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BUBBLING OVER
WITH ENERGY
The new Seabubble makes the ultimate eco-friendly megayacht tender and commuter boat as well as offering an ultra-smooth and rather nippy ride. But its designers have bigger plans afoot for it by Mary Hagerty
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[ MUST HAVE ]
D
esigned by Alain Thébault, who took his inspiration from
do some research which revealed that by 2050, 75% of Earth’s 10
his most famous creation, the record-breaking 50-knot-
billion human inhabitants will be living in urban areas with four
plus sailing hydrofoil trimaran Hydroptère, the Seabubble
billion vehicles causing gridlock on their roads. In other words,
is a very clever little watercraft indeed. So clever, in fact, that it
we will be spending twice as long in traffic jams than we are right
may just be the perfect tender choice for eco-conscious superyacht
now. Thébault contacted his friend, Anders Bringdal, the Swedish
owners who like to travel smoothly, comfortably and rapidly
four-time windsurfing world champion, with whom he shares not
without leaving a heavy trail of pollutants in their wake.
just a love of speed and risk, but also a commitment to leaving a
The idea for this futuristic-looking craft came about just after
cleaner planet to the coming generations.
Thébault stepped ashore in Hawaii from completing a historic
The resulting Seabubble encapsulates the very best of the research
crossing of the Pacific aboard the aforementioned Hydroptère. His
they have both carried out in the course of their hugely successful
three daughters greeted him thus: “Dad, flying is all very well but
careers. At four metres in length and two in the beam, the
it would be even better if it was useful”. Gruelling encounters with
Seabubble is about the size of a small car and ticks a whole list
the Pacific’s notorious floating plastic debris had already set the
of very important boxes. For a start, it has superb eco-credentials
sailor/designer thinking and his children’s words pushed him to
as it is powered by two electric motors and takes very efficient
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advantages of the principle of hydrodynamic lift rising up on
the Seabubble have greater ambitions than selling to individuals.
three foils at a mere six knots and flying along at 70 cm above
They plan to help change the future of urban mobility. Water
the surface of the water thereafter. But that is far from the end of
transportation in harbours, rivers, estuaries, lakes, or canals,
its talents: flaps on the foils are controlled by aeronautics-derived
tapered off drastically with the advent of the motor car but now
Fly by Wire technology to optimise the stability of its flight which
the duo are hoping to spark something of a renaissance with what
means it will never cause seasickness. This all adds up to what the
they call the Seabubbles water taxi.
company says is “zero waves, zero noise, zero emissions”.
Carrying four passengers and its driver, it will slice silently
Music to the ears of megayacht owners who will be able to
through the water on its foils at a potential 25 knots, making it
use it not just to nip ashore from their mother ship but also to
the ultimate way of avoiding city centre congestion.
negotiate other zero-wake and vulnerable waterways once they
The Seabubble was successfully trialled on Lake Geneva in 2018
reach dry land – the canals of Venice spring to mind. Its two
and this was followed by a five-week trial on the River Seine in
10kWh batteries will allow the Seabubble to run for three hours
Paris. Make our cities flow again is Seabubbles motto and it looks
at an average speed and charge in two hours, so range won’t be a
like it could do just that.
problem either. However, the two co-founders and designers of
www.seabubbles.fr
Above, the Seabubble looking good on Lake Geneva during its successful trials. Opposite page, the Seabubbles team celebrating, the Seabubble out of the water, and a close-up of the ultra-efficient foils at work
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