The foiler (genuinely) without a hull

Thomas Jundt's Mirabaud LX foiler sheds its undercarriage

The 2009 update of the Mirabaud LX foiler has been presented at the Société Nautique de Genève. Supported by Mirabaud & Cie, Banquiers Privés, Thomas Jundt’s revolutionary foiler once based on an 18ft skiff has captivated the national and international sailing audience last and the latest version represents a new step forward.

The Mirabaud LX 2009 has a new hull that favours speed and stability in light wind. Its mast has also been reinforced in order to improve pointing ability, as well as the response of the boat. Finally, the sensors used to adjust the foils have been improved, allowing a better precision while sailing.

Mirabaud LX is now a brand new boat; none of the elements of the original 18 footer have been kept and every single part of the boat have been created specifically for it.

The first sailing sessions of the 2009 season have allowed Thomas Jundt and his crew to test their new craft which has proved to foil better; it is also faster and easier to sail when the wind doesn’t allow foiling.

The sailing program for this season is now finalised. The Mirabaud LX will participate in Lake Geneva’s most important regattas, including Genève-Rolle-Genève and the Bol d’Or Mirabaud. It will also defend its title in the Bol d’Or du lac de Neuchâtel next weekend. The highlight of the season will be its participation in Weymouth Speed Week. A campaign of records on Lake Geneva will also take place and the team hopes to break some new records.

Introduced in 2008 as “the boat with no hull”, the Mirabaud LX has recently proved that this wording could be translated into reality by sailing on its hydrofoils with no hull or buoyancy at all. Thomas Jundt and his team have accomplished this challenge and validated a different and creative way to consider the sport of sailing.

Thomas Jundt, commented: “We really wanted to try to sail the boat without a hull, and we are proud to have achieved this goal. This configuration could prove interesting, for example when we try to break a record. During this hull-less flight, we have been able to measure how important the lightness of the structure is to the performance of the boat. Indeed, the 45 kilos gained by removing the hull have resulted in an extraordinary feeling and control of the “flight”."

More photos on the following pages...

See the video of this here