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Getting a 3.35-meter dinghy?designed largely with alternative materials?to sail is already a technical challenge. Achieving this goal during their first appearance at an international competition is another. This is the result achieved by the WAVE team from ESTACA Laval at the 2026 SuMoth Challenge, held on Lake Garda in Italy. The students finished in 7th place among a field of 19 teams from around the world.
A competition where eco-design matters just as much as speed
The SuMoth Challenge is more than just a regatta for foiling dinghies. Teams are evaluated on their entire project, from the design to the construction of the boat, not to mention their performance on the water.
Each material used is assigned an environmental cost in a fictional currency called ?SuMoth dollars.? Construction choices, the recyclability of components, and the boat?s life cycle assessment are thus factored into the final ranking. Therefore, a team does not need to win every race to rank among the top finishers.
The mandated boat class is the Moth, a 3.35-meter dinghy equipped with foils capable of lifting the hull completely out of the water. Once airborne, these boats can exceed 25 knots powered solely by their sail.
Alternative Materials at the Heart of the Project
For this first project, the students from Laval opted for solutions that differ from the composites typically used on this type of boat. The hull is made of a basalt fiber sandwich with cork and balsa wood cores, bonded together using a bio-based epoxy resin. The wingbars, on which the skipper leans, are made of Guadua bamboo.
The foils and some of the deck fittings are made from reused components. Flight control relies on a mechanical system, chosen for its simplicity in setup and ease of maintenance during competition.
The team also minimized material usage during manufacturing by using a single mold to produce several hull components.
A Rewarding First Participation
Beyond the final standings, the main goal was to demonstrate that the boat was capable of flying under racing conditions. Mission accomplished on Lake Garda, where ESTACA?s Moth competed in the entire event and finished fourth in a race held on the second day.
For a team of five students competing for the first time against more experienced opponents, this result validates the technical choices made throughout the project.
Setting the Course for a New Generation of Moths
The WAVE team views this first campaign as a learning phase. The feedback gathered during the design, construction, and testing phases will be directly applied to the development of the next boat.
The 2027 project calls for, among other things, the in-house design and fabrication of the foils, in order to gain control over a key factor in a Moth?s performance. The students also hope to develop an entirely new design while continuing their research into alternative materials and eco-design methods.
With this first participation, the ESTACA Laval team is demonstrating that bio-based materials, natural or mineral fibers, and reuse are gradually finding their place in lightweight foiling sailboat projects. This approach illustrates the research currently being conducted on composites with a lower environmental impact, without compromising the performance requirements specific to this type of craft.
