Fastest Sailboat on the Planet!

Because it has to stop being only like a boat

What do you want to bet that the purpose is all about aerodynamic drag reduction, Doug? I'd also be willing to venture that several other areas of the boat will be given the "aero treatment" to further reduce drag when it's flying.

For a guy who has been such a proponent of the foiling scene, it seems strange that this function wouldn't be a part of your awareness for all things that fly... Hmmm?

Chris Ostlind

 

The 12M version of Hydroptere is a smaller, cheaper testbed platform for potential mods to Hydroptere - not a "new version" in the sense of a major replacement.

The major point I got out of the article is the possibility that this experimental record chasing platform MAY be connected to the Alinghi consortium-held America's Cup. I don't know about anybody else, but to me the America's Cup means 12 Metre Class Monohull displacement keelboats AND NOTHING else. No cats, no NASA-like funded x-maran foilers, none of the crap we've seen the past twenty years.

What a stupid mistake they made allowing increasingly wild interpretations of the original rules.

Don't take this to mean I'm against the development and progress made by Hydroptere - I think it spectacular, but NOT applicable to a tradition like the America's Cup.

 

America's Cup

When I was growing up most of the sailors I was around thought the AC was the pinnacle of sailing technology. As time has gone by and multihulls have shown how well they can sail and canting keels have shown how much faster a monohull can be the Cup has been- and is now- way behind the technology. I think the Cup should be sailed at the maximum level of sailing technology and if that means multihulls with foils or monohulls with canting keels/foils bring it on.
I guess I feel it ought to be sailed in monohulls because of some vestige of tradition still haunting me. But monohulls with canting keels and hydrofoils.

 

Hello Doug,

thanks for this.

The latest I heard, it was last week, was from a wealthy local (Geneva) businessman, who was interviewed because he and his crew had just set a new record for a monohull on the trip from Geneva to the end of the lake and back (7 hours or so, if i'm not mistaken). He said "next month, work will start on my new boat which will be a flying boat leveraging on the Hydroptere and with help of EPFL". We knew since May that EPFL and the Hydroptere team would work together, and that a 12 metre multihull was going to be launched on Lake Geneva. From this interview it looks like the launch could be october or november this year, thus allowing enough time to test the boat a bit before next season (there are few races during the winter time here).

As for Hydroptere the 60-foot version, it always looked to me like the general aerodynamics were just not there. Maybe computer simulations and/or model testing have revealed that some work on the arms (like having a skin over them rather than a gap between the beams), and thinning the "floats", was going to be enough? I have no access to this kind of data so cannot tell. But I guess that if they're going through the trouble, and the investment, whatever they're doing must have been shown, on simulations and or model testing, to have the potential to markedly improve from the current setup?

take care

A

 

I agree, Antoine. This boat is a forest of wind catching surfaces and much can be done to improve its performance through the air. When you see bicyclists going to great lengths to cut aero drag, especially the Time Trial riders in events such as the TdF, you immediately get the benefit of a clean shape... at what are comparable speeds through the air.

I'm looking forward to the results of their work and hope that they truly address the issues of aero drag with some beautiful new shapes and fairings on all the exposed parts of the boat. (including the clothing that is worn by the crew and where (and how) they sit for speed runs)

Chris

 

More info on Hydroptere.ch

As it happens, I ended up looking simply on the Hydroptere.com website. And there was an update on the Lake Geneva project, dated September 7th, which I had missed.

It is in French, the main points are:
- the team is complete and a big kick-off meeting took place late August in Lausanne. Plan is to have the boat launch summer '08.
- hydroptere.ch is confirmed as a "toy" to both help the evolution of Hydroptere by allowing to test things in a cheaper way, and to provide data for the potential "Hydroptere Maxi" project (fly a 30-35 meter multihull)
- design and construction overseen by VPLP w obviously huge experience in racing multihulls

There is one initial sketch on the site (follow the link below). It looks a lot overall from the side like a D35 i.e. LOTS of power (mast height 1.6-1.7x hull length, bow sprit extending to 20% of hull length). IF that thing flies, it's going to fly in force 2 winds easy. Now flying and controlling it in some of the famed brutal and sudden wind shifts / gusts of Lake Geneva, might require pretty solid skills.

Interestingly the "pods" look much smaller in the vertical dimension, as well as longer, so maybe this is one of the future changes for Hydroptere.com - might allow for both faster top speed, and better speeds when not flying (more similar to existing trimarans).

http://www.hydroptere.com/accueil/actualités/dernières-actu/var/lang/FR/rub/30/breves/88.html#

 

18² Surface Piercing Baby Hydroptere

I didn't know about this boat-done years ago by Dr. Sam Bradfield. Much wider than it is long just like Hydroptere: See Post #191
Foiling C Class - Sailing Anarchy Forums
Address:http://www.sailinganarchy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59168&st=100&

 

Hydroptère being transformed, launch scheduled early '08

Hydroptère has just been taken out of the water (photos on hydroptere.com)

she will undergo major changes. as the site says, in French and allow me to translate for the benefit of a broader group:

- "the boat will undergo important transformations"
- "the rig, the side hulls, the three foils, AND the platform will all be modified. And the team will use the opportunity to review all of the measuring system (the advanced electronics that help pilot the craft)
- "given the scope of the work, thing will last until early '08
- "after this effort, Hydroptère will have become a pure high speed prototype, configured only towards this aim, and whose sole goal, in 2008, will be to become the planet's fastest sail-powed craft"

So allow me four comments:
- first let's wish them luck. It would be cool, and it's nice that the team of engineers seem to have gone for significant changes (in line with what many of us here said seemed to be needed to get the extra knots - vs. top instant speed 47.6kn, 44.8 kn on 500m, and 41.69kn on the mile)
- second, technical: (1) their rig and sails are fairly up to date so if they're replacing them with the aim of very high speed, we could well see a wing; (2) their side hulls, or pods, are already small but based on the flatter designs to be seen on the first sketch for Hydroptere.ch it seems clear that we could have pods with lower volume due to a smaller frontal area - or maybe barely any pods at all, just enough to keep the boat from tipping over and allow it to accelerate out of the water but nothing to be sailing on for hours or days; (3) "the platform" could imply many things: it could be as "small" as a skin around the arms to avoid turbulence; or it could be as big as a completely new, much more minimalist main hull with small volume and minimal frontal area - here again, the hydroptere.ch project seems to be quite a bit like a D35 ie a catamaran with a central structure that does not touch water but helps the ridigity, so you could envision a craft that would just make it as an archimedean boat (but just) because of its minimal floatability reservers.
- third if the launch is a bit late and they cannot use the Jan-Feb to train and then March April to do it, this may push it back to the summer or fall of '08 for speed runs. So for all practical purposes, and given the warnings about "configured only for high speed", it seems pretty clear that Hydroptere will not be attempting any seagoing high-speed records before, say, mid'09 at best
- fourth, the original aim was to try for ocean going records. They went for SNSM twice, just missed it the 1st time and missed it more the second time (record held by Brossard the 60ft trimaran). My take is that they discovered that their boat was still just too slow when not flying (these ORMA tris are pretty fast when on just one hull!), and also possibly too slow in VMG terms when flying but depending on the wind direction. My take remains that the ultimate winner may be a typical ORMA platform, ie light and solid and proven, and add big foils to make it fly, and when it doesn't fly it remains fast instead of slowing down brutally

Probably no more news from Hydroptere for a couple of months, until they are able to show some major steps?

It remains a great adventure!!!

 

COOL STUFF!!

it's going to be very exciting to see what they come up with in regards to improvements for higher outright speeds.

btw, there is an English version of the l'Hydroptere website too...

it's going to be an interesting year to come for speed sailing.
the kites are advancing in pretty big steps and have passed the 50kn mark over 250m [unofficially GPS measured] a little while ago and their official WSSRC kite record over 500m has just been improved by Sebastien Cattelan to 46,71 kts.
more info here: http://luderitz-speed.blogspot.com/

cheers
boogie

 

Hydroptere 56.7 knots(!)

Well, I can hope can't I? The suspence is killing me-its going to be an exciting year in 2008. May even see the first keelboat on foils.....

 

Copy from XSRacing post

l'hydroptere Has Left The Building





Saturday - October 6 2007 - 0020 PST - l'Hydroptère has left La Trinité-sur-mer's marina for a period of 4 months in the shipyard. The goal announced by Alain Thébault and his crew for 2008 is to beat the absolute speed record over 500 meters, presently held by Finian Maynard with an average of 48.7 knots. The ultimate dream of exceeding the legendary sailing speed of 50 knots is roughly equivalent to the sound barrier in aviation.

To reach this goal, l'Hydroptère must be configured differently. Many studies have been made in the last year by our engineers and technicians, the Federal Engineering University of Lausanne (EPFL), our scientific adviser and our suppliers so as to precisely determine the modifications that need to be carried out to the present prototype.

The studies now over and decisions made, parts' manufacture has begun and the boat can now be transported to the shipyard for disassembly before her great transformation. Thus, the rigging, the floaters, the three foils and the platform will all be modified. The team will also use this opportunity to review the entire measurement system.

Because of the amount of work to be done, the works will be completed in early 2008. When it leaves the shipyard, l'Hydroptère will be a prototype of pure speed, configured exclusively for that purpose, and whose goal, in 2008, will be to become the fastest sailing craft on the planet.

 

From XSRacing

 

Something to ponder while Hydroptere evolves:
How much more?

http://50knots.xs4all.nl:3006/gps-kitesurfing/gps.asp?mnu=user&val=290&uid=10

Session info
Date : Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Average speed : 50.48 knots (51.3 51.2 50.3 49.9 49.7)
Max. GPS (display) : 54.0 knots
Max. 2 sec. (software) : 53.5 knots
100 m run : 53.1 knots
250 m run : 51.3 knots
500 m run : 49.8 knots
Nautical mile : 18.7 knots

 

Hydroptere 50+!

Great stuff,BWD. It's occurred to me that when considering the "value" of speed records that perhaps the sea state at the time should be given some weight. If Hydroptere does 53 knots in a 2 meter swell is a kite(or anything else) sailing in a shallow ditch at the same speed making as big a "mark" on the history of sailing? If the boat doing 53knots has an auxilliary engine, a head,several bunks and a movable ballast system does that add to or subtract from the importance of such a record?

 

I can read the hypotheticals, Doug, but what's the point you wish to make on all this?