Making sailing accessible to all, democratizing it: this is the idea that sprang from François Tissier's mind while he is a regular windsurfer in Polynesia. This idea dates back to the early 1990s. During all these years, our inventor announces that he worked 9 years full time on the project, he built 11 prototypes and registered 8 patents! In the summer of 20108, Iziboat was born.
Navigate facing the road
Not really a boat (but it floats), the Iziboat is a kind of sea buggy. It has the sail of a board and the hulls of a catamaran. But its particularity is to have a crew (up to 4 adults) sitting facing the road.
François Tissier explains:" To understand sailing, it is necessary to integrate 3 concepts: balance, direction and wind. With the Iziboat, the notion of balance disappears since the boat is self-sustaining up to 15 knots of wind. Steering is intuitive with driving facing the road via a joystick. Only the wind remains. With Iziboat, 2/3 of the learning of sailing is already acquired! "
To make manoeuvring easier and above all not to get stuck in the wind, this catamaran is equipped with large rudder blades. So even upwind, all you have to do is give a big helm (joystick!) for the boat to turn.
Assembly in 15 minutes
After accessibility for all, the second issue that our inventor addressed was "demontability". In 15 minutes, the boat is assembled without the need for any tools or screws. All parts fit together and snap into place.
The boat then stows along its 2 hulls, measuring no more than 62 cm wide. Easy to fit in a garage. With its 2 wheels (planned with the sale of the boat) it can easily be towed by hand, or even by a bicycle.
For whom? For whom?
But to which population is this atypical boat aimed? François Tissier answers:" We see 4 types of customers: individuals, rental companies, sailing schools and hotels. We thought that individuals would be the hardest to adhere to the concept, but today we are surprised by the first orders. Many former sailors who want to have fun with their families follow us.
If you take the population from a beach, many would like to go on a sailboat, but they are afraid of learning. So they stay on their towels. It is this population that we hope to reach with Iziboat. Those who have never set foot on a boat before. "
Project or reality?
" Currently Iziboat is being finalized. The prototype is ready and sailing. We will start production of the series in September 2018. The moulds are ready and the suppliers chosen. The first orders will be delivered next spring. For the moment we are launching production in a "beach" version with polyester hull and aluminium mast at 8990 euros. But we are already working on a "Sport" version with carbon mast, smaller rudders and infusion hulls (lighter).. "
