Silent Yachts, the creative Austrian builder of solar-powered catamarans, just launched its first all-electric tender, a 13’ 1” Silent Tender 400 that holds six people and can hit a top speed of 20 knots.
With a carbon fiber hull, the Silent Tender weighs just 199 pounds, so it can fit on the swim platform of a Silent 60, the company’s smallest cat. The tender also replicates some of the 60’s styling, with angular lines, a lowered bulwark, and a black-and-white finish. The hull is surrounded by a stripe of rubber coating; the company says it resembles the signature window stripe of the catamarans.
The new tender is a rigid, planing boat, with a standard 16kWh lithium battery that can be upgraded to a 20kWh affair. At 10 knots, the standard version provides two hours of driving time. You can recharge the battery in 2.5 hours.
Owners can choose various inboard and outboard propulsion system. The inboard comes with a 20kW electric water jet, offering the benefits of low draft and safe operation without a prop.
The tender has a beam of 6’ 5” and a basic center-console layout, with two seats on the bow and a lowered bulwark for midships boarding. There’s a basic leather-padded steering wheel, throttle, and digital display showing speed, heading and depth.
Base price for the Silent Tender 400 is slightly more than $80,000. A larger version is in the works. Read more:
