Finland-based startup Foilone Oy had two world premieres at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2024 in September, showcasing itself and its Pegasus single-seat electric hydrofoiling boat for the first time. By combining sustainability, performance, and design, the company promises that its electric hydrofoiling boats will bring a new dimension to yachting, offering a ride that is not only thrilling but also environmentally responsible.

“Our participation in the Cannes Yachting Festival 2024 represents more than just a product launch—it is the culmination of years of visionary design, engineering, and a passion for innovation,” said Mathias Heinonen, CEO of Foilone. “We are excited to redefine what’s possible in electric boating. What truly sets Foilone apart is how incredibly easy it is to fly. Our intuitive steering system ensures that no special skills or prior experience are needed—if you can ride a bike, you can fly this boat.”

Heinonen’s company leadership is supported by Eric Smits, Head of Design & Innovation, and Ossi Paija, Chairman of the Board.

The boat’s design was led by marine engineer Smits, with “simplicity, durability, and innovation at its core.” Smits was inspired by iconic elements of classic cars, aircraft, and motorsports to combine sleek aesthetics with cutting-edge engineering. The boat’s carbon-fiber hull offers agility, speed, and durability, while the in-house-developed steering system is said to deliver intuitive control akin to riding a high-performance motorcycle.

Its all-electric hydrofoiling technology addresses the limitations of traditional electric boats, overcoming high water resistance that hinders speed and range. By raising most of the boat above the water’s surface, hydrofoils minimize drag, enabling smooth, high-speed foiling with an extended range.

 

Inspired by Da Vinci, Horiuchi, and Formula One

Smiths is a boat builder trained in New Zealand as a naval architect and composites engineer. He’s been designing and building boats since 2010, particularly focused on hydrofoils.

“I try to follow strongly [Leonardo] Da Vinci’s philosophy for design, which is that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” Smits said.

Adding to that overall theme, he cited more specific influences.

“When I started designing this boat, I was heavily inspired by the works of Japanese designer Kotaro Horiuchi, who was a true pioneer in hydrofoiling,” said Smits. “Among other hydrofoiling concepts, he developed the single-track hydrofoil, which has one strut in front of the other, and the whole boat could be controlled like a bicycle.”

He says the benefit is that anybody could learn how to control a hydrofoiling boat in a matter of minutes because it behaves like a bike.

“Coming from Argentina, I was a big fan of [Juan Manuel] Fangio and his Formula One cars from the ‘50s era,” said Smits, of the design’s other major influence. “I noticed if you would flip the car around, it could actually look like a boat.”

The single-seater configuration made a lot of sense to keep the boat slender and aerodynamic.

“I not only looked at Fangio cars, but a range of Formula One cars to the 1970s style, mainly the classic cars,” he added. “The Lotus 49 for example was a great inspiration.”

The launch boat’s design and color recall that classic Lotus.

Like a Formula One car, the boat is built out of carbon fiber composite materials. The reason for that material choice is that “because we have an electric propulsion system, and lithium batteries are heavy at the moment, we had to make the lightest craft possible,” said Smits. “On top of being light, carbon fiber allows the boat to be stiff, which makes it very responsive to each of the pilot’s commands.

 

Steering like a bike, with automatic foiling height

When designing the Pegasus, the main goal was to make it as easy to use as possible, “so we focused all of our efforts in making it behave exactly like a bike,” said Smits. At the heart of the boat’s maneuverability is a cutting-edge, in-house-developed steering system designed specifically for the unique dynamics of hydrofoiling.

The boat is steered by moving split handles in the cockpit, the advantage being that there is nothing in the way for the pilot to get in and out of the cockpit. The front-steering mechanism mimics the intuitive feel of handling a high-performance motorcycle, making it accessible to both seasoned fliers and newcomers alike.

While many electric boat makers are revisiting hydrofoiling for its efficiency benefits, the technology has long-established roots.

“Many people think that hydrofoiling is new is actually like more than 100 years old,” said Smits. “The first boat was foiling before the first airplane actually flew.”

However, the applications have gotten a lot more sophisticated.

“After testing the prototype for seven months and changing foil configuration, foil positions, and weight distribution, we found the optimal balance for this type of boat,” said Smits. “Once the prototype worked in all conditions, and it was reliable and user friendly, we committed to design the final version of the concept, the one that would go into production.”

The height of the boat is controlled automatically by a mechanical system that uses a surface sensor to move a flap in the front steering foil.

“The pilot does not have to fly the boat,” Smits said. “This is completely automatic, so you only need to worry about steering the boat. The propulsion is in the back foil, where we also have an elevator on top acting as a ventilation plate.”

Even though the height is automatically controlled, the pilot can still choose to fly higher or lower depending on the sea state. Turning a knob on top of the front “vertical” can adjust the parameters.

“If you want to push it harder and it’s flat water, you can fly high,” he said. “And if the weather is choppier or you have like big swell, you can choose to fly low and more stably.”

 

Specs and a la carte pricing

The boat, at 4.88 m (16.0 ft) long and 0.95 m (3.1 ft) wide, scales in at 200 kg (440 lb) with batteries and 128 kg (282 lb) without. Its draft is 1.0 m (3.3 ft) with foils extended and displacement mode, 0.3-0.4 m (1.0-1.3 ft) in foiling mode, and 0.3 m (1.0 ft) with foils up.

The advanced electric propulsion system ensures a thrilling yet responsible yachting experience, gliding silently across the water without disturbing marine life or causing a wake. The boat has two 48-V, 5-kW·h Torqeedo batteries, one each in the front and rear, feeding an 18.8-kW electric motor on the aft foil.

The boat takes off at 10 kts (19 km/h), it quickly accelerates to cruising speed between 18 and 22 kts (33 and 41 km/h), and the top speed is 30 kts (56 km/h).

“It’s an incredibly thrilling experience to fly the boat, hear no sound against the hull anymore, accelerate, feel the wind in your face, and then you can take it for a cruise or go really fast,” concluded Smits.

The batteries enable the pilot to cruise for 2.5 h, giving a range of around 50 nmi (93 km). Charging, also powered by Torqeedo, is 0-100% in under 2 h.

Each Foilone boat is hand-crafted and built to order, allowing for personalization options including hull and molding colors, cleats, cockpit seats, handlebar shapes and grips, and screen/interface options.

Pricing starts at €139,900 for the boat, €8838 for the two 5-kWh Torqeedo batteries, and €1764 for the 2.9-kW Torqeedo fast charger. Interested customers can pre-order the Pegasus at https://foil.one/pegasus/.