Industrial - Honours

The FerroFoil – A new style of Hydrofoil Board

The FerroFoil is a new type of naturally powered hydrofoil board intended for use in open & calm water environments. The board is designed for the novice rider, utilising design characteristics to increase the boards usability and encourage participation through being more approachable than other boards currently on the market.

Dominic Ferro

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

The overarching research topic that led to the development of the FerroFoil was ‘Naturally Powered Adrenaline Water Sports.’ The fundamental purpose of the topic was to create a product that would encourage people to get outdoors, have some fun, and be social.

Throughout the design development, a strong emphasis was placed on creating a product that would be unique and instantly recognisable, while pushing the industry forward and challenging what is thought to be possible. Furthermore, as the FerroFoil is an entry-level board, it is not intended to compete with other brands in terms of unnecessary luxurious materials or impressive performance figures – but rather be more user friendly and less intimidating to ride through utilising considered design features.

To ensure the board is competitive in the market, it must be priced accordingly. The two biggest determining factors of board price are materials and manufacturing methods – it is for this reason that the above materials were chosen. A perfect blend of lightweight, affordable, and structurally capable.

The overall cost of materials for the board (as based off the prototype) is approximately $650. The Board, stabilisers & Wing will all be moulded components and the rudders will be CNC machined before being assembled & finished. The final sale price of the board is estimated to be $1999 – significantly cheaper than most hydrofoils on the market today.

Board Dimensions:

– 1500mm X 1000mm X 650mm
– 8.5 kilograms (prototype)
– 30 Litres (volume)

Key Design Features

– Catamaran inspired twin hull and two side stabilisers for rolling stability
– Twin Rudders for yaw stability
– A specially designed high-aspect wing with a volume of approximately 5 litres which provides great buoyancy
– A rigid board design for maximum pumping efficiency
– Paint design to act as the user interface and guide foot placement
– Ergonomic hand cut-outs in stabilisers

The above video demonstrates the build details of the board through a time-lapse video. It begins after the board had already been hand shaped and covers only the key parts of the prototyping stage.

What’s next?

Moving forward, The FerroFoil will undergo more rigorous user testing before any minor design changes may be made. The design will then look to incorporate modular construction so that it may be disassembled for travel & when not in use. Finally, a prototype of an E-Foil version may be produced.

Dominic Ferro

Dominic loves working with his hands to bring products to life during the design process. Fundamentally, Dominic focuses on creating products that improve the life of their user through being deeply considered, simplistic, and functional solutions.