We have already written about projects of Falco boats (MBY No. 3/57, 2019) with a catamaran hull and hydrofoil. What has changed since then, and how far has the work on the topic advanced?
The underwater wing today looks like a very promising solution for small pleasure boats, which is confirmed by the fresh models of a number of famous foreign shipyards. In Russia, the company Mortech LLC (Falco trademark) is doing the same, but they put on the wing not an ordinary hull, but a catamaran one.
Catamarans in themselves have a lot of advantages: reduced wave drag, high speed and stability. In the development of Falco Yachts, a V-shaped wing is located between the hulls of the catamaran, which provides even higher hydrodynamic qualities: faster access to planing and a radical reduction in wave impact, which means more comfort for passengers on the move. Over the past year, Falco Yachts has built a prototype boat in the form of an 8.5-meter RIB and conducted its first tests, which showed that the patented hydrofoil + catamaran hull scheme works perfectly.
Concept
In classic hydrofoils, the power generated by the engines has to be spent not only moving forward, but also keeping the hull above the water. At Falco, the hull “rests” on both the wing and “floats” in the water with a minimum wetted surface. The boat is also supported by a ground effect – the lift on the “bridge” connecting the hulls. All this means minimal resistance and the achievement of high speeds. But this is not even the main point: from the very beginning, when developing Falco projects, the emphasis was on an economical move.
Dossier Falco 85 Open
Length:
8.49 m
Width:
2.95 m
Draft:
0.35 / 0.85 m
Weight:
1750 kg
Fuel supply:
280 l
Power:
PM 2 × 300 hp
Capacity:
10 people
The helm station can be installed on the bow, in the stern or in the center at the request of the customer Falco 85 Open
Tests
The first prototype Falco 85 Open demonstrated high dynamic performance. According to the manufacturer, in preliminary tests with two outboard Mercury Verado 300 (to reduce fuel consumption, the microprocessors were re-flashed), the boat showed a speed of more than 110 km / h at 4200 rpm – they did not risk further. Planing takes place at a speed of about 26 km / h, the acceleration time to 100 km / h is 7.5 s. At 80 km / h (3750 rpm), fuel consumption was only 36 l / h (for both engines); with two 140-liter fuel tanks, this is enough for almost 8 hours of travel (620 km). And in a quieter mode (40 km / h, 1800 rpm) the power reserve exceeds 1000 km.
The hull practically does not create a wake wave (presumably, the interference of wave systems from the wing, propellers and the hull itself is affected), which allows you to move without speed restrictions along the channels and GDP with an artificial bank. The draft of the boat in the “on the wing” mode is only 0.35 m, in the displacement mode – 0.85 m. The final test cycle will take place in spring-summer 2020, after which it is planned to start serial production.
Production
The Falco project was included in the list of priorities for the development of the Moscow region: in the special economic zone of Dubna, near the Rybinsk reservoir, a site has already been allocated for the construction of a shipyard. It will begin in April this year, and the first serial production should appear in 2021. The prototype Falco 85 Open is made in the form of RIB (fiberglass hull and cylinders) only to test the effectiveness of the technology, which may well be applied to the construction of larger ships … Falco Yachts already has projects of cabin yachts and boats in the range of lengths from 10 to 20 m. But the RIB Falco 85 Open can be ordered now: the cycle of its construction at the pilot production facility of Mortech LLC in Dubna takes 2.5 months.
The helm seats are cushioned, although the boat is smooth running
Usage scenarios
Low fuel consumption gives huge potential for water areas without infrastructure: no need to look for refueling. And a speed of over a hundred allows, for example, to walk from Mallorca to Ibiza in a little over an hour instead of four hours, which are spent on such a transition at a planing yacht, if you maintain a comfortable speed limit for passengers. The creators of the project see the future of Falco not only as an independent boat, but also as a tender for large (and unhurried) yachts.
Even if we don’t talk about further projects based on this technology, the first boat – Falco 85 Open – is very versatile and can be equipped in different ways. Due to the fact that everything is controlled via the CAN bus (like in modern cars), the post can be organized both midships, and in the bow, and in the stern, add a variety of equipment, in particular fishing equipment, put a radar arch and, of course, a latrine (in console). The cabin on the Falco 85 Open is not foreseen, but even here there is an option: the control post moves to the bow, and arches under the awnings and a heater are installed in the cockpit – this way you can get berths for four.
To say that today people are tired of speed is not entirely true: they are tired of spending on fuel and jumping on the waves. If we remove the unnecessary from this equation, it turns out that many people really like speed. Therefore, the Falco project definitely has prospects.
Text
Olga Selezneva
Chief Editor
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