they like to integrate some luxuries along with performance but to my mind the two concepts aren't that compatible. The other larger Gunboats seem to strike a better performance/luxury compromise than this model. I don't think their concerned though because I'm not the target market :).
     
  5. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    G4

    I think a semi-luxurious foiler is great-it will be much faster than a "normal" cruiser and the ride will be in another world compared to a normal cat in short chop.
    PS-take a look at the new Moth speeds....
     
  6. Corley
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    Corley epoxy coated

    Hmmm well if I wanted performance I'd get a racing boat and if I wanted cruising comfort I'd go for a cruiser. That it's such a compromised "cruiser" for a 40' catamaran doesn't help matters either. As I noted earlier I'm not their target market but their target market seems to be a very small group of people and they are probably ok with that.
     
  7. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    G4

    The marketing term "racer-cruiser" doesn't appeal to you,huh? I believe great comfort and great speed can go together-there's no reason that I can see why not...I think it's a pretty cool combination if it's done right.
     
  8. HollaStern
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    HollaStern Junior Member

    I think it looks like a great weekender/camper type of boat. It would be great for the East coast, lots of safe harbors within a days ride when you are cruising that fast. Then when you are ready for the Bermuda race, you toss off the mattresses and and bring the crew on board.

    As for fully foiling, it seems like a stretch, but someone will eventually make a foiling 'cruising' production boat and I think that Gunboat should be that company.

    either way, it's still my dreamboat...
     
  9. daiquiri
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    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    I have no doubts that the boat will carve it's niche. But I can bet that it will be a very small (though wealthy) one. That boat will cost a fair amount of money.

    They don't say if the boat will fully foil or will be just foil-assisted. Safe flying requires a relatively fair sea conditions and a certain level of sailing ability which comes through repetitive training, a requirement which is out of reach of most weekend sailors. A paid crew could be a solution (an additional cost), but a part of the internal volume (right in the berthing area) has been eaten by the the through-hull sliding foils and their trunks. So one has to find a berthing place for the crew, and it will come at the cost of the owner's comfort. This picture shows it pretty well: http://www.gunboat.com/userfiles/178/slide_shows/images/3613.jpg

    My conclusion, IMO, is that it will be seldom used as cruiser in a lifting-foil configuration. It can become a cruiser with non-lifting daggerboards, when the trained crew is not necessary.
     
  10. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    G4

    I think that the render showing the UptiP foils is a strong indication of an intent to fully fly. Those foils have designed/built in altitude control and probably would not be used just for foil assist since their "C" boards would be fine for that.
    As to cruising on foils, don't forget the 20,000 miles David Keiper sailed on foils on the cruising foiler "Williwaw" in the 70's.
     
  11. daiquiri
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    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    He did, but judging on the available photos of the vessel, it can be called anything but a comfortable cruising. I don't think many persons would be willing to make voyages under sail in such physically demanding way.
    Ultimately, it will be all a matter of free-market economy. Should the demand from the sailing community be sufficiently high, the offer from the yards will soon follow. Up till now the demand was nearly nonexistent. Sailboats make just a small fraction of vessels sold worldwide. And multihulls are just a small fraction of the total number of sold sailboats. The foiling multihulls will then be a fraction of the fraction of the fraction - hence the cost per unit, both for the yards and for the buyers, will necessarily be stellar. Yards are commercial enterprises which have to make ends meet. So we shall wait and see.
     
  12. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

  13. daiquiri
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    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    Don't know, Doug... Just imagine yourself having to stand there to balance the boat for 20.000 miles. ;)
     
  14. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    ===================
    Aw, come on: those guys were just along for the ride and just standing there for the fun of it. Did you see the skipper sitting down relaxing?
     

  15. Timothy
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    Timothy Senior Member

    Is fully flying really the best option for a cruising boat? I think that the Banque Populaire foil assisted approach is a better way to go if the intent is to travel long distances at high speed with some degree of comfort in open water. If displacement can be reduced by 80% without the additional drag of rudder T foils or the the complication of an attitude control solution , passive or mechanical ,why bother trying to stay 8 to 10 feet above the surface to avoid impacting waves?
     
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