FOILING POD

This project emerged from the need to understand whether a hydrofoiling boat could be controlled like a bicycle, thereby eliminating the need for a flight controller. The concept was pioneered by Kotaro Horiuchi, who achieved stable flight in hydrofoiling watercraft as early as the 1950s. At Yamaha's Horiuchi Laboratory, Horiuchi and his team further developed several hydrofoiling watercrafts, introducing wand-based height control, such as in the Moth sailing dinghy.

Our endeavor began by repurposing a broken SUP board, integrating components such as a main Moth foil for lift, a Moth wand for automatic height control (inspired by Horiuchi's work), and a modified BW One foil as an elevator. Powered by a 2kW electric Torqeedo motor borrowed from Janne Kjellman, founder of Ocean Volt and Q-Yachts, together with a lithium battery, our craft achieved flight on its inaugural attempts.

Following initial success, I reconfigured the seating arrangement to emulate that of Formula One cars from the 1950s-1970s, drawing inspiration from Argentine F1 driver J.M. Fangio's Maserati 250f. After experimenting with various steering systems, we settled on a Star-Wars-Pod-Racer style, designed to offer intuitive control similar to riding a bike, while prioritizing safety, ensuring a clear exit for the pilot in case of a capsize.

With upgrades including a 4kW (rated) electric motor, capable of delivering 7.5kW, our craft achieved speeds of 20 knots and incredible maneuverability. This platform served as an invaluable test platform for iterative improvements and allowed us to test it with potential customers.

To further refine our design, we conducted towing tank tests and collaborated with VTT for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to analyze drag and the interaction between the elevator, motor pod, propeller, and vertical elements.

Inspired by a fusion of the Mercedes Maybach 6 concept car and Formula One cars from the mid-20th century, I designed of a whole new boat, with hull and deck molds produced for the production version. The project was sold to FoilOne Oy following the liquidation of BlueWorks Inc. I naturally continued with the project as the head designer, engineer and boat builder.