ufo foil sailboat

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The Foiling Sailboat For Everybody

$2,000 build deposit .

Slots in the continuous build queue are reserved upon receipt of $2,000 USD. Deposits are refundable until the materials go into the mold for your specific boat. 

Delivering credible performance at all points of sail in a broad wind range. Dimensions of less than 12' long and 6' wide and weighing less than 50kg, 110 lbs. Able to be rigged, launched, retrieved upright, and sailed in shallow water. Forgiving - not dependent on advanced sailing skills. Inexpensive and durable enough for a wide variety of users. Easy to store and transport.

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Best Dinghy: UFO Foiler

• By Dave Reed
• Updated: December 19, 2017

As a unique foiling object, indeed the UFO’s most appealing aspect is the ability to sail it in conditions that have other foilers on the beach. Sailors new to foiling will be quickly rewarded with minimal effort.

Dave Clark is the UFO’s co-creator, builder, tweaker and apostle. When he explains the construction of his 10-foot catamaran contraption (“we use this apocalyptically thick triaxial fiberglass layup”) and its handling (“as you ask the boat to challenge you, it will continue to challenge you, but only when it’s asked”), his enthusiasm is as animated as the UFO’s behavior on the water, especially in flight. The UFO is otherworldly, the judges agree, with the potential to disrupt the dinghy-sailing scene as an all-access low-cost foiler.

Nowadays at Clark’s Fulcrum Speedworks factory in Bristol, Rhode Island, he’s cranking out these pint-size craft, shipping batches in cardboard boxes and containers with international shipping manifests. He’s taking orders over the phone, on credit cards, from impulse buyers dropping $7,600 for an “all-inclusive” sailing experience.

How’s the UFO built? It’s vacuum-infused, with carbon-reinforced vinylester for an all-up weight of 110 pounds. The wishbone spar assembly is a mix of carbon and fiberglass components; the foil struts are extruded aluminum; and the elevators are a mix of carbon, glass, foam core and stainless-steel parts.

“Complexity is the enemy,” says Clark, who developed the UFO with his father, Steve Clark. “I need it to be robust, and I can’t have parts go missing.”

That might be true of the UFO’s big pieces, says Allen, but there are still quite a few little pins and parts required for assembly and flight. “You’ll have to take good care of it, especially if you’re in and out of the water, and moving it around all the time.”

The carbon windsurfing mast tube that Clark uses is bendy, so he added a jumper strut system to stiffen it. The wishbone arrangement is then the most effective way to provide high leech tension and power in the sail, which is essential to the entire rig package.

The judges’ testing session in sub-8-knot conditions doesn’t allow flight for Tom Rich nor Greg Stewart, both of whom exceed 200 pounds. But Clark, at 170 pounds and with two years in the boat, has it foiling in a heartbeat, using an explosive kinetic technique he’s perfected to get liftoff. Allen is initially unable to get it foil-borne, but 2 knots more of windspeed and a little extra effort on the mainsheet is all it takes to get him flying.

The UFO’s tunnel hull is a simple and defining platform that allows it to be sailed home when the breeze gets to be too little or too much. Its T-Foils lift nearly flush with the bottom of the boat, for launching it from a shoreline or a dock. The ride-height wand is easily adjustable to the desired challenge of the day. “Low to start and learn,” says Clark. “Higher as you get better and faster.”

At the end of your UFO session, break it down and leave it on a dolly, or stuff the whole lot into your family wagon.

“That’s what makes this boat so cool,” says Allen. “It’s innovative, creative and inexpensive. I can see a lot people getting their first taste of foiling with this thing.”

Or as Clark pontificates, “You can use it across your entire sailing career — from your Opti until you’re old and dead.”

At a Glance

To watch video of the UFO in action, click here . To read more about the genesis of the UFO, click here .

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Foiling sport catamaran UFO single-handed children's disassemblable

Characteristics

2.7 m (8'10" )

Description

Other fulcrum speedworks products.

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Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

Video: dave and steve clark’s ufo foiling catamaran.

By Melissa Wood , Mar 14, 2017

Chasing UFOs: A brief film about the UFO foiler

Video by Billy Black

When Dave and Steve Clark started designing the UFO (Unidentified Foiling Object) their intention was to make foiling technology available to a wider audience (read Dave Clark’s Design Brief ).

In contrast to an International Moth foiler, which Steve describes as “a completely unstable 1-foot-wide waterplane boat,” they wanted their design to feature a lot of initial stability.

To accomplish that, they decided on a solid-deck catamaran hullform with centerline foils that can be pulled up when the boat is on land. That combination allows the boat to be easily placed on the beach and rolled into the water with a simple dolly.

“When you get to deep water you put the main foils down, and you foil away,” explained Steve.

Watch the Clarks demonstrate the UFO’s features in the video above. The video includes the foiler on the water, an experience Dave calls, “practically euphoric.”

To learn more about the UFO, read the full design brief,  “The People’s Foiler,”  by Dave Clark, available online and in Professional BoatBuilder No. 166.

The People’s Foiler: A Design Brief on the UFO Foiling Catamaran

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ProBoat.com Archives

The MIT Sailing Pavilion has a UFO sailboat that uses wing-like T foils to lift the hull out of the water. This 8 foot 9 inch, 110 pound catamaran style dinghy "flies" above the water is a good introduction to foiling. It is stable at low speeds and is difficult to capsize in displacement mode.

• 1 Requirements to Sail
• 2 Safety For You (& The Boat)
• 3 Rigging the UFO
• 4 Derigging Notes
• 5 Sailing Basics
• 6 Tuning Basics

Requirements to Sail

• Must have full membership (Normal Sailing Card)
• Helmsman rating OR
• Must take class to learn to rig/ sail

Safety For You (& The Boat)

Rigging the ufo.

• Bottom of sail goes on first
• Might need 2 people to raise sail (1 pulls halyard back/down, 1 helps feed in sail)
• Put on cunningham before outhaul
• Should be tied to cunningham finetune
• Latches for front foil are loose, make sure to tighten all the way
• Check for water

Derigging Notes

• Careful not to hit rudder/foil against dock, but this makes it x10000 easier
• Since top batten is at a different angle from rest, reroll from the top so that this batten is aligned with the others afterwards
• Tie bottom batten to cunningham finetune
• Raise boom to decrease stress on spreaders

Sailing Basics

• Jibes are much much easier/faster than tacks
• Stand up, push boom away, point tiller away (controls flip when backwinding)
• Then sit, sheet in, head down for speed
• Windward heel and weight back/out helps get you foiling
• Heading up/trimming powers up, heading down/easing powers down
• Can’t hike the boat flat once you’re on foils, use angle and trim to control
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F8doHBpkRw&frags=pl%2Cwn

Tuning Basics

Righty flighty, lefty loosey

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• Description

Seller's Description

UFO sailboat, foiling dinghy, for sale. Used only a couple of times in sailing clinics offered by the designer and builder. Fantastic and easy to learn and sail for first time foilers. Family commitments and an active racing schedule on other boats has me regretfully reducing the size of my personal fleet. New boats sell for @8k and a steal even at that price. Price to sell at 6,500 is firm. It cannot be overstated how awesome these boats are. More info on the boat here: https://fulcrumspeedworks.com/UFO/overview/ Boat of the year award here: https://www.sailingworld.com/best-dinghy-ufo-foiler/ Includes like new sail by North Sails, dolly, roof rack tie down straps. Car toppable with wide enough load bars. Happy to help with delivery if I can.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Asym. Spinnaker Area: 70m2/753 sq.ft. Removable ‘wings’ for trailering width of 2.5m/8.16’. MAIN SAIL AREA : 29.5m2/317 sq.ft. JIB SAIL AREA : 20.5m2/221 sq.ft. GENNAKER SAIL AREA : 70.0m2/753 sq.ft.

This listing is presented by SailingAnarchy.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

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Home » Blog » Sail » Hydrofoil boats for the rest of us

Hydrofoil boats for the rest of us

By Author Fiona McGlynn

Posted on Last updated: August 18, 2023

Glide Free Foils Laser on foils. Photo credit: sailboats.co.uk ,

Watching foiling boats fly around the America’s Cup race course, is enough to quicken any sailor’s pulse. But unless you’ve got a spare few million kicking around, most hydrofoil boats are still very much out of the average boater’s budget . There are however a few ways to experience the magic of foiling without racing towards bankruptcy.

HOW DOES HYDROFOILING WORK?

Much in the same way that air flows over and under aircraft wings to create lift, water flowing around a hydrofoil lifts a boat’s hull out of the water . Once the greater part of the boat’s surface area is out of the water, friction is greatly reduced and the boat can “fly” at faster speeds .

How fast? The 2021 America’s Cup AC75s are expected to reach top speeds of 40 to 50 knots!

Like sails, foils are not a matter of “set it and forget it”, instead the foil-attitude must be adjusted to keep the boat in flight . On the 2017 America’s Cup boats these adjustments were made by the skipper/helmsman but powered (via a hydraulic system) by crew grinding winches (or in New Zealand’s case, pedal bikes ).

Because we don’t all have Jimmy Spithill ‘s magic touch, developing highly sophisticated flight control systems is key to bringing foiling into mainstream boating. Candela, a new 25-foot production e-foiling powerboat (and 2019 Best of Boats award winner) offers such a solution with foils that change position 100 times per second! Still, at ~$240,000 it’s well beyond most boating budgets. 

Fortunately, smaller foilers (dinghies and boards) don’t require high tech flight control systems and are far less expensive . Here are a few options for (more) affordable foiling:

HYDROFOIL DINGHIES

Laser foiling kits.

Clip a foil onto your Laser and fly over the surface of the water. Two Australian based companies, Foilsz and Glide Free Foils , offer Laser foiling kits. The Glide Free kit doesn’t require any permanent fixtures, so you can easily remove it (for those days when you’re in a displacement mode mood). They say that speeds of 18-25 knots are possible with their kit, which sells for just under $4,530 AUD (~$3,00 USD). 

UFO foiling multihull

For a few bucks more you can buy a foiling catamaran. The UFO was launched in 2017 and can fly at 15-20 knots. With a price tag of $7,000, it may be the most economical multihull foiler on the market.

Take a foiling course

Some clubs and community sailing programs are adding foilers to their fleets. For example Nantucket Community Sailing offers a 3-hour semi-private class for $100 per person . Or if you’re looking for a more exotic locale, the Provela Foiling Centre in Spain offers a range of foiling classes from beginner to advanced. Their two-day “Try Fly – Foiling” class costs 200 euros and their fleet includes Foiling Moths, White Formula Whispers, WASPZs, and F101s.

HYDROFOIL KITEBOARDS

It’s not like kiteboards are sluggish to begin with, but hydrofoil boards take the sport to a whole new level, delivering speeds of 40 miles an hour ! By using a foil to lift their boards out of the water, foiling kiteboard enthusiasts get an exceptionally quiet and smooth ride – so much so, that   kiteboard riders in Silicon Valley have been spotted taking calls on their cell phones. Set up costs start at around $1,000. Take a foil boarding course and buy protective gear, this extreme water sport is not for the faint of heart.

HYDROFOIL WINDSURF BOARDS

Foiling is taking off in the windsurfing world with world champions like Robby Naish and Atoine Albeau leading the charge. It has been confirmed that windfoiling will be a class at the 2024 Olympics in Paris . Set up costs start around $2,500. 

With foiling technology trickling down into the mainstream, you can expect to see more and more high speed foiling boats and boards on the water .  Is foiling the future? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Fiona McGlynn is an award-winning boating writer who created Waterborne as a place to learn about living aboard and traveling the world by sailboat. She has written for boating magazines including BoatUS, SAIL, Cruising World, and Good Old Boat. She’s also a contributing editor at Good Old Boat and BoatUS Magazine. In 2017, Fiona and her husband completed a 3-year, 13,000-mile voyage from Vancouver to Mexico to Australia on their 35-foot sailboat.

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