Aeolus - concept of an autonomous trimaran with wingsail

Not sure if this was highlighted on this forum, here's a rather interesting thing:

http://www.coroflot.com/yogibeeuwsaert/aeolus

 

From a first view I think this trimaran will stuck its short hull and floats in the first wave and capsize. To me it seems to be a design of a design student and not of a naval architect.

 

That is typical design (styling) school piece. It wouldn't stay upright.

 

Needs a (not TNG icky green, but Balance of Terror episode) Romulan Warbird paint scheme.

Maybe as a powerboat, but it looks to have minimal longitudinal stability, practically the opposite problem of making a very narrow boat sail (though you can put a ballasted keel on those).

 

ie: a W O T
(waste of time)

 

Actually, as shown it look like a kinda plausible surface effect craft, though not an ekronoplan for not deriving lift from the wings because jet wash is directed at them just so, on which a wing sail has been grafted.

If the intent was a hydroplane able sail craft, with power assist, the fix is to replace the short center hull with a long and very slender hull with enough longitudinal stability that it won't want to flip end over end from the forces imposed by the wing. I kinda doubt anything about actually trying that would be simple though. Probably take a very skilled NA working with aerospace guru, control systems sage, and materials wizard to pull off. Oh ... a big pile of someone else's money too.

I'm none of those things and sadly don't have the latter either.

 

I bet the craft would flip even with zero wind/waves/speed since the center hull doesn't provide enough buoyancy was it even placed 3 times to the aft. But if I would view the craft going at the designed max. speed on absolutely calm watter, its stability would be provided by foils - if the center hull + it's foils is placed enough to the aft again. There are actually controllable flaps visible on those center hull's foils.
Oh, and there's like a big disproportion between the wingsail & trimaran base.
But really, why bother wasting time on making 3d model, renders & etc if the concept clearly has flaws from the beginning?

 

I suppose one possibility, aside from just making something that looks cool (which this does in a could have appeared in vintage Omni sort of way), much as you mention, is they may be speculating that control of that lower horizontal fin in the back and underwater may allow them some control over pitching forces, like with an airplane. Be a scarey ride if tried.

Maybe a boat made just for mother-in-laws? /channeling '50s cartoon