No fully foiling offshore racing yacht exists yet, one capable of lifting its hull clear of the water across an ocean crossing. A new 40-foot design called the 40OF wants to be the boat that gets there first.
First presented at the Dusseldorf Boat Show in January 2025, the project is now hunting for buyers and investors willing to back development of a full foiling 40-foot one-design class. The ambition is straightforward: build a one-design foiling monohull capable of lining up in the RORC classics, the Fastnet Race, the Middle Sea Race and the Sydney to Hobart.
Behind the design are Argentine yacht designers Nahuel Wilson and Laureano Marquinez, of Wilson/Marquinez, who identified the need for an offshore foiler back in 2020. Their form is solid. They worked on the AC75 development programme for Ben Ainslie's Team Ineos, and before that on Volvo Ocean Race 70s with Juan Kouyoumdjian, whose boats turned out to be winners. They also designed the 69F Persico, a full foiling one-design class that served as a training and qualifying platform for the youth America's Cup, with many races sailed on Lake Garda in Italy.
Foiling in sheltered waters is one thing, ocean racing quite another. The America's Cup, SailGP and the 69F fleet all race on relatively sheltered water, while crossing an ocean brings massive waves, storms that are rarely avoided entirely, and long stretches during which hulls, foils, rigging and sails take a battering. IMOCA 60s carry foils but are not designed to lift the hull totally out of the water; in the foiling community they are described as "foil assisted" rather than full foiling.
The 40OF is designed to withstand all the loads and stresses that ocean racing puts on a boat, and can be sailed in four different modes. In mode 1, displacement mode, the curved C-foils swing through a slot in the hull and can be raised so only the tips extend, like small fins. In mode 2, the foils provide assistance to increase the righting moment, without lifting the hull out of the water. In mode 3, the hull lifts clear but the stern stays in the water, with the foiling wing on the rudder held neutral or even negative to keep the back of the boat down. In mode 4, full foiling, the lifting force of the C-foils and the wing foil at the base of the rudder are both maximised, working with the canting keel to lift the boat entirely. Twin rudders are fitted so that when the yacht heels, the leeward rudder sits vertical in the water for maximum steering thrust and lifting power. Water ballast tanks are also fitted for extra trim options and boatspeed across all modes.
Dutchman Willem Jan Landman, who runs Sailing Architect and is fronting the project alongside Buenos Aires-based business partner Pablo Bottacchi, says the mode-switching is deliberate. "To switch between modes, the foils, the rudder foils and the keel can be trimmed," Landman says.
Landman's team has calculated the theoretical sailing time of a 40OF as if it had taken part in the Newport to Bermuda Race 2026, taking into account the real conditions of that race, big waves and strong winds among them. "We understand that in such conditions, the crew needs to hold back on foiling performance," he says. "Flying the hull above the water on foils is one thing, flying off waves with no contact with the water at all is a totally different game. This will make the boat slam on the water. The delicate balance of boat weight and righting moment from the foils will then disappear. So in such conditions, the 40OF would sail in displacement mode or foil assisted mode. It is then still a quite competent racer." Landman says the team plans to run further calculations based on real wind and wave conditions from other races, but ones that would allow the 40OF to go into full foiling mode for considerable parts of the race.
Two yards have already produced quotes to build the boat. Evolution Marine of Cape Town, South Africa, has offered to build the yacht in full carbon using the fibre infusion method, priced at 1.9 million Euros for a fully rigged and equipped boat. Moore Brothers of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, has offered a pre-preg carbon build with the hull and foils cured in an autoclave, a "Formula One style" build method that will result in a more expensive boat. Talks are pending with yards in Asia and Europe, with the developers aiming to build a global network of yards able to build and service the 40OF fleet locally.
Pindar, based in the UK, has joined the project as logistics partner, tasked with transporting boats between regatta locations. The plan is to keep racing regional, with separate competitions in the Americas, Europe, Asia and (South) Africa.
Getting the ORC and IRC rating offices to develop a formula that properly accounts for foiling yachts remains an open question if the 40OF is to be a contender in the classic offshore regattas. Foil-assisted yachts, such as the Baltic-built Raven and custom boats like the former Wild Oats XI, now racing as Palm Beach XI Racing, are already competing in offshore races. The 40OF is designed to meet all the requirements of the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations, including an engine capable of propelling the yacht over a distance, whether combustion or electric.
Landman is candid about the scale of what is being asked. "Yes, it is hard to get over the threshold of building the first real life prototype and then developing further into a full size one design class," he admits. "We envision a class with fleets around the world that engage in regional regattas. The 40OF's would also participate in the classics like the Fastnet Race, Middle Sea Race and Sydney to Hobart Race. We need clients and investors who recognise the potential of such a class. We are anticipating the evolution of the sail racing sport worldwide. This development is advancing rapidly. A strong promotor who would also love to sail a 40OF is what we are looking for."
The team's target is fleets of at least ten boats in each of the four regions within ten years. "Hopefully, in ten years, there will be regional fleets of each at least ten boats in these four regions," Landman says. "We see one design offshore foiling as the next stage in sail high performance offshore racing."
