A taste of the future?

Thirty years ago the dinghy sailing world underwent a revolution, with a slew of new, fast and fun boats with asymmetric spinnakers that were stable and easy to sail, yet offered adrenaline pumping performance. They were a huge step forward compared to existing popular designs, many of which were originally built in plywood back in the early post-war days when sailing rapidly gained popularity among the masses.

The scene looks set for a similar revolution thanks to the growing number of foiling dinghies aimed at the mass market. These are also designed to be easy to sail and reasonably affordable.

AST’s Foiling Dinghy (pictured right) was shown for the first time in the UK at the RYA Dinghy Show in early March. It’s a stable, forgiving, yet exciting boat to sail aimed at club sailors. Complexity is reduced to a minimum and the dual foils are self-adjusting and self-tacking.

Also on display was Skeeta’s range, including the Nikki junior foiler. Designed for young sailors this 2.9m (9ft 6in) boat weighs just 26kg and can be assembled ‘from box to water’ in only 10 minutes.

Neither mainstream family cruisers nor blue water yachts will ever become foilers, but we are certain to see more and more smaller boats flying in the next few years. This also applies to RIBs, where foiling can reduce fuel consumption by 30% and provide a more comfortable ride with much less wash.

Price: AST Foiling Dinghy r12,990

dynamic-sailing.com

Price: Nikki junior foiler £7,550

skeetafoilingcraft.com