Please select your home edition
Edition
PredictWind - Routing 728x90 TOP

MW40OF - New Foiling Offshore Sailboat Concept

by Laureano Marquinez 6 Jan 2021 04:36 NZDT

From the designers of the Persico 69F, the MW40OF is an offshore racer with full foiling capabilities packed into a manageable size and capable of normal docking without issues from foils sticking out and with safety and simplicity as driving factors.

Thought for a crew of 5, the concept is 40ft LOA and is equipped with fully retractable round foils, canting keel and twin rudders with elevators.

The Idea

The whole process that went on designing and developing the 69F allowed us to confirm theory with practice in different aspects of the still evolving foiling ground and monohull foiling in particular. Despite the boat did everything that was planned her to do and outperformed expectations, it's in the details and on the water where you bring up a great deal of confidence to take steps in new directions.

An offshore racer with full foiling capabilities, at a manageable size and capable of docking normally was an idea always around. Naturally we imagine to race such a boat in coastal offshore races we have at hand at our land home but of course the idea goes beyond and with some potential clients that could be interested in such a concept we thought to do a first design loop around such premises.

Concept

Putting all pieces together to come up with something that fulfil the goals you impose to is always a challenge but such a premise falls short when speaking about a foiling vessel.

While the concept may seem straight forward in this foiling era, there are plenty of constraints that quickly set some clear limits. It is the usual short blanket problem as you will want to cope with several aspects: Foiling Performance, Floating Performance, Static Stability requirements and last but not least a handful of practical issues to sort out.

You cannot cover all aspects in an ideal way and they sometimes work against each other, so you must choose priorities and find some balance to make the concept work.

Size

A relatively small boat helps on the foiling side due to its better power to weight ratio, but not so much on stability requirements as a smaller boat and greater beam/length ratios means heavier bulb weights to meet static stability requirements. So, after some initial studies a 40ft seemed a good compromise to start with and from where concept could grow or shrink depending on client needs and/or further developments.

Appendages

Foil & Keel must be thought as working together. Configuration needs to maximize foiling capacity, fulfil docking requirements but also promote transverse stability on flight. On top of that it must not compromise non-foiling conditions too much.

One of our driving goals had dynamic transverse stability on flight as in the end means how easy the boat will be to keep foiling through changes on wind strength or waves which is particularly important in a boat that takes the most from high average speeds more than top speeds as is the case of offshore and long-distance coastal races.

The very first big choice is the option to have a fixed keel instead of a canting keel. This allows you to have a lighter boat to fulfil static stability requirements. But although that looks very tempting on paper, it might compromise dynamic stability of the boat in any other than smooth, flat water conditions due to the lack of upward force exerted by a fix keel at normal heel angles. On top of that the canted keel also helps pushing the boat out earlier despite being a slightly heavier boat. So, a canting keel system oriented to this particular use still seems to be a good compromise.

Foil configuration itself is pretty natural when thinking on a dock-able boat, with a fully retractable round foil being the way to go. But this foil geometry also makes sense with a boat that will always work with some heel to conform a double point support together with the keel at the front. This type of foil is relatively shallow and needs the heel of the boat to maximize its action. It also has the additional benefit of allowing complete removal on light wind conditions. Then a retractable double rudder set up stands up natural too with leeward rudder matching perfectly with heel and increasing righting moment.

Performance

Initial VPP studies show reaching and downwind foiling points already at 12kt TWS with boat speeds between 19kt and 30kt across normal wind range. There is also potential upwind foiling with TWS above 15kt yet with full use of the foil in winds above 10kts in what is usually called semi foiling or skimming modes with TWA in the range of 65-75. Further work will be carried out for an optimization of the rig and sail wardrobe towards defining final VPP figures and sail crossovers.

Cockpit

A double wheel was chosen to steer smooth and firm, integrated to the cockpit seats to save space. All running rigging is centralized around the back of the cabin as usual on offshore boats with a central pit and winches on the sides. Traveler track at the back made sense as its own bridge will conform part of rudders support structure and make for a safe cockpit enclosure. Also, room for a coffee grinder will be necessary to allow quick trimming of the mainsail when foiling although the details has yet to be developed as rig power management is crucial for a steady flight. An offshore styled type of cabin intends to cover the crew as much as reasonably possible completes the general exterior look.

Rig

A standard two spreader mast that stays inside the beam of the boat (no outriggers nor rotating mast) made sense to keep things simple and docking of the boat standard. Room for deck poles to optimize Code 0 type sails size and sheeting angles it's on the plan in order to optimize both foiling and floating polars.

Contact

For more information and/or request of a bidding package please contact with .

Related Articles

GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D1
Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day of the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, official championship stages of the World Match Racing Tour and Women's World Match Racing Tour. Posted today at 4:33 am
Collinson FX: July 1: US Equities hit record high
TheCanadian Government could not hit reverse gear fast enough, on their brand new digital tax The Canadian Government could not hit reverse gear fast enough, on their brand new digital tax, following Trump shutting down trade negotiations. Posted on 30 Jun
World Sailing announces split venues for LA28
The boards will be at Long Beach, with the dinghy events at the Port World Sailing has said it welcomes the confirmation of sailing venues for the Olympic Games LA28 the boards will be at Long Beach, with the dinghy events at the Port. Posted on 30 Jun
NYYC International Women's Championship update
The first group of invited skippers have been announced Elite-level international women's keelboat competition will return to Newport, R.I., in late summer of 2026 when the New York Yacht Club hosts the inaugural International Women's Championship. Posted on 30 Jun
Luna shines bright in 2025 Morgan Cup Race
This was a truly international fleet with the majority of the teams from the UK and France The start of the Morgan Cup Race was a spectacular sight with over 100 boats beating to windward into the Western Solent for the fourth race of the Cowes Offshore Racing Series and the 11th race of the 2025 RORC Season's Points Championship. Posted on 30 Jun
Freestyle Pro Tour Paros day 1
Kicking off with a nuclear single elim The opening day of the Freestyle Pro Tour (FPT) Paros kicked off exactly as forecasted - nuclear winds from morning till late afternoon, accompanied by nonstop freestyle action. Posted on 30 Jun
New Zero Weight 2-in-1 Shorts from Henri-Lloyd
When the weather's hot, there's nothing better to keep you cool on or off the water When the weather's hot, there's nothing better than Henri-Lloyd's Zero Weight 2-in-1 shorts to keep you cool on or off the water. Posted on 30 Jun
2025 Tiedemann Regatta
Experience shines alongside the brightwork at the Nw York Yacht Club A century ago, R Class yachts were the sports cars of the yachting world, sleek and low to the ground, nimble in the corners and quick around the course, and, above all, demanding to drive. Posted on 30 Jun
Foiling Week Malcesine 2025 concludes
Champions crowned and records set during the twelfth edition The twelfth edition of Foiling Week came to an end today in Malcesine with the awarding of the first BirdyFish World Championship title, showing the largest fleet ever for the occasion. Posted on 29 Jun
Team Malizia starts Course Des Caps
Challenging race around the British Isles Team Malizia set sail today from Boulogne-sur-Mer, kicking off the inaugural Course des Caps race in light winds and challenging conditions with a solid start. Posted on 29 Jun
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeTNI Pindar SW Ads_728x90px-1 BOTTOMLloyd Stevenson - AC Alinghi 1456x180px BOTTOM