Sunreef's retractable hydrofoils lift its luxury catamarans to speeds of 80 mph

For just over a decade, Sunreef has been building super yacht catamarans, including last year's 80 Carbon Line and the One Fifty, which was billed as the world's biggest luxury catamaran when we covered it in 2008. While large and luxurious, its line of seagoing vessels isn't necessarily the pinnacle of speed. Sunreef is set on changing that, injecting a serious mph upgrade by pulling its dual hulls out of the water with a new retractable hydrofoil system.

Catamarans are typically faster than their monohull counterparts, but Sunreef's existing line is built more for luxury than speed. Apparently there's been a bit of a rumbling across its customer base for a dual-hull that uncages some of the catamaran's underlying performance potential.

For speed lovers, Sunreef presents its new retractable hydrofoil system, which it will launch on the 40-ft (12.2-m) open deck boat called the 40 H. Like any hydrofoil system, Sunreef's design lifts the boat's hulls up out of the water and drastically cuts drag, allowing the boat to reach much higher speeds. Sunreef says that the system will give boaters up to 80 mph (70 kn/130 km/h) to work with. When conditions are unfavorable, the captain can retract the hydrofoils and lower the hulls back into the water.

There are other catamaran hydrofoils out there, including those with retractable systems like the one on the Kormaran we covered recently. Those existing vessels even include some large, luxurious catamaran yachts, like the Stealth Hysucat (Hydrofoil Supported Catamaran) line of yachts. Sunreef's system offers claimed top speeds nearly double the Kormaran, however, and well faster than the 55 mph (48 kn/89 km/h) of the 55-foot Stealth 540. Sunreef also notes that its open, airy layout separates it from other catamaran hydrofoils.

Spacious, open-air deck, stable catamaran cruising and the potential for exhilarating speed – what's not to like?

Sunreef has been making the boat show rounds and presented the 40 H concept at last month's Cannes boat show. The shipyard is still developing the boat and, according to Boat International, plans to show it at next year's Cannes show.

Sources: Sunreef, Boat International