Ferrari Building World's Largest Hydrofioling Monohull Dubbed 'Hypersail'
- Scott Way
- 30 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The Ferrari Hypersail will be the largest fully foiling monohull ever built and the first yacht of its size to be entirely energy self-sufficient.
Ferrari has announced its definitive plans for 'Hypersai' -- the world's largest hydrofoiling monohull. The announcement marks a bold statement about the potential of automotive-marine collaboration and what the future may hold for both sides.
The Ferrari foiling yacht project, known as Hypersail in tribute to Ferrari’s triple Le Mans-winning Hypercar, is being led by renowned Italian skipper Giovanni Soldini. The project will be aided by acclaimed foiling expert Guillaume Verdier.
Upon completion, the Hypersail will be the largest fully foiling monohull ever built and the first to achieve 100% energy self-sufficiency.
The automotive-marine overlap has picked up speed in recent years as both industries turn to the other to help push engineering and propulsion boundaries. Companies like Maserati have developed electric dayboats, same with Porsche and Frausher Yachts, while BMW has partnered with Tyde Boats on a hydrofoil concept boat.
The 100-foot (30 m) Hypersail will fly stabilized by three contact points -- a canting keel, a rudder-mounted foil, and one of two interchangeable lateral foils. The T-foils with flaps, and the rudder with elevator, will resemble the foil designs of current America’s Cup AC75 yachts. The addition of a bulbous canting keel with an elevator, a signature design concept from naval architect Guillaume Verdier, will set Hypersail apart and make it unlike any hydrofoil to ever hit the high seas.
The AC75, the class used in the America’s Cup, is already considered one of the most radical yacht designs ever produced.
“Hypersail is a new challenge that pushes us to go beyond our boundaries and expand our technological horizons. At the same time, it perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the ultimate expression of endurance,” said Ferrari Chairman John Elkann in a statement.
“Giovanni Soldini is a key pillar of this project, not only because of his achievements as a sailor but also his unmatched experience in yacht development and construction. The excellent teamwork between Ferrari and Guillaume Verdier is bringing into existence a unique boat that will fly across the oceans, representing a real opportunity for innovation in both the nautical and automotive worlds.”
According to Ferrari, the Hypersail project is grounded in open innovation but aims to push the exchange of ideas and external expertise between Ferrari, its partners, and its suppliers. In turn, the company hopes to advance its already cutting-edge design capability in aerodynamics, energy efficiency, power management, and kinetic energy.
Technology transfer from Ferrari sports cars is also central to the project -- the yacht will sail using a flight control system developed from the automotive side. It will also use aerodynamic and structural calculation processes developed throughout Ferrari's extensive history of automotive projects.
The development of Hypersail also led to the filing of nine patents, with six more currently being drafted. There are currently about 20 people working full time on the project, with another 80-90 personnel involved in its development.
“I’m happy and honoured to be part of this adventure,” said Soldini, Team Principal of Hypersail.
“An exciting challenge, backed by a truly unique team that brings together Ferrari’s excellence and the expertise of specialists in ocean sailing design. The meeting of different cultures and advanced technologies is enabling us to build a yacht that is revolutionary in many respects. From a nautical perspective, it’s innovative in both its structure and how it will fly; on the systems front, Ferrari’s contribution is driving the development of on-board control technology that has never been seen before. To prepare as well as we can for the variability and force of the phenomena and conditions encountered at sea, our top priority is to strike the right balance between the pursuit of extreme performance and maximum reliability.”
In terms of on-board power, Hypersail is set to operate exclusively using renewable energy including solar, wind and kinetic energy. There will be no combustion engine and the power required to run the control and motion systems for the foils, keel and rudder, as well as the on-board computers and instruments, will be generated autonomously while under sail.
"The boat will be launched next year and then we'll start a debugging phase which will hopefully last a short time," Soldini told a news conference at Ferrari's Maranello headquarters.
"It's obvious that we have quite a defined [time] goal, but the project is so complex that making it public today doesn't seem very wise."
"There are a thousand things to put together. We'll definitely put the boat in the water in 2026 but I'm not making any commitments about what quarter."
While Ferrari is seemingly developing the vessel with some ambitions towards participating in America's Cup, Ferrari Chairman John Elkann also said at the launch: “[The] America’s Cup is regulated and this boat is thought to go beyond rules. This project gives us the chance to experiment in new areas.”
The vessel is currently under construction at a mystery facility in Italy.
You can get a sneak peek at the project directly from Ferrari in the video below:
