iFLY15 high performance racing // breathtaking speed runs // foiling gybes // Foil Catamaran Review

iFLY15 high performance foiling: Stable flight attitude is not only important for easy access to foiling, but also key for highest performance. The sustainably fast flying boat is first at the finish line and delivers the maximum of fun!
During one week of performance sessions we made further efforts to make the iFLY even faster, e.g. testing the 2021 rigs. Two boat speed runs with experienced sailors help to get a good feeling about performance gains. Consequent use of high-tech, e.g. Sailmon MAX sailing computer plus Calypso ultrasonic wind sensor allows monitoring enhancements e.g. in vmg.
Champagne conditions at Garda lake: strong north wind resulting from early snow in the mountains. Chrystal clear sky and air. Incredible colors. Never seen Garda in kingfisher coloration! Wow! Enjoy this footage of wonderful sailing moments. Flying in demanding conditions with wind gusting 25 kts.
Arno Terra is one of the sailors piloting the iFLYs during the performance sessions. Arno has been involved in the DNA A-Cat since day one towards the development of the now famous Z foil. As an avid sailor always looking for the technical progress of multihull foiling he has always been following the iFLY development since a first time sailing it back in 2017 at Mar Menor. Since that day he was supporting the project with countless ideas and great input based on decades of experience in performance multihull boatbuilding.
“ It was a great pleasure to be guest of Circolo Vela Arco, the great club which did host so many A-cat events.In 2017 I spend only a few hours on the water with the then new Heru softwing Murcia at the Mar Menor. 3 years later in ideal circumstances I had the chance to get to know the iFly even better.
The boat flies really really well. It is simple to use as you just have to operate rudder and sheet but certainly not easy. High performance boats which go over 20 knots are never easy. The boat takes off at 8 knots of speed and just keeps accelerating (...) When I felt more comfortable with the boat I even managed a foiling gybe.
The best part is that I could foil by sitting on the boat and I could have sailed the boat from Riva to Brenzone without touching the water. On the way back I could foil upwind, something I truly love. The boat flies over all waves, it flies much higher than the A-cat. Both height and speed were excellent. I had to build up confidence both in my skills and in the boat. But once I had the experience that the boat does not fall off its foils I started to play with it and the initial anxiety was replaced by pure joy.
The iFly was designed with the intent to be sailed with a passenger too. Michael and I weight 175 kgs together and Michael was fully trapezing and I was sitting on the side. We were doing 20 kts both upwind and downwind with just 12.5 sqms. It felt incredible and I got an understanding why a relatively small sail was actually a good idea for this type of boat. It is not a two man boat though, it is a single handed boat but you can take your spouse or your kid for a flight. Sharing the experience, showing them what you love so much.
It is a fully carbon boat with a very sophisticated flight system (...)
The high aspect carbon mainfoils are on par with those of the international `Moth and the flight system even has a gearing system, with which you can adjust the sensitivity of the flight system (flaps moving less or more). The advantage of active foils (foils with a flap) is that maximum lift is much higher than with Z-boards. The high max lift makes foiling gybes possible and foiling while sitting in. On paper a 4 foil system looks draggy, but both the A-class and the iFly show that it works for single handed boats. Both are using high aspect thin carbon foils and reach high speeds (...)
The relatively small sail and the active foils make the iFly quite accessible as it easy to learn to fly and the boat is very forgiving when you make a mistake. It is easier to master than a Waszp, as a catamaran has more inherent stability than a skiff hull. At higher windspeeds it is fucking fast though and certainly not for beginners. Speeds over 20 kts require another mindset and you have to get used to these high speeds (...)
Once you have mastered the boat you will notice that you do not need footstraps, which I found quite remarkable. The boat is sensitive to longitudinal weight trim but you only have to move a little to get the trim right. Technology wise and iFly is closer to a Moth or A-class than to a Waszp or Skeeta. That has its price but you get a very versatile boat which you even can sail with a passenger.
An active foil system has better heave (height) stability as an Z-board system, but you still need the same sailing skills to get the most out of it.
Foiling at Lake Garda felt as a great privilege in these corona times; great venue, beautiful scenery and fantastic flights”.
CU all next season.
Arno.
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iflysail.com/

[@researchcapt]

This should be an Olympic class sailboat....what great fun that would be to watch.

[@iFLY-foiling]

agree, it is great fun to watch. Efforts are onging to establish bigger events like e.g. iFLY15 World Series and iFLY15 Europe Grand Prix. Gratest events in the past were e.g. iFLY International Summer Games, Geneva, and Foiling Week Regatta, Garda... Would be nice to chat. I am Michael, the man behind iFLY. [e-mail]

[@mhucke]

Amazing session. Extremely nice location, too

[@iFLY-foiling]

sailors paradise! Sailing in FEB? currently perfect conditions. Not cold. T-shirt in the afternoon (not at night, though ;-) )

[@michaelbenedetti945]

This is amazing! I have a Hobie 16 that I thought was fun until I saw this... Does the iFly do best jibing? Does tacking scrub too much speed? I was wondering how well it tacks without a jib. It looks a bit quicker to set up compared to the Hobie also. How is the learning curve for a seasoned Hobie sailor? What about capsizing? You need to talk me out of this...lol. cheers!

[@iFLY-foiling]

Hello Michael Benedetti, I am Michael, the creator of the iFLY. I can be personally available to detail this out and give some deeper insights e.g. during a phone call or zoom.
Please contact me via email [e-mail] .
>> Foiling jibing on iFLY is amazing. Due to the advanced flight assistance system stabilizing roll and pitch, to do a foiling gybe on iFLY is a lot easier than you might think. And it can be done almost without losing any speed. This is not only very exciting and spectacular, but also a great advantage when racing. I know no other comparable boat that can do foiling gybes like this. Of course the international moth can do it, but the moth is not everyone's cup of tea. >> Tacking is extremely fast, as well (see e.g. at 13:55 a partly foiling tack. Very fast).
>> As an experience sailor on HC16 you will fly the iFLY within your first session. After this will follow a fast learning curve, in which you will, step by step, activate the full potential of the iFLY. Foiling gybes, upwind foiling (optional with windward rake for better performance / vmg), high speed runs up to and beyond 30knots of boat speed, foiling in strong winds of 6Bft./25kn, stable foiling in a rough or choppy sea state ... iFLY has successfully crossed the English Channel at its widest point, 255km of offshore foiling from Cowes to Dinard, see th-cam.com/video/8DK-Joi8JYA/w-d-xo.html
>> do not worry about age. The oldest sailor in the iFLY fleet in flying his boat at the age of 75yrs.
>> capsizing does happen, of course. But the boat is very easy to righten. See fast righting e.g. th-cam.com/video/f3JN9K3vNqY/w-d-xo.html at min 04:25 or th-cam.com/video/OPVh4VhCCvk/w-d-xo.html at min 02:26 or th-cam.com/video/Ib1Hey9nigw/w-d-xo.html. Easy.
Looking forward chatting with you.
Michael.

[@christophers_verified]

8:15 What kind of skiff is this being passed?

[@iFLY-foiling]

it is a foiling Skeeta

[@christophers_verified]

@@iFLY-foiling Ah yeah! I thought that looked more like a scow than a skiff! ...and I thought those (Skeetas) looked fun (until I saw this vid 😂)

[@iFLY-foiling]

@@christophers_verified oh, Skeeta is a great foiler, I would say the best centerfoiler around. But very different concept from the iFLY, of course

[@yd8104]

that's great. I love it. I plan to purchase one in the few years coming. I'm in the caribean

[@iFLY-foiling]

lets make an appointment for all questions and to define the best individual setup for you. Service is very important to us. We are delivering a boat to the BVI in January. Could be great to share shipping cost. [e-mail]

[@FighterFred]

So basically you need flat water and high wind speed. But what happens with high wind speed and large waves, in particular without foot straps?

[@iFLY-foiling]

iFLY can foil very fast in a choppy or built sea state, as well. We have e.g. successfully crossed the English Channel on the wides point (Cowes to Dinard). See some sailing in rough conditions e.g. in the Solent, Isle of Wight, or in Mistral at Marseille th-cam.com/video/M3OhDFd_Gvs/w-d-xo.html // th-cam.com/video/srzkgWqt9qM/w-d-xo.html

[@jaysparc]

A UFO is only 8K, are you saying this is 4-5x better? (damn right it is!!!) this is my dream boat.

[@iFLY-foiling]

You are so right. It does not make sense to compare those. In the end, you need to love what you sail. Fortunately, there is boats for everyone. If attempting to do comparisons, there is another boat sharing the same philosophy with iFLY : superior speed and flight stability through high-tech. Alinghi's TF35. Unfortunately this one is 100times above the mentioned budget. But a cool boat ...