Cookie launched his new Axiom v4 on a decidedly blustery day - confidence for you. It looks super cool and we especially love the Bat rudder. Adam May was on hand to get the pics. Tom Whicher's is the first customer boat (blue) and Aardvark are now fully geared up to take orders. From what we can see on the respective builders' websites, at £8k all in, it could be around £2k less expensive than a Bladerider.



Aardvark say: The new Axiom v4 is the result of 3 years of hardcore mothing and 3 previous designs.The new shape features a hard chined rear with increased volume to promote earlier flying and a fine V bow.This version of the Aardvark foiler now also features standard tramp lacing and a fully removable wing frame to make for easy storage and transportation.

axiom v4	in action
	This hull's just so small it's offering the minimum area to wind resistance. No problem sailing with windward heal then. Maybe the rear bars need tying together a touch tighter?
	The distinctive nose profile and forward raked transom make the Axiom instantly recognisable in side view. Fitted with the Hyde radial sail, it's one different Moth.
	This really is the Lilly Cole of Moths. Not classically beautiful but interesting from any angle and lean as hell.
	I guess they'll all do that if you push it...or since it's first time out maybe the rudder needed winding forward a few degrees.
	But with foils this pretty, he's probably just putting on a show - we'd have painted them bling gold.
axiom v4	in detail
	Rudder gantry and distinctive transom - Aardvark say: The new foils include a central fin to move the pushrod position aft and gain leverage - this reduces load on the wand and allows better feedback. The main foil has also shifted forward, in front of the vertical section to reduce interference drag. The rudder has unique swept up tips to reduce induced drag from pressure loss.
	Wing frame and top of foredack
	Wand and internal control rod
	The centreboard end of the control rod - Tom says: "As expected from someone who develops his designs at a faster rate than anyone else, he’s also taken on board lots of lessons learnt in Garda, to bring together a package which is lightweight, strong, and fast and should be very reliable! A few great examples are the through deck control rod – not a new idea, but now neatly recessed into the board box so it is impossible to ruin one’s sail before it has even started with a well aimed kick!
	Transom. Tom says: "The integral Gantry support is nice, and a neat step keeps it away from the water at marginal foiling speeds."

Earlier Axiom Moths...
designer builder mike cooke...5-6-06

no sooner had he completed his last moth than mike cook felt the urge to go back into his shed and refine it into a new boat. this time a foiler. here we follow the build. quite amazingly it's all over before it started. one finished moth ready to fly. congratulations to mike on making it look easy and incorporating some brave features too...

completed in record time - just over a month - she's ready to go

ignore the sail. it's an old prototype from a chinese junk. this boat boldly returns to the unstayed rig last seen on martin weatherstone's skippy 2. mike says, 'I've no doubt that I have a lot of work and breakages ahead while I figure out quite what needs to go into making the foils and systems. Also I have gone in at the deep end with a shroudless rig to reduce windage and get rid of things to hit as I fly past the boat upon stacking'.

she looks cool from this angle

nice rear too

here's the wing frame and space frame on the buck just thre weeks before completion