Bluegame foiling powercat first look: America’s Cup-inspired foiling motoryacht

Having developed a 50 knot foiler for America's Cup teams, Bluegame is now bringing a foiling motor yacht to market

Sanlorenzo’s Bluegame division is working on a new foil-assisted powercat. Called the BGF45 it is a larger, less extreme cruising version of the 50-knot foiling chase boat that it developed for the recent America’s Cup challenge.

Unlike the BGH chase boat, which uses tall computer-controlled foils to fly above the waves, the BGF45 has a shorter, simpler foiling system between its two hulls that only partially lifts the hull. This enables it to skim across the surface, reducing drag and improving the speed and fuel efficiency, without the risk of falling off its foils.

The powertrain has also been simplified considerably from the complex and costly zero-emissions hydrogen fuel-cells used on the chase boats to either a pair of Volvo Penta 380hp IPS500s or 440hp IPS600s. The more powerful option should top out at around 40 knots and provide a continuous fast cruise of 32 knots, while the less powerful installation should still have a top speed of 34 knots and a fast cruise of 27-28 knots.

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Like all Bluegames, the BGF45 combines elegant lines with an avantgarde edge, accentuated by its near-plumb bows and carbon-fibre hardtop. As with the larger BGM75, it sports a relatively narrow beam for a powercat of 16ft 9in (5.10m) to avoid the ungainly look and proportions of most cruising catamarans. That still allows for a much larger than usual cockpit with a full-beam bathing platform, vast aft sunpad, dinette and wet bar. Plus there’s another big sunpad on that wide foredeck.

Surprisingly, there’s also enough space below decks for up to three ensuite cabins. The owners’ cabin is located forward with a transverse double bed that slots into the bridge deck spanning both hulls and an ensuite in the starboard hull. The VIP is amidships to port with a forward-facing bed and ensuite.

The third cabin is more suitable as an overspill space for a child or crew and is accessed from a ladder beneath cushions in the cockpit dinette.


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