Gunboat G4 Foiling cabin boat

It was just about this time last year when we were all dazzled by the spectacle that was the Phantom and the N20FCS and GC32... now Gunboat has managed to make a cat that has berths, galley and a head fly... amazing.

https://vimeo.com/124676763

Indeed, amazing.

But I doubt if the balance is correct. The hulls tend to lean a bit forward. Pitchpoling!

(and the crew look like a group posh chickens)

I can vouch that at least some of the crew are quite experienced sailors and foilers. This is not a low budget or corner-cutting operation. I agree, though, it did seem a little bow-down for a lot of that video but it seemed to slice through the waves while staying on foil.

I think your impression of the people was one they were actively trying to portray (perhaps with a little "tongue in cheek")...a relaxed foiling experience....whether that's reality or not, I guess time will tell.

I like how they cut in scenes at anchor in the midst of the foiling scenes. Makes it seem rather posh to go foiling.

Beautiful boat and quite the foiler.

The daggerboard wells have three separate fore-aft adjustable positions 31cm apart. They're using this one as the "test" to figure out the best position.

anything that can foil at 20+ knots while blending my favorite beverage and has hot showers ready gets my vote (and money if I win the lottery)... regardless of how the bow looks

In my experience, foiling a little bow down is more stable than foiling a little bow up. As the boat lifts in that attitude, it doesn't build towards increasing lift and spiraling up until crashing down. Oracle's AC72 often was a little bow down as well.

This is different from "foiling" with C boards in foil assist configurations where you want the bow up all the time and the sterns still planted in the water.

Maybe they want perfectly level flight, but I think they looked very good and very in control, something everyone will want and need when sailing a 3 ton, 40 foot cat.

I think it might look more bow down than it actually is due to the "fat" stern though.

Bingo!

Boat is upside down.
[img]https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/h...8e71e0c9635c4981237747f2&oe=55A295F0[/img]

Yeahbut..think of the sunsets1

Insurance rates for foiling cruising cats just tripled

If you're on the cutting edge , ya might get cut.
It's righted and back at the dock. Nice to see that they were pushing it hard enough for that to happen.

very cool that they were able to right with the mast and mainsail intact!

That shows exactly my point which I made earlier.

This Gunboat is nothing more than an overdressed sports-catamaran. And like each sport catamaran, it can flip and it can pitchpole.
And when that happens it's a super-heavy unmanageable cat.

The original promo video, showing lounging white dressed yups drinking champagne during sailing, is foolish. They had no lifevests on, so they were all lucky to survive soaked on their capsized dreamboat.

This forum is fooled by this Gunboat mirage.

It's apparently exactly the same failure mode as Paprec Virbac, the classical Extreme 40 capsizes, or the big off Team NZ got at the last america's cup: You can't dump an hydraulic mainsheet instantly.

I expect the G4 will be equipped with a tilt sensor linked to an instant mainsheet release of some sort in a very near future.

I read that gunboats had a automatic sheet release as a safety. Seems like I read PJ say that it would dump the sails before flying a hull when activated. I would guess it's something that can be overridden.

Seems they would really need a good/fast system on the G4.

Watch the capsize video: no release of the main, it just went sideways…

Dyslexic driver, maybe steering is slightly backwards when keeping the boat up on foils. Anyway they took that gust up instead of down from the get-go.

TNZ wasn't really the same. They have a sheet with a winch for letting the wing out. Their problem was no hydro to tack the wing. As i understand it, they had to physically tack the wing using hydraulic controls and that had a lot to do with how fast they could tack and jibe. It seemed to me they may have been bringing the boat through the eye of the wind partially using the wing.

If Ronald is correct about the no life jackets, they will probably start wearing them after this.

Agreed. You would think the helm had enough experience to not head up. Hard to tell in the video but it looks like he might have loaded up the lee rudder and lost authority due to ventilation. I would wager we'll see second generation rudders with a bigger winglet and more chord.

And maybe a Hobie Bob mast float as big as a Volkswagon bus.

I agree - at about 40 seconds in on the wipeout video, you can see the windward rudder at a pretty high angle as the skipper tries to head down, but the boat doesn't respond. The rooster tail behind the lee rudder also tells the tale. Blowing the gennaker only worsens the pressure on the rudders, causing the boat to start heading up and over.

I don't know about the rooster tail, but you can see the leeward tiller arm twitching as the skipper presumably jerks the windward one trying to get it to turn down. I can't correlate the skipper's arm movements to the leeward tiller movement but that may be because the resolution of the skipper just isn't that great in the video.

This is a whole lot of "arm-chair" skippering, but I agree that the release of the genny didn't help the rudders maintain traction. The main (particularly the traveler) did get eased but it wasn't enough or in concert with the genny. (but, I would personally have a hard time hanging onto the winch wraps with the genny if presented with the same scenario)

You can get a better sense for the tiller arrangement with this photo.



It was exceptionally impressive that the rig remained intact minus a few broken battens.

1) I liked that Gunboat isn't ashamed to post and/or isn't denying what happend

2) I liked watching the crew and their choice(s) when the boat was "gone". The one dude hitting the mast looked bad, but the other guy just hanging until it went turtle was almost funny. Of course, I can only say that as it appears no one was seriously hurt.

3) I'm glad they are actually testing the limits of this boat. And I would like more information on how they righted it without a lot of damage. I suspect the G32 and some of our larger three-legged bretherin (F-28/F-31) may benefit.

4) If you're going to buy an amped-up foiling beachcat, you should probably know what you're doing (or have a big enough wallet to handle what may come...).

5) I hope Gunboat supplies free monogrammed towels to G4 crews. And...


6) you bet your a$$ I'd still buy one if I had the chance.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Read the comment of Peter Johnson (founder of Gunboat and crewmember):

http://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/...the-voiles-de-saint-barths-regatta-63593

Ah crap! Was Clean on the mainsheet!?

That deserves a +1

https://vimeo.com/125490884

Still want one...

At 3:16, Is that a hydo pump for the main he's wiggling with his feet?

You're getting old, Tony and lazy.....

And Tony, when you are finally sailing on your Gunboat G4,flying and nipping on your sherry, you will be chased by provoked killer whales:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImpM4LRQvqo