Ferrari has completed the hull of its 100-foot Hypersail racing yacht and detailed the flight-control technology intended to lift the monohull above the water, marking another step toward its first sea trials. The finished hull carries its full livery, with Grigio Hypersail defining the carbon-fiber body, contrasting Giallo Fly elements, a historic Ferrari shade that traces back to the 275 GTB, and Ferrari's Prancing Horse worked into the bow. The foils, keel and rudder are now at the shipyard as the project moves toward final assembly.
When Ferrari first unveiled Hypersail last year, it framed the project as an attempt to transfer Maranello's engineering expertise from road and racing cars to ocean sailing. We later looked more closely at its construction and how the racer represents a new performance frontier for the Italian marque. This latest update explains how the yacht will be controlled once it rises onto its foils.
For those unfamiliar with foiling yachts, the principle is similar to an aircraft wing working underwater. As speed builds, the foils generate lift, raising most of the hull clear of the sea. With less hull dragging through the water, resistance falls, and speed can rise. Hypersail uses three main control points; the side foils provide lift, the rudder carries a small movable flap for constant corrections, and the keel has its own foil with another movable flap. Together, they stabilize the boat once it is foil-borne.
Propulsion comes from the wind acting on Hypersail's sails, with no combustion engine or conventional fuel aboard. Solar panels integrated into the deck, deckhouse, and topsides, along with wind turbines, instead generate electricity for Flight Control, the appendages, and other onboard systems. The yacht will also use a rotating mast with winglets and a double-skin mainsail.
At the center is Flight Control, an automated system drawing on Ferrari's automotive electronics and dynamic-control expertise. It analyzes wind, waves, speed, and heel angle, while sensors track sea state and hull movement. An onboard computer calculates corrections and actuators move the appendages in real time, much like active vehicle-control systems continually adjust a car to changing conditions. More than 20 patents have emerged from the program, highlighting the level of innovation built into Hypersail.
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The hull is built from multiple layers of carbon fiber, while highly stressed areas such as the foil arms and mainsail traveler use carbon fiber and titanium. Each hydrofoil spans roughly nine meters, with a thin titanium shield protecting the carbon structure from cavitation erosion. The wing arms are also retractable, drawing the foils closer to the hull when raised or in dock.
Enrico Voltolini leads the project, while Guillaume Verdier remains naval architect. The program has brought together expertise from automotive, aeronautics and marine engineering, while automation handles functions that can be optimized electronically and leaves the crew to make the strategic calls. The mast and sails are being developed separately before Hypersail moves to its new base in Livorno for final assembly, debugging, and commissioning ahead of its first sea trials.
Images: @Ferrarihypersail
