In 2023 and 2024, Flying Fish sponsored the TU Delft Hydro Motion Team, a group of ambitious students who designed and built a hydrofoiling hydrogen-powered boat. Their mission: to cross the North Sea from the Netherlands to the UK and prove fast, sustainable sailing is possible.

With engineering support from Flying Fish, the boat successfully “flew” above the waves, proving that sustainable high-speed hydrofoiling is possible even in demanding sea conditions. Check the video below to see the difference in slamming between a conventional chase boat and the foiling hydrogen boat.

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How Flying Fish supported the team

We applied our expertise in hydrofoil dynamics and control to help the students transform their vision into a functioning system:

• Actuator Selection & Sizing: ensuring reliable and precise control of the forces on the foils
• Dynamic Stability Models: simulating turning behavior, pitch angle control, and ride height.
• Hydrofoil Control Logic: managing waves, wind loads, and strut/foil controllability.
• Testing & Debugging: verifying performance and validating the system in real-world wave conditions.

Proven performance at sea

The result: a hydrogen-powered vessel that hydrofoils smoothly across the North Sea. Optimized control logic, robust actuators, and careful validation combined to deliver comfort, safety, and efficiency while maintaining sustainable performance.

This project demonstrates how hydrofoil technology can be scaled from prototypes to commercial vessels, enabling operators to offer passengers fast, elegant, and energy-efficient sea travel.

Ready to foil over the waves?

Flying Fish provides the expertise needed to make hydrofoiling practical and reliable in real operating environments. Whether for ferries, fast craft, or innovative green vessels, our control systems and engineering support help you bring hydrofoils to life.

👉 Contact us today to explore how we can optimize hydrofoil design and control for your next-generation vessel.

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