A pyramid that floats, and practically flies when it moves. The Tetrahedron is an improbable superyacht that you will never see depicted other than in pictures. On paper, this study carried out by luxury boat designer Jonathan Schwinge is not so crazy and the concept could work very well.
The hydrofoil takes the shape of a tetrahedron, that is to say a pyramid whose four faces are triangular. From the outset, we can say that this shape is not really suitable for a ship and yet, it is this type of configuration which is used by the tetrapodstetrapodsblocks of concreteconcrete designed to break waves on sea walls.
Apart from this shape, the hull of the Tetrahedron is also particular. It is underwater, equipped with a foil and is supported by two lateral hydrofoils. Once launched at a vitessevitesse going beyond 27 km/h, the entire ship could rise to take off from the water surface. Its top speed would then be more than 70 km/h. At low speed, the foil would retract to make the ship move like any boat.
It was almost built
The Tetrahedron is made up of carbon fibercarbon fiber andstainless steelstainless steel. It is 21.6 meters long for a massemasse of 75 tonnes. Due to its hydrofoil capability, the aircraft would have a range of more than 5,555 kilometers. Once the anchor has been dropped, the sides of the Tetrahedron unfold to offer terracesterraces convenience to passengers. It can also accommodate six, as well as four crew members.
To navigate without the pyramid destabilizing, the foil would be enriched with a system to counter the rolling forces underwater in real time. The process would work using optical fibers. This would be the same system used in fighter planes since the 1990s. This ultimately very realistic and successful project, despite its constraints and its eccentric side, is actually not new. It came out of the boxes of the London designer’s office in 2010. In 2016, it even almost saw the light of day. But over the years, the concept has been forgotten, to the point that it is no longer mentioned.
