FIB - Flying Inflatable Boat, 

What's new since the 2001 version . 

The basic fact is that the boat used in the Fib 2001 is designed from scratch to be used as a flying machine. The boat has now in common with a traditional rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) only the external look and some of the material. This allows the use of a new wing specially designed and with advanced performances. Here below the main differences.

The Lomac boat

  1. With the help of Lomac's designers and after many tests, we increased the volumes on the bow to compensate the trust of the propeller that, contrary of what happens in a traditional boat, is high in the air instead of underwater. This allows the bow under full trust to come out of the water much quicker and the stern has not anymore the tendency to "slip" laterally under the same conditions.
  2. We increased the V on the bow to improve the performances in choppy water.
  3. To help the planning, especially in completely flat water, a well-known boat architect (Donno Des. ) designed for us some lateral steps in the stern region and longitudinal ones in the bow. This breaks the "suction" effect that is experienced in those conditions. The system is used in big boats to help planning with low power. In our case we found out that it corrects also the "torque" effect we experience when we give full power in "plow" running and quickens a lot the transition to "planning". To reach this result, and also to improve the longitudinal stability, the boat is wider in the back. All this allows to start from 0 speed to taking-off speed practically without using the rudder and makes nearly impossible the 180 spins experienced sometime in particular conditions or sloppy piloting.
  4. The deck has a new design to improve structural strength but with less material and can be filled with water for improved stability in taxiing in strong wind conditions.
  5. The resin used, instead of the traditional Polyester, is Vynilester that has characteristics very near to the Epoxy resin. We have in this way a stronger, more elastic and lighter hull.
  6. The Hypalon used for the inflatable part is now much lighter than the standard one but with equal strength and durability.
All this improvements make the Fib 2001 boat completely different from a standard inflatable because it's specifically designed for the particular use we make of it and it is the fruit of the experience we gained in 13 years of production and flying of this particular ultralight. The weight of the Fib 2001 boat is now only 58 Kg (127 Lb) and this includes the paddles, rudder, air pump and all the stainless steel hardware fixed on it !!

The wing

The performance of the hull allowed us to mount standard on Fib 2001 a completely new designed wing that is 2.5 Sqm. smaller than the original one.
The wing has a different shape of the "roach" , variations in the batten profile to widen the speed ranges and has more tension in the leading edge and in all the wing surface. We maintained the same span of the 21Sqm in this way we have now a bigger :aspect ratio". We reach in this way a better handling in the air (practically similar to that of a normal land trike), a more safe handling in taxing with strong wind joined with slightly improved maximum speed but maintaining the low stall speed.
The wing is studied for the use in sea environments and has all stainless steel bolts, some sealed parts and tube-to-tube junctions made with special grease for increased protections.
This wing can be used only on the new version of the Fib and as a training wing in trikes and in trikes dedicated to hang-glider towing.

Just to give an idea of the performance of the FIB 2001 we succeeded in taking -off it with pilot and passenger, Rotax 503 engine (48hp)flat surface and wind in the back of approx 4knots! Something impossible with the old Fib 582 (64hp) and surely for all other sea-ultralights in the market.

Polaris FIB & SKIN