- The boat will be on the water by spring 2022
- The first sail will take place in summer 2022, with the goal of reaching 80 knots (150 km/h) before the end of the year
- The boat is built with TPT® carbon kits, an innovation in the world of sailing
SP80 is tackling the construction of the vessel to break the record after validating its technology with a prototype on Lake Geneva.
SP80 has entrusted the Italian shipyard Persico Marine, who will apply a different approach to what is usually done in the maritime industry: building a boat with TPT® carbon kits. Lighter yet stronger, this type of carbon stretches the boat’s limits even further.
As this approach is very unique, SP80 has capitalised on the experience acquired by its partners North Thin Ply Technology and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in high-tech projects such as Solar Impulse, the C Class catamarans, in the world of Formula 1 and in the spatial industry.
SP80 is developing a sailing boat with a design unlike any other, measuring 7 m long and 6 m wide and propelled by a kite spanning 20 m.
Midway between a boat, a plane and a Formula 1 car, the boat’s target speed is 80 knots (150 km/h) with the goal to pulverize the current world sailing speed record.
“We are confident that the boat will meet our expectations and that its structure will be able to withstand the loads we have designed it for. The launch will come soon and we are already looking forward to the first sail.”
– says Mayeul van den Broek, co-founder of SP80.