nlcomp unveils the concept of ecofoiler to fly responsibly
by Fabio Bignolini 7 Mar 2021 18:17 AEDT
Inspired by the spectacular AC75 regattas of the America's Cup, which sees the Italians of Luna Rossa protagonists in these weeks in Auckland, and with the aim of launching the first recyclable boat at the end of life for foiling enthusiasts, Northern Light Composites presents ecofoiler, the second prototype from the young innovative startup.
The small flying dinghy of 3.80 meters in length is designed once again by Matteo Polli, who has already signed the water lines of ecoracer769, with the collaboration of Matteo Ledri, CFD engineer, involved in three America's Cup campaigns (Artemis Racing, BAR and Luna Rossa Challenge).
Ecofoiler will be built with nlcomp's rComposite technology which, thanks to the use of a thermoplastic matrix, allows the recycling of the composite material at the end of its life. Moreover, thanks to the use of a mix of natural and synthetic fibers, as well as recycled carbon fibers, it guarantees a lower environmental impact even in the construction phase of the boat. Also in the choice of foils, in order to guarantee recycling and reduce production costs, aluminum profiles were chosen.
The objective of the ecofoiler project, which will see Sergio Caramel - helmsman of Melges 24 Arkanoè by Montura and aerospace engineering student - in the role of Project Manager, goes beyond the innovative construction aspect and is an "entry-level" boat to make foiling open to all sailors, ensuring simplicity in handling at sea and in logistics management in general, thanks to new design solutions.
The innovative startup - which will open an equity crowdfunding campaign in these days - is working to define the details of the project, which will be officially presented in the summer, and to finance the construction of the first prototype, which is scheduled for autumn 2021.
For all the info on the project visit www.northernlightcomposites.com/ecofoiler.
Fabio Bignolini, COO nlcomp
"Ecofoiler is the second project developed by nlcomp after ecoracer769, the sportboat that will be launched this summer. I want to thank all the team who accepted my invitation, making themselves available to give life to the project: from Sergio Caramel who will give us a hand in managing the project as soon as his university commitments are finished, to Matteo Polli who for the first time signs a foiling project, up to Matteo Ledri who bring us his experience from three America's Cup campaigns. "
Sergio Caramel, ecofoiler Project Manager
''NL Composites is an innovative start-up that I am convinced will be able to find the right place in the international nautical sector, and the design of a foiling drift will certainly be an added factor. I am fortunate to have already worked on a similar project for the Foiling Week SuMoth competition, so I enthusiastically welcomed Fabio's proposal and I hope to be able to help the team by putting my skills into play, channeling the passion with university education, which I am about to conclude with a thesis study on fluid-structure interaction carried out in the NorthSails Italia offices in Carasco.''
Matteo Polli, ecofoiler Yacht Designer
"For me, the ecofoiler is a new design challenge with very ambitious goals not only related to recyclable materials or foiling per se, but to the integration of these and other important features in a single boat as well. It will be a very interesting project that will put the excellent team formed by NLcomp to the test!"