Ferrari Hypersail hull complete and the technology that will make the boat fly
by Ferrari Hypersail 16 Oct 11:01 BST
Ferrari Hypersail project - the innovative 100-foot flying monohull designed to challenge the oceans - is entering the final construction phase with the hull now fully painted and the livery complete. Furthermore, with the presence in the shipyard of the appendages - the underwater elements that generate and modulate lift and govern the dynamics of 'flight' - the project is preparing to enter its new operational phase.
The technology that will enable Ferrari Hypersail to fly above the sea has been revealed: an architecture in which the engineering of foils, keel and rudder - the boat's appendages - integrates with the innovative automated flight management system, the "Flight Control". Two elements working in synergy to control and optimise the boat's trim, guaranteeing stability and performance during flight-mode navigation.
The Key Role of the Appendages for Flying Over Water
The appendages are the fundamental components working below the surface of the water, through which the boat generates lift, manages balance, and reacts to sea conditions. They consist of three distinct elements - foils, keel, and rudder - whose shapes are designed to generate, modulate, and manage the necessary forces. Together, they create three crucial support and control points to keep the boat stable and efficient.
- Foils (side wings): generate the upward lift needed to raise the hull above the sea surface, reducing drag and enabling the vessel to reach target speeds.
- The keel: features a distinctive technological innovation of the Ferrari Hypersail project. It integrates a foil equipped with its own movable part (flap). This solution contributes to flight management and creates a third support point, promoting stability during navigation.
- The rudder: goes beyond the simple function of steering the boat. Equipped with a small movable wing (flap) on its vertical section, it actively contributes to navigation control through continuous micro-adjustments that maintain the target heading.
Flight Control: The electronic brain governing the flight
Flight Control is the electronic control system acting as the central nervous system of Ferrari Hypersail. It stems from transferring Ferrari's know-how in automotive electronic systems and dynamic control to the project.
The system automatically manages the boat's trim during flight: it continuously analyses wind, waves, speed, and heel angle to adjust trim in real time, ensuring stability and performance during foil-borne navigation. This architecture operates through a three-stage process: a network of sensors distributed across the vessel constantly measures sea state and hull movements; an onboard computer which analyses the data and calculates necessary corrections; the actuators - mechanical arms and pistons - move the components regulating the inclination of the foils and appendages, balancing every shift in the boat's attitude.
The boat crew remains central to sailing Ferrari Hypersail. The software technology is designed to handle tasks that can be optimised through automated control systems, allowing sailors to focus more attention on reading sea conditions, making strategic decisions, and pursuing maximum performance.
Materials Innovation
The precision of Flight Control and the strength of the appendages rest on a solid foundation: the boat's structure. Here, advanced materials science ensures the rigidity and lightness required to withstand the loads of flying. To combine maximum lightness with extreme strength, the hull is built with multiple layers of carbon fibre. This combination makes the hull exceptionally rigid, preventing deformation under the heavy loads exerted by the ocean and allowing the appendages to respond with pinpoint precision to commands.
In areas subjected to the most extreme loads - such as the foil arms and the mainsail traveller - structural reinforcement is achieved through a "sandwich" construction, combining layers of carbon fibre and titanium: an innovative application in material combinations borrowed directly from sports cars.
From Maranello to the Ocean: The Patents of Ferrari Hypersail
The decision to carry out the project entirely within a Ferrari facility reflects the ambition to bring Maranello's technological expertise and engineering culture to ocean sailing. This approach of Hypersail has resulted in more than 20 patents, of which the Winch by Wire, extended-range wind turbines, and the MV/HV system for renewable energy integration (announced in July 2026 alongside the energy self-sufficiency concept) represent a concrete and tangible application. These are complemented by solutions including a rotating mast fitted with winglets - small, wing-like surfaces - and a double-skin mainsail, designed to improve sail control and handling.
There is a direct parallel between a sports car and a flying monohull: both require maximum aerodynamic efficiency and electronic systems capable of detecting and correcting the responses of the vehicle or boat. Computer simulations, airflow analysis and the software that governs the stability of Ferrari cars thus become key tools in making the boat fly.
The data generated will help expand Ferrari's knowledge base, computational models and simulation methods, further reinforcing Ferrari Hypersail's position at the forefront of integrated technological innovation. Developed in-house, the project aims to push the boundaries of innovation even further.