The BirdyFish is a dinghy that aims to make foiling accessible to sailors of all levels. Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet took it for a test sail to see if it really does bring foiling within reachBased on an engineering school graduation project, three young Frenchmen have created the BirdyFish, a dinghy that aims to make foiling accessible to everyone.
\nBirdyFish is the story of a sailing start-up, something western France does well. Near Nantes, Jean-Baptiste Morin, Pierre Rhimbault and Alban Satg\u00e9 were not yet 25 years old when they started out to create a new class of boat. Foiling designs fascinated them, from the Mini Transat small yachts to IMOCA 60s, but they wanted to make flying on the water easier.
\nAmbitious but realistic, the trio focused on the business and management of the project, and turned to specialists for key areas. Naval architect Etienne Bertrand, well known for his work on the Mini, was commissioned to design the BirdyFish, whose beamy bow is reminiscent of the 6.5m Mini ocean crossing scows.
\nWith their personal savings and a \u20ac10,000 grant from a foundation for young entrepreneurs, they built a prototype. Three years later they\u2019re on the verge of finalising a \u20ac250,000 fundraising operation and moving to 600m\u00b2 premises to scale up to mass production.
\nWhile the hulls are subcontracted a few kilometres south, the foils are built in Nantes, in-house, a key factor in controlling the quality of these essential parts.
\nUnder gennaker the flying experience starts with less than 10 knots of wind. Crew position determines trim. Photo: BirdyFish
\nFoil design was entrusted to a master of the art, Jean Baptiste Behm. With their J-shape, the foils create maximum lift when fully deployed but remain quite simple to retract. The carbon foils weigh 10kg each and are symmetrical, so can be used on either side of the boat. This simplifies production and after sales service.
\nAlso with simplicity in mind, the position of the foils is fixed, without any adjustment. Rudder rake can be adjusted but to enable good control of the helm the rudder profile is not extreme.
\nA longer rudder chord means a little more drag but also more tolerance, and less risk of losing control. Sailing at low speeds with a smaller rudder surface area would give no feel to the tiller, making it much more difficult for beginners. The development of the Birdyfish, and refining that balance, took more than two years.
\nUnsinkable
\nThe hull is made of a glass-polyester sandwich, weighs 93kg and has four watertight zones making it unsinkable. The mast is aluminium and, once the foot is unpinned, can be dropped backwards with a crewmember controlling the descent with a halyard in hand.
\nThe maximum speed recorded by a BirdyFish is 22 knots (like a Class 40 but 40 times cheaper!). Photo: MULTImedia\/Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet
\nThe BirdyFish is limited to three sails to keep it simple. There\u2019s no trapeze either, the righting moment being entrusted to the foils. This is also a safety choice because, at high speed, any fall could be dangerous. Two crewmembers sit on the gunwale, or move slightly outboard upwind with their feet in the straps.
\nA major evolution in the development of the BirdyFish means there is also no longer a daggerboard. The first boats sold played their part as pioneers, but it turns out that the foils, although symmetrical, generate more anti-leeway effect than expected. Removal of the daggerboard and its box made the Birdyfish\u2019s cockpit even simpler.
\nEach foil weighs just 10kg (22lb) and they are symmetrical on port and starboard. Photo: MULTImedia \u2013 Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet
\nOfficially, the BirdyFish will fly in upwards of 12 knots of wind. But with a trained crew, the boat can take off from 8 knots. Finding the right angle, producing just the right amount of power at the right time to get the hull out of the water will show the difference between a novice crew and one that already has a few hours of flying experience.
\nRusty from decades of cruising on non-foiling boats (and having long forgotten my 420 and Mini years), for me trying the BirdyFish felt like a good test of its genuine accessibility to all. I returned to the shore reassured about my abilities \u2013 but more importantly blown away by the extraordinary sensations of flight.
\nOff the beach at La Rochelle the BirdyFish flew very fast at about 15 knots in a wind oscillating between 10-15 knots. High speed means constant vigilance is essential: the transparent Mylar window in the jib helps with visibility.
\nThere are no more lines at the mast foot than on a classic dinghy: simple. Fittings are attached so as not to compromise watertight zones. Photo: MULTImedia \u2013 Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet
\nAs there are no flaps to adjust the boat\u2019s trim it\u2019s the crew\u2019s position that needs to be tweaked. Sitting on the windward side of the boat, well wedged against the shroud, I was quietly enjoying the stability of the boat \u2013 its tolerant foils and T-shaped rudder do a remarkable job \u2013 when Jean-Baptiste Morin handed over the helm.
\nI was instructed to use as little helm angle as possible, instead using the mainsheet as an accelerator first, then as a damper. Very quickly, the miracle happened, and we took off! Soon we were flying, perfectly dry just above the chop.
\nG-force
\nI quickly learned that to remain foiling requires being very sensitive to movement. Rudder correction angles must be as small as possible. There\u2019s no question of moving the whole tiller, instead Jean-Baptiste advised I keep my tiller hand close to my body and only make small movements using just the span of my fingers.
\nWhen transporting or storing, the self-regulating J-foils fit inside the cockpit. Photo: MULTImedia \u2013 Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet
\nCourse deviations must also be very limited. I estimate that the maximum allowed is more or less 2\u00b0 around the true wind direction without trimming the sails. The penalty for overdoing it is immediate: the BirdyFish touches down, either softly or more brutally.
\nTacking and gybing are not difficult, but it takes a little more experience to complete them in \u2018flight\u2019 mode. To demonstrate, Jean-Baptiste retook control of the boat for a series of foiling gybes. Crouching at the front of the cockpit, my role was limited to managing the Solent sheet and above all to hold on, as the rate of turn is brutal, a reminder of the extraordinary performance achieved.
\nThe foil housing is slightly smaller than its well. Foil rake setting is fixed by four bolts: no brain work required. Photo: MULTImedia \u2013 Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet
\nOnly twice have I reached 18 knots at the helm of a sailing boat on my first try, and those were on a Gunboat 68 and an 80ft Ultim trimaran \u2013 very different budgets to the \u20ac18,840 standard BirdyFish.
\nThree essential options do raise the bill to \u20ac21,200 \u2013 it\u2019s difficult to do without the jib furler for manoeuvres, a Code 0 with furler offers light airs performance, and a launching trailer is essential for the 135kg (297lb) whole package \u2013 but if you want to go foiling for a reasonable budget and with little experience, the BirdyFish rocket hits the target.
\nBirdyFish specifications
\nLOA: 4.70m \/ 15ft 5in
\nBeam: 1.90m \/ 6ft 3in
\nDraught: 0.90m \/ 2ft 11in
\nDisplacement: 135kg \/ 297lb
\nUpwind sail area: 13.5m\u00b2 \/ 140ft\u00b2
\nDownwind sail area: 24.5m\u00b2 \/ 258ft\u00b2<\/p>\n
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The BirdyFish is a dinghy that aims to make foiling accessible to sailors of all levels. Fran\u00e7ois Tregouet took it for a test sail to see if it really does bring foiling within reachBased on an engineering school graduation project, … <\/p>\n