Boundary Layer Technologies reveals prototype of new hydrofoil watercraft

Hydrofoil startup company Boundary Layer Technologies recently unveiled the completion of the alpha prototype of its Valo Hyperfoil vehicle. 

“This is a major milestone, and we did this in just six months… It really proves that a small vehicle like this allows hyper-fast engineering iteration, getting us to market faster,” says CEO Ed Kearney.

“It’s near silent, with the only sounds being the gentle splash of the water on the struts, the wind in your hair, and a barely perceptible hum from the electric motor,” notes Kearney. “When you see it and ride it, it really feels like this is the future.”

Boundary Layer Technologies is a marine technology startup backed by the accelerator Y Combinator, Fifty Years, as well as Chris Sacca’s Lower Carbon Capital and former Meta CTO Mike Schroepfer. Their mission is to build the future of water transportation by using hydrofoil technology. 

According to the company, the alpha prototype demonstrates all the key technologies required to put the Valo Hyperfoil into production, specifically the Skyride flight autonomy software. It is what keeps the vessel stable, straight, level, and at the ideal height above the water. 

“Everyone on the team knew a foiling personal watercraft like this would be exciting to ride, but we really had no idea it would be this fun. The closest analogy is like skiing in deep powder snow,” claims CTO Reo Baird, who joined the company in January after previously being CTO of foil boat company Navier. 

The company also announced that it sold more than $2.7 million worth of inventory of the Valo Hyperfoil, which is three times more vehicles than they planned to make in the first production run.

“We are laser-focused on delivering the first run of founders edition vehicles to our customers starting at the end of this year,” says Baird. 

Kearney says that hydrofoil technology is going to completely revolutionize the entire powerboat market by increasing the range of electric powerboats.

Alex Teng, an investor in the company, says he is excited about the new direction and progress. “Not only is this first product in a league of its own, but the core tech also has the potential to totally decarbonize watercraft.”