Lukas Sjoman, a young Finnish inventor, built Helios 11 to prove that an all-electric, solar-powered boat can cruise for extended periods if not indefinitely without burning an ounce of carbon fuel.
This spring he left Finland and headed for the European canals. His destination was the island of Ibiza in Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Med. Along the way he posted YouTube videos and has developed a sizeable following.
At one point on the way south, the solar panel array that covers the whole boat, was damaged by hooligans throwing stones at him from a bridge as he passed underneath. One of the panels was cracked but the total array was still operable and putting out plenty of energy.
But, his trials did not end there. Once he got to the coast of Spain and anchored La Rapita, his dinghy and electric outboard were stolen, leaving him stranded on the boat without a way to get ashore. Ever resourceful, Sjoman set out to build a simple replacement, a foam and two-by-four catamaran that he could paddle.
