The quadrimaran is an Aeroboat concept developed by the French naval architecture company, Tera-4. These boats on 4 hulls are ultra-efficient and allow to go fast, with low consumption. But how did you get the idea to develop these strange boats? "It's part of a long story." explains Guillaume Delage, one of Tera-4's four associates.
The concept of quadrimaran was invented by Daniel Tollet, father of Alexandre Tollet, manager of the company, who was looking for efficiency in boating. Finding the concept efficient and interesting, the "son of" took over and joined forces with 3 other people: Steve Vassor, Richard Martel and Guillaume Delage.
The small team improved the concept and to prove to everyone that the quadrimaran concept worked, designed the T-9 Prime, a 9m long demonstrator prototype. "And it lived up to our expectations."
So how does a quadrimaran work? " The 3 air tunnels created by the 4 hulls generate an air cushion and lift the boat above the water. The boat is no longer subject to any friction on the water. We sail with less energy, so it's more economical."
There was a lot of interest in the principle, but the concept had to be proven to work. So in November 2015, the team carried out performance tests in difficult weather conditions. Tests that resulted in a film (see at the end of the article), and here are the results:
- 20 to 40% less fuel consumption than a monohull of the same size and engine type
- Stability thanks to the "ground effect". The boat gets into the planning very quickly and surfs the crest of the waves, it does not hit them. No rolling or pitching.
- Top speed of 55 knots (over 100 km/h) with 2x300 hp
The Quadrimaran is therefore presented as a stable, fast, fuel-efficient, ecological boat and its reduced draught (30cm in waterjet and 50cm in outboard) allows it to beach (run aground) or navigate in shallow water without damaging the bottom. The design is geometrically faceted, without curves, to simplify the design and make it more modern.
But there's a real difference compared to the trimaran? "Nowadays, there are more and more motor trimarans, but before, it used to be a lot of sailing boats. But in these trimarans, everything happens on the central hull and there are no principles of airworthiness. The tunnels created by the hulls are too big to carry the boat, whereas with a quadrimaran, the 3 tunnels are thin and create airflow. And in the same way, 5 tunnels would create tunnels that are too small." explains Guillaume Delage.
The Quadrimaran is primarily aimed at the workboat market, where people are looking for the advantages it offers. It can be used for offshore platforms or for transporting people. The T-9 Prime offers a total deck area of 35 m² and a passenger area of 20 m² including 10 m² for cargo loading. It can also be used for security purposes, particularly for the army. "This form can be exploited for a lot of support."
But the professional market is not the only one for the Quadrimaran, as a model for pleasure boating is already in the pipeline, with a prestigious shipyard. The T-9 Prime was presented in autumn 2015, in Cannes and Monaco and the French company took the opportunity to sign an agreement with Wally.
"We're trying to figure out what kind of ship we're gonna go on, a tender or something bigger. But for your exclusive information, it should look like a T-9 Prime."
Photo credits : Tera-4/G.Voiturier
