The Ioda by BirdyFish is the most accessible foiling sailboat in the world. At just 55 kilograms fully equipped, it is light enough to load on a roof rack, small enough to store in a garage, and fast enough to have you flying above the water within your first session. This is the boat that removes every excuse not to foil.

Ioda by BirdyFish

The Ioda by BirdyFish is the most accessible foiling sailboat in the world. At just 55 kilograms fully equipped, it is light enough to load on a roof rack, small enough to store in a garage, and fast enough to have you flying above the water within your first session. This is the boat that removes every excuse not to foil.

Designed by Tocatec and built at the BirdyFish factory in Saint-Herblain, France, the Ioda was created with a single purpose: to make foiling available to everyone. Beginners who have never sailed before. Youth sailors discovering the sport for the first time. Experienced club sailors who want the thrill of flight without the complexity of a performance foiler. Sailing schools and clubs looking for a fleet boat that will turn heads and fill programmes. The Ioda serves all of them.

Built to fly, not to frighten

The Ioda uses the same self-regulating J-foil philosophy as the rest of the BirdyFish range — three aluminium foils (two mains, one load-bearing rudder elevator) that provide righting moment as well as lift. This is the critical difference between a BirdyFish foiler and every other monohull foiler on the market. When the Ioda slows down and settles off the foils, it doesn't capsize. It sits down on the water, level and stable, and waits for you to accelerate again. For a beginner, or for a sailing school instructor putting students on foils for the first time, this changes everything.

The foils are anodised aluminium — robust, practical, and low-maintenance. At 5kg total for the foil set, they are light enough to handle easily and tough enough to take the knocks of regular club use and beach launching. Where the BirdyFish Double uses carbon fibre epoxy foils optimised for performance, the Ioda's aluminium foils are optimised for durability and ease of ownership — a deliberate design decision for a boat that will spend its life in high-rotation club and school environments.

Ready to sail in minutes

The Ioda is genuinely quick to rig and launch. The hull is 3.20 metres long and 1.33 metres wide — compact enough to be beached, trolleyed, and launched by one person without assistance. Rigging takes minutes, not an hour on the pontoon. There is no complex sail inventory, no elaborate controls, no specialist knowledge required to prepare the boat. Get to the water, rig it, lower the foils, and go.

Two sail options, one boat

The Ioda comes with one of two mainsail configurations depending on the sailor's weight — and, importantly, both can be owned and switched as conditions or crew change. Sailors under 75kg use the small sail at 5.3 m². Sailors between 75 and 95kg use the larger mainsail at 6.5 m². Both are made from Mylar-woven sailcloth — durable, shape-retaining, and well-suited to the boat's role as an accessible everyday foiler. The mast is available in two lengths to match: 4.7 metres for the small sail, 5.4 metres for the larger. A sailing school running a fleet of Iodas can stock both mast and sail combinations to accommodate the full range of student sizes.

For sailing clubs and schools

The IODA is the most compelling institutional argument for foiling in Australian sailing. A club or sailing school that puts Iodas in the water is offering something that nothing else in the dinghy park can match — the genuine sensation of flight, accessible to a complete beginner, with a safety profile that eliminates the capsize-and-swim scenario that puts so many new sailors off performance boats.

At A$22,500 inc. GST, the Ioda is priced at a level that makes fleet purchasing realistic. A school that buys three or four Iodas has the foundation of a foiling programme that will attract students, generate media interest, and give Australian Sailing something genuinely new to talk about. We are actively working with sailing clubs and schools across Australia to make this happen — contact us to discuss fleet pricing and programme support.

Who sails it

The Ioda's maximum crew weight is 90kg — it is a solo boat, not designed for two. That singular focus gives it a purity of purpose: one sailor, one set of foils, one goal. Get airborne. Stay there.

Specifications

• Length: 3.20m (10'6")

• Beam: 1.33m (2.30m foils up, 2.67m foils down)

• Weight: 55kg fully equipped

• Mast: 4.7m or 5.4m (carbon fibre epoxy / anodised aluminium)

• Mainsail area: 5.3m² (sailors under 75kg) or 6.5m² (75–95kg)

• Sail material: Mylar woven

• Foils: 3 × anodised aluminium, 5kg total

• Rudder length: 1.10m

• Draft: 90cm

• Crew: Solo

• Maximum crew weight: 90kg

• Takes off: 8 knots of wind / 6.5 knots boat speed

• Cruising speed on foils: 15–20 knots

• Built: Saint-Herblain, France

• Architect: Tocatec

A$22,500 inc. GST — enquire for delivery to your state or New Zealand. Fleet pricing available for sailing clubs and schools.