Beneteau has developed its first production mono-hull with foils. The Figaro Beneteau 3 was designed as an offshore racing yacht, as well as a leisure boat.
The design brief was to create a performing and reliable boat like the previous model Figaro Beneteau 2, while innovating through high-tech manufacturing, materials and processes.
Being performance and competition the main focus of the design, the Figaro Beneteau 3 has foils and also a more high-performance hull below the waterline, free of ballast tanks. The keel is narrower and lighter and the mast has been stepped further aft to allow for a more generous sail plan. It was designed so that if a foil is broken in a collision, it would not damage the boat’s structure.
The first hull is scheduled to be ready for testing in early 2017, and Beneteau aims to build 50 of these one-design yachts by the end of 2018: to fulfil this objective, the brand has created a special division, the Beneteau Racing Division Group.
First, the Figaro Beneteau 3 will be distributed for competition purposes only: if successful, (the new foiling mono-hull is expected to be 15 % faster than conventional models) it won’t be long before foils start to be added to other Beneteau designs.
The technology is already getting much interest from several boat manufacturers around the world. A Swedish-based company added a foil system to a small trailer boat powered by a 50hp outboard and claimed it reduced fuel consumption by 75 per cent.
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Based on the experience gained in the manufacture of large water strainers
