The Project Gerys 4.7 is already online at YACHT presented. In the meantime, the YACHT test editorial team has visited the initiators, the brothers Erwan (the boat builder) and Raphaël (the designer) Censier, on the Quiberon peninsula in French Brittany and tested their new aircraft. We will be publishing a detailed test report in an upcoming issue of YACHT.
Just this much in advance: foiling with the Gerys 4.7 is easy and simple. All you need is at least ten knots of wind. With a rolled-out Code Zero and a little sensitivity, the speed required to take off (around 7 knots) is easy to achieve. Then the flounder goes up. The sailor does not need to adjust anything. The laterally protruding J-foils have fixed angles of attack, and the rudder blade with the elevators is also fixed. Everything is incredibly simple. Our photographer Pierrick Contin was there with his camera at the test date. A small selection of his photos is shown below as a gallery.
The concept of the Gerys 4.7 is very simple
Erwan and Raphaël Censier spent two years tinkering with the design, simulating with modern CFD programmes and running through all possible structural calculations. Now the young Bretons from the Erdeven region have finished building their first Gerys 4.7 boat and are sailing - or rather flying - with it. The 4.70 metre long dinghy is equipped with large S-foils as standard, which are pushed out from the side of the hull. With these and elevators on the rudder blade, the boat can take off completely from a wind speed of just twelve knots. If the wind is too weak or too strong for foiling, the wings are simply raised completely. With its central centreboard, the Gerys 4.7 still remains easy to sail without any restrictions. The foils can also be retracted for launching and retrieving or for beaching.
The design by naval architect Raphaël Censier with its pronounced concave underwater hull is particularly exciting. This effectively turns the monohull dinghy into a catamaran with an unusually stable swimming position. This should make it easy for beginners and children in particular to sail the boat and slowly get to grips with foiling. But the concept of the Gerys 4.7 also remains simple in other respects. There are no dynamic trim or adjustment options for the wings. And the simple rig with self-tacking jib is also easy to operate single-handed. In foil mode, the boat can easily reach speeds of around 20 knots; the current record is 23.5 knots.
The cockpit is large enough for up to three adults or up to five children to sail comfortably and safely. In addition to the basic equipment, a rollable Code Zero is also available, which is driven on an attached bowsprit. The Censier brothers now want to offer their Gerys 4.7 to a wide range of buyers and build the boat in series. The hull is a GRP construction manufactured using the vacuum infusion process. The long S-foils are made from an extremely strong carbon fibre-epoxy composite. The price for the Gerys 4.7 is 25,450 euros gross (including sails, code zero and foils). The link to the website: https://www.gerys.fr
Technical data Gerys 4.7
- Hull length: 4.70 m
- Width (hull only without foils): 1,84 m
- Draught with centreboard: 1.20 m
- Weight (ready to sail): 140 kg
- Sail area upwind with self-tacking jib: 15.0 square metres
- Designer: Raphaël Censier
- Price: 25,450 euros (incl. 19 % VAT)
