Silent-Yachts is introducing the new version of its Silent 55 solar-electric catamaran at the Cannes Yachting Festival starting Sept. 10, with a revised drive train, more battery power, lower noise levels, and e-motors that are twice as powerful as the ones on the original boat. The Austrian company says it’s the first and only ocean-going solar-electric production catamaran in the world.
The new cruiser is self-sufficient with virtually unlimited range and silent propulsion. It has no vibration, fumes or lingering carbon footprint. Michael Köhler, the company’s founder and CEO, says, “Silent-Yachts sets the standard for an entirely new dynamic in yachting. No fuel. No maintenance. Pure solar-powered luxury.”
The Silent 55 has a pair of 250 kW e-motors and 210 kWh battery capacity and 30 high efficiency solar panels for a 10 kilowatt peak. It uses solar charge regulators and lithium batteries for all-night cruising, while a 15-KVA inverter provides power for all the boat’s appliances; the fridge and freezer and induction cooktop run on a 220/110-volt system, just like home. And a watermaker, powered by solar-electric, produces enough water to supply a dozen guests on board for a cruise.
You don’t need to use the generator for air conditioning or cooking at anchor, and Köhler says you would only have to use it to recharge the batteries in rare cases if you wanted to run at high speeds for a long period of time or if you encountered bad weather for several days.
The boat has a top speed of 20 knots and a cruising speed of 12 knots. The company says you could cruise up to 100 miles a day for weeks at lower speeds.
The Silent 55 is available in five different interior layouts, ranging from three to six staterooms with three or four heads. The standard layout has a large salon on the main deck with four large cabins below, including a full-beam master suite in the bow and guest staterooms in the port and starboard hulls. All the heads have separate showers.
The side decks on the big cat are wide, the salon is particularly spacious, with an aft galley, the social area on the foredeck holds a crowd, and the boat has both a lower helm and another up on the flybridge.
The hull is laid up using the vacuum-bagged, resin-infusion process for light weight, and it’s reinforced with carbon fiber at stress points. The company uses vinylester resin to prevent osmotic blistering. Base price is $1,565,760.
Specs.: LOA: 54’8”; Beam: 27’7”; Draft: 3’9”; Disp.: 38,000 lbs.; Fuel: 422 gals.; Water: 264 gals.; Power: 2×250 e-motors.
