CATAMARAN RENDEZVOUS IN THE ABACOS, BAHAMAS SILENT EXPLOREDYACHTS MULTIHULLS TODAY AMERICA’S PREMIER MULTIHULL MAGAZINE WORLDTHEMULTIHULLSELECTRIC-POWEREDSHOCKCRUISING summer, 2022
2 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 MULTIHULLS TODAY 4 FROM THE PUBLISHER 6 ON THE LEVEL NEEL 52 Cruising Trimaran SamBoat: Boat Leasing 14 GONE CatamaranCRUISINGGuru Hosts Catamaran Rendezvous in the Abacos, Bahamas 3614 20 ON PASSAGE An Element of Risk and an Uncertain Outcome 30 MULTIHULL ENTHUSIAST The Remarkable Silent Yachts Story 36 MULTIHULL Electric-PoweredENTHUSIASTMultihulls Shock the Cruising World MULTIHULLS TODAY summer 2022 1030
MT-Multihulls Today is published by Blue Water Sailing LLC in February, May, August and November. Copyrighted 2022. All rights Reprinting,reserved. photocopying and excerpting passages is forbidden except by permission of the Bluepublisher.WaterSailing ISSN: 1091-1979 Editor and MarketingContributingPublisherEditorsArtDirectorAdvertisingSales&Consultant George Day Ph: 401-847-7612 Fax: tomcat911@comcast.netTomsandy@bwsailing.comFax:Ph:SandyJohnRebeccaBillgeorge@bwsailing.com401-845-8580BiewengaChildressNealParks401-847-7612401-845-8580Casey MULTIHULLS TODAY 4 Multihulls Today • Volume 12, winter The Rise of Electric Propulsion THIS IS OUR “ELECTRIC ISSUE” AND FEATURES a good sampling of the electric powered multihulls on the market and a in-depth interview with the founder and President of Silent Yachts, a true leader in the field. What has made this electric propulsion revolution possible is the advancements made in both solar panel technology and availability and the development of high capacity but lightweight lithium batteries. It is interesting that solar panel efficiency has improved only by small percentages year over year, while battery performance has moved ahead by leaps and bounds. Lithium batteries are still somewhat controversial since there have been several well-publicized incidents of yachts burning when the lithium battery banks overheated and caught fire. This is no small matter and insurance companies are still wary of the risk. For many insurers, a lithium battery bank needs to be installed by certified marine electricians and built to ABYC standards. DYI installations are frowned upon. One of the issues with the possibility of a battery fire on a boat, albeit a slim one, is fire mitigation. Most of us carry CO2 fire extinguishers and some boats have built-in Haylon fire suppression systems. Both may help with a small fire, but if the battery bank actually catches fire, almost nothing is going to put it out. But, foam, ABC dry chemical, graphite and sodiuim carbonite extinguishers may mitigate a fire at a very early stage and are worth carrying aboard. So, if you are a multihull owner and looking for ways to get weight out of your fast, light cruising boat, lithium batteries are a very attractive alternative to heavy lead acid batteries. But, before you leap, consult experts, talk with your boat yard to see if they can meet ABYC standards and call your insurance company. They all will have valuable input. PUBLISHER’S LETTER
If speed is king, space is queen serious cruiser. US owned and run, the KC62 and KC54 are world-class. Each semi-custom catamaran is built to exacting standards and your preferences in our yard in South Africa in collaboration with leading international partners. Their all carbon construction offers a fast and comfortable catamaran that is set up for shorthanded sailing and world cruising. Enjoy an aft deck dedicated to leisure, panoramic 360-degree views from inside a large main salon, and a functional forward sailing cockpit that provides a third leisure zone. Customize everything from the layout, finishes, furnishings, equipment, rigging, and sails, to truly set the pace with your own Kinetic Catamaran.Visitkineticcatamarans.com
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NOT ALL PROPELLERSFOLDINGAREALIKE AB Marine Inc. / Phone 800 801 8922 . WWW.GORI-PROPELLER.COM GORI Propeller design and manufacture the world’s most efficient and manoeuvrable folding propellers for yachts. •••THEEXPERIENCEDIFFERENCEForshaft&saildriveLowestdragofallSuperiorstoppingpower The All InnovativeNew,NEEL 52 Cruising Trimaran The new NEEL 52 sail ing trimaran is a brandnew concept by famed French designer Marc Lombard, who is also responsible for the NEEL 43 and NEEL 47 designs. The new NEEL 52 multi hull is replacing the highly successful NEEL 51 cruising yacht of which over 40 units have been crafted. The NEEL 52 trimaran has some dynamic improvements in her hull design. Her central hull embodies a deep rocker (for quick maneuvers and great load bearing) yet her fine and long
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8 Multihulls Today • summer, 2022 on thelevel Solar Solutions Install on canvas, your deck or hard top. Go green, get power AskExperts!the Phone:www.CoastalClimateControl.cominfo@coastalclimatecontrol.com301.352.5738Fax:301.352.5739 NowTeeth!More2X CALL US TODAY 401-847-7960 The best rope, line & debris cutter there is! Two piece, simple sales@ab-marine.cominstall. | ab-marine.com Lowest drag, 100% reverse thrust. Unique overdrive. VARIPROP Feathering Prop. Low drag, adjustable pitch, outstanding reverse. MOONLIGHT HATCHES High quality hatches & portlights. Flush, compact, smooth design. waterline amas (outer hulls) help track ing, greatly improve stability and sail car rying ability. This all results in a quick sail ing yacht that can already sail at wind speed at under 8 knots of breeze. This is a feat that hardly any other multihull with the same volume can achieve. The boat’s sailing systems are cleverly laid out in such a way that one person can easily sail, reef and maneuver the boat. Her interior is cavernous, a mix of luxurious spaces and modern, clean styl ing. The NEEL 52 can be ordered in two different versions, one with the trademark master cabin and galley on the main deck or one with a larger chef-galley with an adjacent bar. Both versions can be configured with various number of staterooms in the amas. The new NEEL 52 also features the expan sive salon/cockpit (Cockloon) as well as the cavernous systems and engine room under the main deck. Weight centering and access to maintain machinery has always been at the heart of NEEL’s design philosophy. Pro-built at NEEL’s state of the art production facility, the NEEL 52 is crafted using a hybrid composite con struction, utilizing carbon in high stress areas, PET recycled foam as a core and epoxy based Isophthalic resins. The boat carries the highest offshore Category A ECC certification. Limited delivery slots for 2023 still available. For more informa tion contact www.Aeroyacht.com deal ers for NEEL Trimarans.
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10 Multihulls Today • summer, 2022 WE RECENTLY HEARD FROM Sarah Briquet, the new Country Manager for SamBoat USA, who shared the news that she and SamBoat were setting up shop in North America, with headquarters in Florida. SamBoat is already well established outside North America with operations in 76 countries. They have more than 50,000 sailboats, catamarans and motorboat as in their listings and can service customers in more than 1,400 locations. North America is their next big target.SamBoat works just like Air B-n-B or VRBO. It is a peer-to-peer rental service that connects people who have boats they want to rent out with people looking for just that activity. Boats range in size and type NorthComesBoatPeer-to-PeerSamBoatLeasingtoAmerica Nautitech 47 Lagoon 400 FEEL THE FREEDOM With Hydrovane: Your Independent Self Steering Windvane AND Emergency Rudder Your best crew ...steers www.hydrovane.com24/7 Passage Report - Nautitech 47 Catamaran Eliminate reliance on autopilot Install at the end of a hull STEERING THE DREAM “After sailing around 6000 miles now with our Hydrovane, I just wanted to drop you a line to congratulate you on what a great piece of kit it really is. Rarely have I bought something in this Marine industry that simply does exactly what it’s meant to and performs so well ... It’s absolutely brilliant and I haven’t found a condition it won’t steer the boat in yet!” HYDROVANE
Photo: Billy Black Every Mack Sail Is in our Stuart, Florida, Sail Loft The Biggest Small Loft in the USA Call info@macksails.com800-428-1384•www.macksails.com WE SHIP EVERYWHERE AND PAY THE FREIGHT OF NEW SAILS AND MACK PACKS. Manta 42 Project Our rigging department installed a new Schaefer Gamma Boom on this Manta 42 that makes regular runs from the east coast of Florida to the Bahamas. We then built a new jib for the existing camber boom and new full batten mainsail for the rollerfurling boom. Our extensive experience with offshore catamarans and with furling booms provided our customer with a great integrated system. Proudly Made Our 54th Year
Emailcom Sarah Briquet here: sarah.b@ samboat.com
Is this the future of boat ownership and boating in North America? Considering that SamBoat gets more than 300,000 requests for rentals every year, the huge North American market indicates that many of will choose to rent rather than buy their next boat.
From France ATN to Replace and you will not be surprised that many of them are motor boats. Yet, SamBoat does have a range of cruising sailboats and multihulls that will be of interest to Multihulls Today readers. And, they have them in locations that iinlcude some of the world’s favorite cruising grounds.
SamBoat is a subsidiary of Groupe Beneteau so it already has an extensive network of owners and dealers in the US and Canada. The plan is to tap into this family of Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon, Excess, Swift Trawler and Prestige owners to create the rental inventory that will make it attractive for customers seeking a proper cruising boat. As the company rolls out their business model, they are beginning in Florida where there is year-round boating and cruising and a large inventory of boats to draw on. Right now, there are dozens of boats in Florida to rent and MT readers will find that there are a great sampling of name-brand multihulls to choose from. For boat owners, listing their boats with SamBoat can lead to a new source of revenue to offset the costs of owning and running their boats. And, it may even create some interesting tax opportunities.
Check out the website here: samboat.
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14 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 gonecruising
ON MAY 15, 27 CATAMARANS AND 104 skippers and crew convened on Hope Town, Abacos, The Bahamas, for the 2022 Catamaran Guru annual Rendezvous. This was the first such get together since the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020, so the participants were eager to get the party started. The event is the brainchild of Steven and Estelle Cockcroft, founders of Catamaran Guru, and it is intended for their catamaran customers and friends to have fun in these beautiful islands and gain confidence sailing, anchoring, cruising and even racing aboard their boats. Part of the party is the presence of sponsors like North Sails, Cruise Catamaran Guru Hosts Catamaran Rendezvous in the Abacos, Bahamas
afortoaretogetherwherebeginstheirForfun.”Plus,cruisingandfunfriendscustomersoftheRendezvouscreatedandtocustomerscatamaranarenewboatowningcruising.WetheAbacoswithintentionhelpingourandhavemoreontheirboatstostretchtheirhorizons.it’sallalotoftheCockrofts,rendezvousinFloridatheygroupboatsthatcrossingovertheBahamastheeventintoflotillathatthey
Abaco Charters, Sands Beer and others who not only provided gifts and other support but also aided the crew with helpful instruction, guidance and the fruits of their long sailing experience. In a Zoom meeting with Estelle and Steven after the event, Estelle said, “About half of our can help with the Gulf Stream crossing, making landfall and then processing through Customs and Immigration.
16 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 gonecruising they make it all so easy.”
From Spanish Cay the flotilla sailed to Treasure Cay, Guana Cay and then finally to Elbow Cay and Hope OnTown.May 14 and 15, the remaining boats joining the rendezvous gathered in Hope Town and the party got started. With 27 catamarans from nine different cat builders, the fleet was truly impressive. The first evening was “The flotilla helps us and our fleet with some of the new aspects of cruising,” Estell said. “Crossing the Gulf Stream is a big step and it is good to have the company of seasoned catamaran cruisers and passagemakers like us to lead the Afterway.” a landfall at West End, the flotilla checked in the Bahamas at Spanish Cay. The process is easy and convenient and Estelle noted that “we love the locals here and
The next day the fleet migrated to Tahiti Beach on Elbow Cay for the coconut tossing contest and the famous “Rumbrella Race.” The weather continued to be squally and the schedule had to be rejiggered to make the fun events possible. In the meantime, the gang was introduced to the Catamaran Guru’s special tropic beverage known as Hooligan Juice. After some delay and much hilarity, the coconut toss contest proceeded. The big event of the day was the Rumbrella Race. Every year Lagoon Catamarans donates the turquoise umbrellas that we all see
the “Pink Party” at the Hideaway Pool in the Hope Town Marina. The theme was to wear pink garb and decorations in honor of the party’s sponsor and host Bali Catamarans. Despite the rain and squally weather, the party went ahead and there’s nothing quite like getting pink to lower the gang’s inhibitions.
www.MultihullsToday.com 17
18 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 gonecruising at their stands at boat shows to the rendezvous. These are then used as Mary Poppins-style sails by the crews of each boat in a sailing race aboard their SUPs, inflatable rafts, blow-up swimming toys like ducks and swans and even water wings. The competition was light-hearted and everyone was primed to have a great time. Day three was time for the big Rendezvous Regatta, a race of some 12 miles from Elbow Cay to Guana Cay. While most of the crews were new to racing and few were comfortable flying their spinnakers, the fleet got underway in a timely fashion and ghosted downwind in the 5 to 7 knots of following breeze. The race was sponsored by North Sails and that provided an opportunity for North’s Bob Meagher to join the race in a motorboat so he could coach the crews on sail trim, sailing angles and tactics. It was a fun learning experience for all and a chance for the crews to get a taste of organized competition. Not all the boats finished but everyone had a great Estelletime.wanted to give a big shoutout to Rendezvous sponsor Sands Beer. “The local brewery had promised a case of beer to the
regatta’s winning boat,” she said. “But in the end, they donated that case plus a six pack to every race participant. They were very Ongenerous.”thefourth day, the fleet migrated to Green Turtle Cay where the cats all anchored off the beach at the Tranquil Turtle Beach Bar. This was a day of knowledge sharing. Aboard Estelle and Steven’s Bali 5.4, Bob Meagher offered tips on sail trim, spinnaker flying and seamanship. Steven and Estelle launched their life raft so the crews could actually see what happens when it is deploys. Then, everyone jumped into the water to see how easy or difficult it would be a climb into a raft in an emergency. The final evening, the crews had a dinner and prize giving the Tranquil Turtle flowed by music and a bonfire on the beach. All in all, the 2022 Catamaran Rendezvous in the Abacos was a huge success for the 27 boats and 104 participants. After a two-year Covid haitus, everyone was glad to back together and once again enjoy the cat cruising Youlife. can read more about the rendezvous, see more pictures and watch videos of the event by clicking here.
Another friend, a man who owns a shipping fleet of bulk carriers, came to the rescue when he passed along the advice offered to his own ships’ captains: Contact the Mari time Security Centre for the Horn of Africa. It was suggested that we An Element of Risk and an Uncertain Outcome by Bill Biewenga
20 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 onpassage
The mysteries of the Indian Ocean’s Maldives and Chagos Bank would have to remain veiled behind the horizon. Monish, Nirvana’s owner, would not be able to rejoin us in Mauritius. Lia Ditton and I would be taking the 48-foot Gunboat cata maran ourselves past reported pirate incidents and up to the Gulf of Oman, 3,400 miles away, for the final approach to the Straits of Hormuz and Dubai. Together, we would be immersed in geo-political current events. Valerie Schaeublin from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, part of the U.S. Department of State had told us of piracy incidents that had taken place off Mauritius and the Sey chelles. Global news would soon bring unwanted fame to a British couple who had been kidnapped by pirates off the Seychelles and taken to Africa. Lia and I preferred Part 3: New Age Piracy A delivery from South Africa to the Persian Gulf takes them up the Indian Ocean and through pirate infested waters to forego that sort of notoriety for Friendsourselves.of ours suggested filing float plans, but no one seemed to know who to file them with or how effec tive that would be as we changed our course and heading with the changes in the weather. One U.S. Admiral suggested we turn around and go back to South Africa. I had to wonder whether that was how the U.S. Navy conducted its busi ness when things became difficult, or if it was just being suggested to me as we attempted to deliver a boat to the Middle East for its owner.
www.MultihullsToday.com 21 should track east of 67 degrees East as we sailed north in the Indian Ocean. It is also now suggested that mariners check contact infor mation prior to departure. At that time, it was too late for that particular preparation, however. Whether or not that would be good enough to get us past the piracy prob lems was anyone’s guess, as the reported incidents of piracy crept further and further to the east.
After contacting the UKMTO and the Piracy Reporting Centre, we were instructed to file daily posi tion reports with the UKMTO. If we encountered any suspicious prob lems, we were to immediately con tact the Piracy Reporting Centre on their 24-hour hotline (+603 2031 0014), and they would direct the necessary and appropriate author ities to our location. It was reassuring to know that someone out there was able to fol low our progress and perhaps call in the authorities if necessary. But even with daily position reports going out from us and frequent piracy “situation reports” coming in from friends ashore, we had to wonder whether it would do any good as a means of keeping us out of harm’s way. We decided to be as discreet as possible as we sailed north. There were to be no radio transmissions, radar transmissions or running lights used at night unless we saw ships coming up on our AIS and were reassured that they were legitimate ships. Meanwhile, the two of us kept a very sharp lookout, especially at night when we knew that we’d be difficult for other, legal vessels to see. I can’t really promote the idea of sailing without running lights. It flies in the face of responsible and per haps even legal sailing. However, when we were informed that there had been a piracy incident only 60 miles to our west, that reality struck a chord. We weren’t inter ested in any side trips to Somalia. Being unarmed, discretion seemed the better part of valor. The Piracy Reporting Centre’s hotline number was put in the speed dialer on the Iridium phone, and the EPIRBs were tested again and kept handy. Lia and I discussed who would do what
22 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 onpassage in the event that a boarding was attempted: I’d drive and change sails. She’d be busy making phone calls with our current position, speed and heading. Amidst the drama, there was still a sense of humor while we took our precautions seriously. Lia, being the linguist in the group, learned to say, “Please take off your shoes.” and “Would you like a cup of cof fee?” in Somali. I suggested that in the event of a boarding, she might want to hide one of the EPIRBs under her burkha, although I’m not sure if that was really part of her Wewardrobe.worked our way further to the north. Still undecided about where to pick up Monish for the final stretch into Dubai, friends sent us information about Customs clear ance into Oman and various Emir ates in the UAE. Since each Emir ate has different laws regarding Customs and Immigration, it wasn’t as simplistic as one might think. And since there were unmarked rocks within a few hundred yards of the harbor’s entrance, a very good case could be made for a daylight approach – or local guid ance. Monish arranged to meet us in Fujairah on the eastern coast of the UAE shortly after dusk with a small power boat and a group of men who would guide us into the Afterport. three weeks at sea, Lia and I were ready to make landfall. The sailing and sunshine had been beautiful. As engineer onboard the boat, Lia had done a spec tacular job dealing with the various maintenance issues and putting things back together if they failed. As someone to sail with through a wide variety of problems and situa tions, she definitely set a high-water mark of excellence. But it was getting to be time to make landfall, and I doubted that she would miss my mashed potatoes or pasta al
Thepesto.people in Fujairah proved to be exceptionally helpful and friendly. Clearing customs was made easy by the people who ran the marina. The facilities were modern, and we managed to find a little time to go through the souk down the street. It certainly seemed like a place to return to. But it was only going to be an over night stay, and the morning saw us depart for the overnight pas sage through the Straits of Hor muz, bordered on the north by Iran and on the south by Oman and the UAE.
It’s unlikely that’ll it’ll be as magical or as fraught with risk as this last on. Bill Biewenga has sailed more than 400,00 miles offshore. He is a deliv ery skipper, offshore navigator, weather router and moderator for the US Sailing Safety at Sea Semi nars. When not at sea, he lives on Cape Cod, MA.
As night fell, we could see the ship ping lanes to our starboard, with its steady stream of tankers. To port, the mountains of Oman loomed through the dusty, moonlit haze. We worked our way between a few islands and anchored ships, staying well to the south of the ship ping lanes. We had already dealt with the threat of pirates. We didn’t care to make a visit to Iran, consid ering some of the threats emanat ing from fundamentalists there. We later found out that the night we went through the Straits of Hormuz, hugging the Omani coast, another sailboat, closer to the other coastline and crewed by five British sailors, was pulled over and arrested by the Ira nian navy. Our final approach to Dubai was made infinitely easier with Monish’s help. The Palm Islands off of Dubai’s coast were in the process of being manmade, and they’re not always marked on the charts. But the trip down the coast had been beautiful as night fell and the sandy dust settled. Lights from the buildings lit the harbor and surrounded the small basin in which we were able to anchor, just outside the Dubai marina. Nirvana was home at last, and I could catch the night flight to my own home in Newport, RI ready to start the next adventure.
Last spring, Multihulls Today had a long Zoom interview with Michael Kohler, founder and president of Silent Yachts, the builder of the unique solar powered, electric driven cruising catamarans. Many years in development, the Silent Yachts systems have proven extremely reliable, efficient and eco-friendly.
The SilentRemarkableYachtsStory
The company builds seven models from 60 to 120 feet in three factories around the world. In 2022 they are introducing a diesel-electric hybrid design called the VisionF 82. You can visit the Silent Yachts website here.
24 Multihulls Today • summer 2022
Multihulls Today: How did the concepts behind Silent Yachts all-electric cruising boats come about?
Michael Kohler: In 2006, we decided to explore the feasibility of designing a cruising catamaran that was all electric and powered only by natural energy sources, solar and wind. We built the boat and equipped it with everything that a cruising family would need to be comfortable in their floating home. We put on an electric stove and oven, a dishwasher and washing machine. We put on a fridge and freezer and a watermaker and then we tested it with both wind generators and solar. Over the course of a voyage from Europe to the Caribbean and back, we learned a lot about actual performance and learned that wind power was superior to solar on only a very few days a month. In the end you always have a schedule, so if the wind is not coming from the right direction, we and most sailors turn on what we call the “iron genoa” – the engine. In the end, over the course of five years, we measured the time spent sailing and motoring and discovered that it was more favorable to focus on motors instead of sails. Based on what we learned over that time, we began building a new 46 with an all-electric drive train and solar panels to charge the battery banks. We equipped the 46 with all of the electric appliances we put on the first boat. We then tested the 46 for another four years before deciding to put it into production.
www.MultihullsToday.com 25
MT: Can you tell us something about the all-electric, solar panel driven power train? MK: in fact it is quite simple. We did not have to reinvent the technology. Electric motors , gensets and solar panels are all available on the market. The thing that was unique to Silent Yachts, was the hybrid technology. We are able to charge the batteries mainly with solar but we have a
MT: Over the many years that you have been developing your solar
26 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 multihullenthusiast generator as a back up in case we need it. And, also, we can charge the batteries in a marina with the power cords. The unique aspect of this is that we have connected all of the power source and all of the appliances and electronics in a way that works. There are many boats with parallel hybrid systems with both a diesel drive and an electric motor working on the same shaft. Large vessels like cruise ships and war ships, often are dieselelectric hybrids but do not have the diesel connected to the shaft, only the electric motors. This is for noise reasons since it is possible to cut down on vibration and noise. The thing that unique about our drive train is that we combine everything in one system, solar, generator, batteries and electric motors. MT: I was aboard the Silent 60 in Cannes and was impressed by the control panel and software you use to track battery condition and the performance of the whole integrated system. Is that unique to Silent Yachts? MK: Yes, we created our own proprietary software based on our many years of experience and testing. This is in fact the secret thing that makes the whole system work so well. In fact, integrating all of the pieces so they work together well is not so easy. If it was, many others would have done it. The solar panels and batteries, the generator and inverters, the motors and the drive train all have to talk to each other. At least, you need this software to do this in a professional way. For use by regular cruisers, the system needs to be safe, reliable and easy. So, all of the components need to speak a common language and work together. So, this is the software that we developed and what makes Silent Yacht unique.
MT: Batteries on the other hand have seen quite a lot of development and improvement, don’t you think? MK: Yes, this is indeed the case. With solar panels you can say they improve by one percent every five years. But with batteries, it is much quicker. We started using lithium batteries in 2012 in combination with lead-acid batteries. We kept the lead acid because lithium was brand new and we had no data on performance and reliability over the long term. The lithium bank weighed 75 kilos and had 10 kilowatt hours of capacity. The lead acid bank was much larger and weighed one ton and had the same capacity, but was about 12 times heavier than the lithium bank. After one season of hard testing in which we did a lot of things you really shouldn’t do to batteries, like fast charging and deep discharges, trying to get them hot and create an emergency shut-off situation, we found that the lithium batteries worked very well. We removed the lead-acid batteries and installed a second lithium battery bank and these are still the batteries that are on the boat.
MK: No, we have not. Thirteen years ago, when we developed the first 46, solar panel efficiency was at about 20%. Three years later we were at 21%. Until about three years ago, we were at 22% and today we are at 23%.
based electric power train, have you seen a big increase in the output from solar panels?
MT: Shifting gears, you now have three factories building your boats, one in Turkey, one in Thailand and the home plant in Italy. MK: Well, we have had to expand to meet the demand for our boats and deliver them in a reasonable time. In Thailand, they can only build two or three boats a year. In Italy, we can build up to 20 boats a year, depending on the size and model. But this is still not enough. We are also working with a large Turkish shipyard that is now building boats exclusively for us because demand
MK: Yes, the main reason for that is to have a way to introduce prospective buyers to the Silent Yachts experience. Our goal is to give everybody the opportunity to sail such a yacht, but not just for a few hours but for days and weeks so they can see how it really performs. How does it work? Are we pulling a raft behind with a generator on it? Or, do we have a long power cable running to shore? People want to understand how it works. Are there any restrictions? Do they have to switch off the lights and are they allowed to use appliances? Are they going to be able to flush the toilet because that will cost power? They soon discover that life aboard is exactly the opposite. We use electricity more freely on the boat than we do at home. At home, I always turn out the lights when I leave a room but on the boat I don’t because I don’t care. Tomorrow the batteries will be full anyway.
28 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 multihullenthusiast is so great. They are much bigger than our Italian production so we can really ramp up the number of boats and still make reasonable delivery times.
MT: You have a charter operation in Majorca, Spain. How does that fit into your business model?
MT: We see that you are initiating a Silent Yachts resort experience.
MK: You know, 50% of buyers are first time boat owners and it is interesting that each of them has the same reason for wanting a Silent Yacht. They all say that they have wanted to go on a yacht but they can’t sail, did not want to learn to sail and did not want to cope with the hassles of running a sailing boat. On the other hand, for these buyers owning a motorboat was not an option because of noise and fumes and vibrations and also because of the environment. So, motorboats were never an option. So, when they learned about Silent Yacht’s propulsion system and the rest that we deliver, they said yes, it is time for me to start boating and cruising.
MT: Your vision was remarkable to see that the market for these boats was there. Have you seen many sailors buy your boats? MK: Yes, some, but less than I would have expected. So, 50% are first time boat buyers and the other half are evenly mixed between sailors and motorboaters.
MT: Your boats are pretty unique in the marketplace. What are your customers like?
MT: Your first resort project is in the Bahamas. Are there others in the works?
www.MultihullsToday.com 29 Can you tell us more about that?
MK: Yes, the Bahamas project is already under construction. We also have projects in Central America and Greece and there are several more in discussion, including a large project in Fiji.
MT: You are an international company. What are your plans for North America? MK: North America is a very important region for Silent Yachts. We have a wonderful distributor, Ed Sacks, who is 88 years old and is doing a terrific job and selling a lot of boats. This spring we delivered a new Silent 60 to the U.S. and ran numerous sea trials for prospective buyers and the marine press. Ed is doing a great job.
MT: Many thanks, Michael. We look forward to seeing you at the next boat show.
MK: Yes, the resorts project fits very neatly into our system because there is no reason, especially on islands, to rely on diesel generators. In real life, these noisy generators need barrels of oil and they pollute not only the air but also the soil. In a resort like this, our Silent system can work in the same way it does on our boats, with solar, batteries, a backup small diesel generator, and an electric generator. The diesel generator will only run after three or four days of terrible overcast and stormy weather. They may have to run the diesel generator a handful of times a year so pollution, noise and inconvenience is minimized. Our goal is to use sustainable energy as much as possible and reduce unsustainable energy to an absolute minimum.
30 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 modernmultihulls
Quiet, long-range and no carbon footprint, these modern electric-powered multihulls are leading the way to an energy-efficient future
ALVA Yachts, the new German builder, just introduced its new Ocean Eco 60 Coupe, an electricsolar cruiser with a low profile and transatlantic range. ALVA Yachts was started in 2020 by Mathias May and Holger Henn, veterans of Pica Yachts, where they made more than 40 all-electric sail and power boats. ALVA, in turn, has already made 50-, 60- and 90-foot electric yachts, including an Ocean Eco 60 Explorer with a flybridge.
ALVA OCEAN ECO 60
theMultihullsElectric-PoweredShockCruisingWorld
The new 60 Coupe is a lower-pro file version of that boat. It is sched uled to start production later this year. The 60 Coupe is driven by two 250kW electric motors with power from a 150-280kWh battery pack. An 861-square-foot solar panel ar by Peter Janssen
ray on the roof produces 18kW. The cat also carries two diesel gensets that produce 2x100kW/DC each. The new ALVA can cruise all day at 4.5 knots when the sun is out, with out running the gensets. Using the gensets with solar power and fully charged batteries, the yacht has a range of 2,800 nm. At a dock, shore power can replenish the batteries at a rate of 88kW. Top speed is 20 Withknots. a massive beam of 33‘4”, more than half the boat’s length, the 60 Coupe has lounging and entertaining space all around. The foredeck has two L-shaped settees with tables set far apart; you could have a crowd up there. Aft, the open aft deck has a settee with a table and chairs. In the salon, two chairs face the helm on the port side, with a large, angled sofa to port. The galley is aft, to port, with a bar and then a table seating eight to Youstarboard.canorder the 60 Coupe in a charter version or owner’s version, where the master stateroom with a sitting room and head take up entire starboard hull. Three other staterooms, including a large VIP forward, are on the port side, all with en suite heads. Read more CANDELA C-8 FOILER Candela, the innovative Swedish builder, says it’s at the iPhone-like tip ping point for revolutionizing boat ing with its brand-new, all-electric C-8 foiling craft. After 16 months of
32 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 modernmultihulls
development, Candela just tested the first C-8 at its headquarters in Stockholm and the company says it is now ready to start production. The C-8 foils at 16 knots, leaving no wake, noise or emissions behind. At 24 knots, the boat has a range of 50 nm. Top speed is 30 knots.Candela is expanding and moving to a new factory in May. It plans to produce 400 boats a year by 2024. The C-8 will cost about $330,000. The C-8 is the mass production ver sion of the C-7 prototype that Can dela launched in 2019, with refined hydrofoil technology and flightcontrol software. Candela has already received more than 100 or ders for the C-8 since it introduced the concept last fall. The boat has a 44kW lithium-ion battery and two of the company’s 55kW C-pod drives; each one drives a counterrotating propeller, and weighs just 110 pounds. The com pany says they require no mainte nance for 3,000 hours. Charging time is two hours with three-phase Thecharging.C-8is designed as a comfort able day boat or weekender. It has a V-berth and a head below, and seats for eight people on deck, with a large sunbed aft. The company says it provides a smooth ride, with no pounding, even in rough seas. You can order it as an open cruiser or with a hardtop and sunroof. Fac tory options include a cooler, fresh water shower, radar and search Specs.:lights.
LOA: 27’8”; Beam: 8’’2”; Draft: (foils retracted) 1’6”, (foiling) 2’6”; Disp.: NA; Fuel: NA; Water: NA;
www.MultihullsToday.com 33 Power: 2x55kW Candela C-Pod drives. Read moreLEEN 72 Leen Trimarans is putting the final touches on its new flagship 72 in its factory in New Rochelle, France. It plans to sea trial the massive tri in the next few weeks, and then de liver it to its American owner in time for the Annapolis power boat show in TheOctober.Leen72 is meant to be a fuelefficient, stable, long-range ex plorer yacht. The trimaran design has the main 330-hp Cummins diesel in the center hull, with an electric motor is each outer hull. The two electric motors help with low-speed maneuvering and pro vide silent running with no emis sions when entering or leaving a port. They also provide backups in case the main diesel has a Youproblem.can order the 72 with power ranging from a 300-hp to 500-hp main engine. Hybrid and solar instal lations are options. With the standard 330-hp Cummins, top speed is is ex pected to be about 18 knots with a range of about 500 nm. The entire deck on the 72 is devot ed to living space, with three, four or even six staterooms below. The 72 is fuel-efficient, since three nar row hulls generate less resistance than a beamy monohull or most
Althoughcatamarans.Leen introduced its first model, a 56, just last year, the com pany has extensive experience with trimarans. Leen is the power version of Neel sailing trimarans, just spelled backward. In a four-cabin layout, the master stateroom with its en suite head are on the forward part of the trimaran’s middle hull. A double cabin is fitted on the back part of that hull, and an outer double cabin is in each side hull; all the cabins have en suite heads. In a three-cabin version, a garage fills the aft space in the main hull where a double cabin was in the four-cabin version. The main hull is all on one level, from the cockpit all the way for ward, with a luxurious salon and galley. Up top, the wheelhouse has a large U-shaped sofa, a TV, desk
The new SILENT VisionF 82 will have a hybrid drivetrain; a fully electric model will also be available. The new cat will be a bit longer than the SILENT 80, but will carry less beam. It also will have more room on the foredeck, with a sunken lounge area that is not present on the SILENT cat. The salon and aft dining area will still be large and luxurious, with lots of room for relax ing and entertaining.
34 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 modernmultihulls and a helm station for two people. A door provides access to the main deck for docking. Specs.: LOA: 72’0”; Beam: 29’0”; Draft: 4’5”; Disp.: 64,000 lbs.; Fuel: 1,320 gals.; Water: 264 gals.; Power: 330-hp Cummins diesel. Read more SILENT VISION F 82
SILENT-YACHTS, the creative Austri an company, just announced that it’s building a new hybrid 82-foot cat with VisionF Yachts in Turkey.
The hull and superstructure will be built with aluminum, which offers more flexibility for the layout. The standard layout calls for a large master suite and three guest cab ins, all with en suite heads, in the two hulls; one of the cabins can be converted easily into an on-board
Theoffice.extended flybridge has a large solar array like other SILENT yachts to provide electrical energy for the 160kWh lithium-ion battery bank; that’s enough to run all the house appliances at anchor.
“The SILENT VisionF 82 is a fantastic yacht that will combine the best of both worlds,” said Michael Köhler, the company’s founder and CEO. “The aim of our collaboration with VisionF Yachts is to share our expertise and know-how in order to sup port other manufacturers. Tesla did something similar by opening up their patents and making the tech nology available to everyone.”
VisionF makes yachts form 80 to 175 feet. Read more SOEL SENSES 62 LONG RANGE CRUISER Soel, the innovative Dutch build er, just unveiled a new Senses 62 electric-powered catamaran with a massive 564 kWh battery that the company says provides “transocean range.” The 62 is Soel’s lat-
The new drivetrain comes with three modes: electric, hybrid, and power. In the electric mode, you can have sustainable power at low speeds, for transiting a harbor, for example, or waiting for a bridge opening. In the hybrid mode, the system will automatically select the electric motor, the diesel engine, or both, depending on the speed and bat tery condition. In the power mode, both the electric motor and the diesel engine will be engaged to boost acceleration and top speed.
est and largest yacht, and it uses battery packs and solar panels to replenish its power supply at sea. It’s also a massive yacht, with a 33’ 6” beam that represents more than half the cat’s length. That means it carries a lot of luxury space, inside and out. The 62 has sleeping accommodations for nine passengers, plus three crew, who have separate cabins with outside access for privacy. It also has several lounges, two din ing areas, an open galley with a bar, and a desk office. Soel started building solar electric boats in 2016, with a focus on providing maximum efficiency. It now builds an electric ferry as well as a sustainable floating island called Soel Haven. In addition to large catamarans, the company builds the 35-foot Soel Cruiser (pictured below). With just electric power, the Cruiser tops out at 14 knots. With diesel/electric, a hybrid Cruiser hits 17 knots. The new 62 has integrated solar panels on the roof that generate 17.6 kWp of solar energy, the equivalent of 50 kWh. The solar panels have Soel’s propriety active cooling system. The company says it helps increase the energy production by as much as 20 percent You don’t have to recharge at the dock, but the boat still has DC fast charging in addition to AC shore power. The 62 comes with two propul sion systems, Cruise, or Power. The Cruise has two 100 kW electric mo tors, with 282 kWh of lithium battery capacity and a 100 kW DC genera tor. It cruises at 8 knots and tops out at 10 knots. The Power version has two 200 kW electric motors, with 424 kWh of lithium battery capac ity, and a 150 kW DC generator. You also can add more battery capacity, up to the 564 kWh that theoretically can provide oceancrossing range since the battery pack is constantly being recharged from the solar panels. Running on just the batteries alone, at 8 knots the 62 has a range of 32 nm with the 282 kWh battery pack; 47 nm with the 424 kWh pack, and 63 nm with the 564 pack. Specs.: LOA: 61’5”; Beam: 33’6”; Draft: 3’1”; Disp.: 36 tons; Fuel: 264 gals.; Water: 264 gals.; Power: 2×100 kW; 2×200 kW electric motors. Read more
36 Multihulls Today • summer 2022 modernmultihulls
www.MultihullsToday.com 37 HH 44 HYBRID
The new HH 44 Hybrid offers a ocean-capable family cruising boat under 50 feet that comes with a dual power system –diesel and electric—that makes the boat truly self-reliant and independent. Here’s an excellent write up on their website: The HH44 is a disruptive new market entrant designed for those seeking the perfect balance of style, performance, safety and innovation. The carbon composite parallel hybrid HH44 is a game changing, eco-friendly cruising yacht, poised to win the hearts and minds of early tech adopters, world cruisers and serious sailors alike. The HH44 incorporates all the features that set HH Catamarans apart: excellent sailing performance, robust carbon fiber and epoxy composite construction, exquisite interior fit and finish, and state-of-theart marine equipment. Every line and curve has been carefully considered and executed to create the most beautiful 44ft cruising catamaran on the planet. To meet the ever increasing demand for energy independence, the HH44 has been conceived from the ground up to work with a parallel hybrid system. The HH44’s parallel hybrid provides all the benefits of an electric boat: silent fume-
modernmultihulls free motoring, instant torque for maneuverability, and hydroregeneration while sailing, with the ability to switch to a trusty diesel engine when needed. The helms have been positioned in the aft corners which opens up the cabin top for up to 3.2kW of solar panels (+.5kW mounted on the davits) to compliment the hybrid. Propelled by electric motors the boat will do 7.5kts for 2.5 hours; an 18nm range while powered by batteries and sun alone. The hydro-regeneration combined with huge solar array and excellent sailing performance in all wind strengths give the HH44 infinite range. Safety being paramount, the HH44’s redesigned enclosed aft cockpit provides a secure platform to live and operate the boat. Closed transoms and uncluttered side decks make the boat more child and pet friendly. A clean aft beam, with davit winches hidden below and the mainsheet traveler on the cabin top, creates a safer aft cockpit with uninterrupted views aft. Read more Peter Janssen is the editor of the weekly e-journal Cruising Odyssey where the first five of these reviews first appeared. Cruising Odyssey is for power cruisers and the owners of cruising powerboats. You can visit new e-journal’s website here You can subscribe for FREE to the weekly e-journal, with the ability to opt-out at any time, and the knowledge that Cruising Odyssey never shares our subscriber list, here.
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Lagoon 42 February 2016 Photo Credit: Nicolas Claris
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