HEEG – Hull Vane BV, maker of gear that optimizes the performance of boats small and large, enjoys a widening footprint across the breadth and width of the maritime industry.
Wajer Yachts, the Dutch maker of deluxe, ultra-fast open dayboats, has just ordered from Hull Vane BV five Foil Assists after a trial in which a Wajer 38S was equipped with the small wing-shaped device, mounted amidships under the hull.
Designed for fast-planing craft, the Foil Assist cuts fuel use by up to 20% at speeds of up to 48 knots. “It is our newest product,” says Hull Vane Sales Director Bruno Bouckaert. “It has become known as the ‘shock absorber for planing boats’.”
The device supports much of a vessel’s weight and raises the boat to ease slamming. Hull Vane BV is a unit of Van Oossanen Naval Architects, the Netherlands’ premier purveyor of fuel-saving, comfort-boosting gear and boat designs.
Backed by Van Oosanen’s naval architectural heft, Hull Vane has in recent years marketed remarkably innovative gear.
The Hull Vane itself is an underwater wing behind the transom of vessels of 15 to 100m+. In recent years, 50 ships and yachts were fitted with the wing that regains some of the energy a hull expends as it propels forward, and cuts drag significantly.
Monaco-based Dynamiq Yachts recently launched the 41m, Hull Vane-equipped Stefania. “From our computational fluid dynamics analysis, we know her Hull Vane reduces resistance by 28% at 12 knots and by 16% at 21 knots,” says Bouckaert. He adds that extends the yacht’s range by 500 nautical miles.
The patented Hull Vane comes in different versions, depending on the type of vessel. The patent for the Foil Assist is pending.
Last winter, two Port of Antwerp plug-in hybrid patrol vessels were equipped with Hull Vanes. “They can cruise in full-electric mode at speeds of up to 10.8 knots,” says Bouckaert.
And Denmark’s Hvide Sande Shipyards recently took delivery of the largest Hull Vane to date for a 64m offshore patrol vessel. An even larger Hull Vane will soon go on a 108m Dutch Navy vessel.
In the fall, Bouckaert will present several Hull Vane papers at the 2021 International Conference on Fast Sea Transportation in Rhode Island.
