SILENT-YACHTS, the innovative Austrian builder, is working on a new 60 solar-electric catamaran, a step up from it best-selling 55. They already have six orders for the new 60; the first will be launched this summer.
The new SILENT 60 is designed to be self-sufficient and provide unlimited range under solar and electric power. The drive and house systems are all solar-electric, and they are free of fumes, vibration and reliance on fossil fuel. They also are, as the name of the company states, silent.
The 60 has a total of 42 solar panels, two 250kW electric motors, and a battery capacity of 210kWh. They provide a cruising speed of 6 to 8 knots. The company says the boat can cruise efficiently for up to 100 nm a day for weeks.
“The SILENT 60 is a true world cruiser,” says Michael Köhler, founder and CEO of SILENT-YACHTS. “We updated our most popular model and now she resembles the flagship SILENT 80.”
The 60 has a longer waterline than the 55, and it’s wider, providing more interior volume. The salon has windows all around, and the boat has a distinctive long window stripe in the hull, providing light to the accommodations deck.
The new 60 also has more headroom than the 55, a more shallow draft (only 3 feet), and a new high performance hull with a reverse bow. All the appliances operate on a 220/110-volt system, and the galley has a large enough freezer and fridge to sustain passengers in six staterooms for a long cruise; it also has an efficient induction cooktop, precluding the need for propane.
You can order the boat with from three to six staterooms, with up to six heads. All the heads have separate showers, and all the staterooms have double or twin berths.
SILENT-YACHTS says it produces the first oceangoing solar-electric production catamarans in the world. The company was founded by Köhler and his wife, Heike, in 2009, after they spent 6,000 days cruising more than 75,000 miles around the world.
Specs.: LOA: 59’0”; Beam: 29’4”; Draft: 3’0”; Disp.: 25 tons; Fuel: 422 gals.; Water: 264 gals.; Power; 2x250kW.
