L'HYDROPTÈRE
Conceived by Éric Tabarly, developed by Alain Thébault and built by a consortium of major French industries, L'Hydroptère is a legendary foiling trimaran.
25 years ahead of its time, it pioneered high-speed foiling.
She was the first sailboat to break the 50-knot barrier under sail, the equivalent of the sound barrier for aeronautics, and brought sailboats into a new dimension, that of the air.
L'HYDROPTÈRE'S TECHNICAL SPECS
Combining aeronautical and naval technologies, L'Hydroptère is built in carbon, Kevlar, titanium and aeronautical aluminum. Thanks to Alain Thébault and his team, as well as the various companies, schools and research laboratories that have supported the project and its development, she has never stopped evolving. With the notable contribution of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), she became, in 2009, the first sailing boat to break the 50-knot barrier, the equivalent of the sound barrier in aeronautics, and reached a top speed of 55.5 knots (102.8 km/h).
Often dubbed "the Concorde of the seas", L'Hydroptère is an exceptional hydrofoil sailboat, the first to be built using modern composite materials, behind which lies a formidable human and technological epic.
Entirely dedicated to innovation, L'Hydroptère is the ideal research and development platform for taking on board, testing and maturing your new technologies, and giving them worldwide visibility.
| Length overall - Central hull | 18.28 m | 60 ft |
| Length overall - Floats | 6.7 m | 22 ft |
| Beam | 24 m | 78.75 ft |
| Draft (in air) | 30 m | 98.5 ft |
| Draft - Central hull | 1.3 m | 4.25 ft |
| Draft - Foils | 3.5 m | 11.5 ft |
| Displacement | 7.5 tons | 16 535 lbs |
| Sail Surface (Mainsail / Solent / Stormsail) | 195 / 105 / 65 m² | 2 099 / 1 130 / 700 sqft |
| Top speed | 55.5 knots / 102.8 km/h | 55.5 knots / 89.32 mph |
| Crew | 4 to 10 people |
