By French boat builder, Iguana Yachts, unveiled its latest amphibious boat at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2022 last week.
The Iguana Foiler – “A boat that sails, lands and flies” – is an electric version of their previous models… with foils.
The Normandy based company says that sustainability is important to them and, independent of heavy infrastructure like ports and docks, plus having minimal requirements for logistics, materials, infrastructure and anti-fouling, means that amphibious boats are more environmentally friendly and longer lasting as they do not stay in the water all-year long.
The Iguana foils are designed to make the boat simple and stable. Foils reduce the drag and the energy consumption by 50%. The surface piercing foils are auto stable when foiling. The foils can be folded for manoeuvres in harbours as well as when foils cannot be used in harsh seas. When the foils are folded, the boat works as a normal semi-planing hull.
Iguana claim their new all-terrain 10m boat is perfect for lakes and seas and offers a very comfortable and dry experience above choppy waves. Fitted with an electric Evoy 300HP outboard, it will have a range of 50 miles and will be able to reach speeds of 30 knots.
Iguana Yachts have been building amphibious boats for 14 years. Their boats are used all over the world for superyacht tenders, waterfront properties, private islands, hotels and resorts. This, for example, is their Iguana Commuter (a boat that can travel 10 knots faster than the foiler)…
It is good that they have penetrated the premium consumer market but my first thought was that a more obvious market for such amphibious tech would be law-enforcement, customs, military and security forces. It turns out, they have that covered too with their Iguana Pro range.
What do you think?
