MULTIHULL ENTHUSIAST

Electric-Powered Multihulls Shock the Cruising World

Quiet, long-range and no carbon footprint, these modern electric-powered multihulls are leading the way to an energy-efficient future by Peter Janssen

ALVA OCEAN ECO 60 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.

The new 60 Coupe is a lower-profile version of that boat. It is scheduled 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-

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, without 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 knots.

With 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 starboard.

You can order 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 tipping point for revolutionizing boating with its brand-new, all-electric C-8 foiling craft. After 16 months of

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 version of the C-7 prototype that Candela launched in 2019, with refined hydrofoil technology and flightcontrol software. Candela has already received more than 100 orders 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 company says they require no maintenance for 3,000 hours. Charging time is two hours with three-phase charging.

The C-8 is designed as a comfortable 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. Factory options include a cooler, freshwater shower, radar and searchlights.

Specs.: LOA: 27’8”; Beam: 8’’2”; Draft: (foils retracted) 1’6”, (foiling) 2’6”; Disp.: NA; Fuel: NA; Water: NA;

Power: 2x55kW Candela C-Pod drives. Read more

LEEN 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 deliver it to its American owner in time for the Annapolis power boat show in October.

The Leen 72 is meant to be a fuelefficient, stable, long-range explorer 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 provide silent running with no emissions when entering or leaving a port. They also provide backups in case the main diesel has a problem.

You can order the 72 with power ranging from a 300-hp to 500-hp main engine. Hybrid and solar installations are options. With the standard 330-hp Cummins, top speed is is expected to be about 18 knots with a range of about 500 nm. The entire deck on the 72 is devoted to living space, with three, four or even six staterooms below. The 72 is fuel-efficient, since three narrow hulls generate less resistance than a beamy monohull or most catamarans.

Although Leen introduced its first model, a 56, just last year, the company 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 forward, with a luxurious salon and galley. Up top, the wheelhouse has a large U-shaped sofa, a TV, desk

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 Austrian company, just announced that it’s building a new hybrid 82-foot cat with VisionF Yachts in Turkey. 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 relaxing and entertaining.

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 cabins, all with en suite heads, in the two hulls; one of the cabins can be converted easily into an on-board office.

The 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 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 battery condition. In the power mode, both the electric motor and the diesel engine will be engaged to boost acceleration and top speed.

“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 support other manufacturers. Tesla did something similar by opening up their patents and making the technology available to everyone.”

VisionF makes yachts form 80 to 175 feet. Read more

SOEL SENSES 62 LONG RANGE CRUISER Soel, the innovative Dutch builder, 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-