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Spirit Yachts launches spectacular long-range electric flying boat

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Spirit Yachts and BAR Technologies have launched what they claim is the first fully electric boat capable of a fast cruising range of 100 nautical miles...

Created on the basis of BAR’s America’s Cup simulation and design expertise, the SpiritBARTech35EF is a purpose-built electric boat with a trio of active retractable foils to help minimise drag.

Fabricated from solid titanium, those foils comprise a single T-foil rudder aft for controlling the pitch and yaw. They also include twin legs and single bar forward, with port and starboard aileron-style trim tabs to control roll.

They are a development of various active systems developed by BAR Technologies over the past decade, including Sir Ben Ainslie’s extreme-foiling America’s Cup racers and the foil-assisted Princess R35 sportsboat , which was unveiled in 2018.

Game-changing performance?

With a beam of just 7ft 6in (2.3m), the SpiritBARTech35EF uses a relatively narrow design and a modified deep-vee hull with a fine entry, a single step amidships and a flattened off transom.

Rising from the water at around 14 knots, the flying attitude is adjusted automatically via an IMU that takes inputs from various ride sensors.

Designed to power over swells of up to 5ft (1.5m) in height, she  is reportedly capable of a top speed of 30 knots, alongside a range of 100Nm at a cruising speed of 22 knots.

However, with the foils retracted for displacement speed cruising in shoal waters or berthing, the normal draught should be little more than a foot (0.3m).

Modern tech – classical design

Above the water line, the Spirit Yachts’ design is sleek but powerfully classical. Built from cold-moulded wood with a carbon fibre reinforced shell, the structure of the new 35ft electric flyer weighs just a tonne.

The hull’s ring frames and planking are made from Alaskan yellow cedar and the topsides use a decorative layer of African sipo finished with a stunning high-gloss lacquer.

On the inside, owners are able to open up an intimate six-seat cockpit or to close it off with elegant cowls for a more sporting two-seat spider-style experience.

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Karen Underwood of Spirit Yachts said: “Our collaboration with BAR Technologies is the epitome of the modern classic ethos on which Spirit Yachts was founded.

“Beautiful, clean, classic lines and sustainable timber construction, married with forward-thinking technology from BAR. The 35EF is an exciting new opportunity for anyone looking for a stand-out performance yacht with serious style.”

The future of electric foilers?

This limited edition electric flyer will be the first in a series of boats BAR Technologies will design in its bid to create a greener generation of leisure yachts – and John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies, is excited about what the new electric flyer represents:

“It is a proud moment for us to bring this beautiful boat to market. We firmly believe that the future of this sector will be defined by developments in the sustainability and efficiency of vessels. In particular, we recognise that there are new hull forms that can be designed to achieve this and we want to be at the forefront of this development.”

SpiritBARTech35EF specifications

LOA: 34ft 5in / 10.5m Beam: 7ft7in / 2.3m Displacement: 2,400kg / 5,291lbs Top speed: 28 knots / 32mph Range: 100nm @ 22 knots Price: “Reassuringly expensive”

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Spirit Yachts delivers new Spirit 44CR(e) electric yacht

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Avvento: The all-electric Spirit 44e that’s pushing boundaries

• March 23, 2021

The Spirit 44e is a modern classic cruiser that conceals cutting-edge power management technology and has been built with a sustainable ethos. Theo Stocker reports on a test sail

Boats have been built of wood since Noah first put axe to tree. For devotees of the classic style, Spirit Yachts have been building head-turningly pretty yachts with laminated wooden hulls since 1993, including the largest single-masted wooden yacht built in the UK since the 1930s, the jaw-dropping new Spirit 111 . But last year the Ipswich-based yard also launched the Spirit 44e, Avvento , a smaller sister to its 47 and 55 Cruising Range yachts.

Unrecyclable fibreglass and sails, toxic antifoul, and fossil-fuel propulsion have been replaced by sustainably sourced timber, self-sufficient electric propulsion and zero carbon emissions.

The owner is Vincent Argiro, a retired tech entrepreneur who lives and sails in British Columbia. Explaining his motivation, he said: “My first sailboat was also the first of its kind to be built all-electric. I have never owned anything else, nor will I. To me, it is a terrible corruption of the beauty and simplicity of sailing to add internal-combustion propulsion to it.”

The thoroughly modern Spirit 44E looks every inch a classicPhoto: Richard Langdon / Ocean Images

Avvento is built, Spirit claims, to last 100 years and to be largely recyclable when the time does come. In the meantime, she will burn no hydrocarbons whatsoever, with not even a backup generator or wind turbine installed.

Spirit 44e under sail

The river Orwell in Suffolk was flat calm for our test sail. No more than zephyrs ruffled the water’s surface, barely disturbing the mirror-reflection on the Spirit 44e’s brightwork of varnished sico mahogany and polished stainless steel.

The 44e’s sharp bow sweeps back into a modest sheerline, and the sleek coachroof rises out of a pale yellow Lignia wood deck. Abaft the oval cockpit is a decadently long counter stern and raked transom beneath the sweeping quarter deck.

The design brief for the 44e began as a short-handed racing yacht that was also suitable for coastal cruising. Now the boat is built, Argiro explains: “I definitely expect to do long passages, including offshore races – genuine adventures.

“I also expect to live aboard for many months. British Columbia sailing is year-round for the rugged among us, so she will see lots of use in all seasons.”

The 44e has more beam and higher topsides than Spirit’s thoroughbred Classic range, but by modern standards still has modest beam and a fine stern – sacrificing a full 4m (13ft 4in) to her overhangs.

But with a high aspect fin and bulb keel and deep carbon spade rudder, coupled with exceptionally light displacement, it’s clear she’s built for performance.

Slipping the lines you notice the lack of diesels rumbling into life. Flick out the throttle on the binnacle, nudge it ahead, and the Oceanvolt 15kW (20hp) saildrive motor delivers power smoothly from standstill.

Helming from midships provides a good all-round view. Photo: Richard Langdon / Ocean Images

Once the breeze had increased to 5-6 knots we began tacking downriver, against the breeze and the last of the flood, making 4-5 knots and around 50-55º to the true wind direction over the ground – an impressive feat against the tide.

In the narrow channel we found its short waterline means the Spirit 44e spins on a sixpence. This responsiveness makes the boat feel like a big dinghy; a gentle nudge of the wheel will have her sailing to every lift and header, and with a displacement of just 6.5 tonnes, you can feel the acceleration with each little puff.

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This is a boat that rewards concentration, but is well enough balanced that you can lock the wheel and leave the helm while you winch in a headsail or trim the main, and it hold her course perfectly.

The Spirit 44e’s slender lines aft mean that when she heels, she does so along the centreline. The helming experience is noticeably different, as you are not perched high up on the aft quarter where the motion is greatest, or forced to a limited view on the leeward side. Positioned well forward and midships, you have a good all round view and a feeling of connection to the water.

Single-handed performance

Built for the often light winds of British Columbia in Canada, Avvento ’s rig is higher than standard, creating space for a larger, powerful 54.4m2 fully-battened, slab-reefed mainsail. The 105% jib (32.8m2) is set on an electric furler below deck.

Both sails help deliver the Spirit 44e’s sustainability targets: whereas most laminate sails are made of a mixture of fibres, films and glues meaning they can only be disposed of in landfill, One Sails’ 4T Forte sails are made from different forms of a single substance – high modulus polyethylene.

Moulded as a single piece, these sails are claimed to be stronger and promise more longevity than other laminates and, critically, at the end of their lives, the hardware can be removed and the sails completely recycled.

Halyards are all led aft to a bank of clutches on the coachroof. Photo: Richard Langdon / Ocean Images

Halyards are led aft to a bank of clutches on the coachroof, and getting to the halyards is the only reason a single-handed skipper would need to leave the helm, for which the B&G autopilot can lend a hand. Cleverly, the lead angles for the jib sheets work to either of two 48ST winches on each side so the headsail can be trimmed from the helm when single-handed, or from further forward with crew, leaving the aft winches free for spinnaker sheets.

Spirit 44e: Green power

As the wind died on our sail back in, we left the main up and engaged the motor again. Handling was good at lower speeds, though slightly twitchy above 6.5 knots thanks to her short waterline, but with electric propulsion you would naturally back off – energy consumption increases exponentially with speed.

Motoring at 7 knots with no sails up, the Spirit 44e range was little more than a couple of hours or 14 miles. Motor at 5 knots and this increases to around 5 hours/25 miles, while at 3 knots with no sails up, your range is a sedate 200 miles while you use a mere 1.3kW. Add in up to 625W from the colour matched Solbian solar panels mounted flush in the quarter deck and the Solar Cloth System panels on the mainsail, and you extend this by another 50%.

If you can sail for some of that distance, with the 48V Oceanvolt motor and ServoProp controllable pitch propeller set to ‘regenerate’ you’ll be putting 500W into the 30.4kW battery bank at 6 knots, and a whopping 1.5kW at 8.5 knots. Unlimited motoring range is not that far out of reach (there is also a shore charger).

The galley features an alcohol spirit stove rather than gas. Photo: Richard Langdon / Ocean Images

Argiro acknowledges that range is still an issue, but says: “The pros are so numerous; never smelling diesel fumes (especially when seasick); the quiet; the silence during manoeuvring; the instant torque; the lack of maintenance; the very high reliability. There is only one con and that is range. And there is a simple remedy to that – patience.”

The technology is developing quickly, says Argiro. “Within five years, I believe that the enormous advances that Tesla is making in reducing the cost and increasing the energy density of batteries will bring range and cost parity with internal combustion engines to electric yachting.”

Built to last

The boat is constructed using Spirit’s tried and tested three layers of epoxy strip planking over laminated ringframes, creating a strong and lightweight shell. This is all done using certified sustainable timber, and Spirit is looking into using bio resins to replace the current petrochemical based ones.

Traditional helm pedestal houses the navigation and power displays. Photo: Richard Langdon / Ocean Images

The boat is decked with Lignia wood (treated softwood to make it as durable as hardwood) and not teak, because: “It is impossible to guarantee that teak from Myanmar is sustainable, so we have decided not to use it and Lignia is, if anything, better than what it replaces,” explained Spirit’s managing director Nigel Stuart.

Down below the structure of the boat, coupled with Spirit’s flawless craftsmanship, creates a stunning interior with a cosy feel. Avvento is finished with sole boards in pale yellow Lignia, with joinery in oiled walnut (even the dye in the oil is plant rather than oil based), and the Douglas fir strip planking of the hull visible behind the upholstered settees.

Unsurprisingly, there is much less volume in the accommodation than most modern 44-footers, but Spirit has found clever solutions to squeeze in C-shaped seating for six to port around a fold-out table, and a straight settee to starboard, at 190cm both long enough to serve as sea berths. In the C-shaped galley, the owner opted for a fossil-fuel free alcohol stove, but Spirit now often fits electric induction cookers.

The forward cabin is largely taken up by a vee-berth with locker space to starboard and stowage beneath the bunk. In a boat fitted with a diesel engine, there would be space for just one quarter berth, but with the space saved with the electric motor, the 44e squeezes in an additional berth behind the companionway, above the motor.

Enormous symmetrical lazarettes for stowage in the stern overhang. Photo: Richard Langdon / Ocean Images

Stowage is reasonable but not extensive – there are good lockers throughout, while stowage under berths is limited due to the water tanks and batteries. But this is compensated for by vast stowage on deck with the counter stern providing cavernous lazarette lockers which will easily swallow an inflatable dinghy, fenders, sails, folding bikes and the usual cruising clobber.

The 44e is drop dead gorgeous. From her sleek lines to her dovetail joints, there is no part of the boat that is not a pleasure to look at. She is also utterly engaging to sail, being light, powerful and responsive. And above all, she is light years ahead of most production yachts in terms of environmental impact, leading the way that others need to follow.

Specifications:

LOA: 13.40m / 44ft 0in LWL: 9.40m / 30ft 8in Beam: 3.30m / 10ft 10in Draught: 2.30m / 7ft 7in Displacement: 6,500kg / 14,330lb Ballast: 2,450kg / 5,401lb Sail area: 85.7m2 / 922ft2 Design: Sean McMillan Build: Spirit Yachts Ltd

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Spirit Yachts launches Spirit 30 electric yacht

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Spirit Yachts deliver their first fully Electric Yacht

Spirit Yachts has successfully delivered its first fully electric yacht, Avvento, to her Canadian owner.

Based on the Spirit cruiser racer design, the 44CR (e) was commissioned for an eco-conscious customer who set Spirit Yachts the goal of “near total energy self-sufficiency” .

The ‘e’ denotes the yacht’s electric drive system.

The project is the first fully electric yacht to be designed and built by Spirit Yachts.

At the request of her owner, Vincent Argiro, a retired technology entrepreneur living, sailing, racing and exploring in British Columbia, the yacht has zero hydrocarbons onboard.

  She is also the first yacht in the UK to be launched with solar panels integrated into the main sail and deck.

The 44ft (13.4m) sloop-rigged sailing yacht has a lightweight (65kgs) Oceanvolt ServoProp15 sail drive, which is powered by Oceanvolt 48VDC batteries (total capacity 30.4kWh, made up of x16 1.9kWh batteries).

The electric drive system uses hydro generation via the electronically controlled pitch propeller to regenerate the batteries whilst sailing.

Regeneration is boosted by solar panels on the mainsail and the aft deck.

Spirit Yachts managing director Nigel Stuart commented . . .

“The original brief from the owner was for a yacht that would sail well in the light winds of British Columbia.”

“The yacht also needed to deliver the lowest possible carbon footprint during its build and when operating, as well as having the flexibility to upgrade the systems when technology advances.”

Regeneration depends on sailing speed, but Spirit Yachts has calculated it will be realistic to see 1.5kW at 8 knots of speed.

Weather dependent, the solar deck panels on the deck and the mainsail can regenerate a combined total of 1.47kW.

Two Solbian solar panels are integrated into the aft Lignia Yacht deck and support the drive system by recharging the batteries.

The panels (that can be walked over) serve as the hatch covers for two large lazarettes below, one of which houses a tender with an electric motor.

The interior layout accommodates four guests across two cabins.

A forward double V berth with ensuite serves as the owner’s cabin and a starboard aft cabin sleeps two guests in twin berths. A fold-down chart table has been built into the forward bulkhead of the guest cabin to maximise space.

A central saloon has a port-side, u-shaped sofa around an American Walnut dining table, complemented by a second sofa to starboard.

Aft of the saloon, to port, is the open-plan galley. White bulkheads, Sipo mahogany ringframes and exposed yellow cedar planking give the interior a warm, natural feel.

Nigel Stuart

Tech Spec :

• L.O.A. : 44ft – 13.40m
• Beam : 10ft 10” – 3.30m
• Displ : 6 tonnes
• L.W.L : 30ft 8″ – 9.40m
• Draft : 7ft 7” – 2.30m
• Engine : 15kW 48V Oceanvolt
• Prop : Oceanvolt Control Pitch
• Range at 5knots : 25nm
• Water : 270 litres
• Battery capacity : 30kWh (x16 batteries at 48v)

More details availabel here . . .

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Energy self-sufficient electric yacht delivered

Spirit Yachts says it has successfully delivered its new Spirit 44CR(e) to her Canadian owner. Based on the Spirit cruiser racer (CR) design, the company notes its 44CR(e) was commissioned for an eco-conscious customer who set the company a goal of “near total energy self-sufficiency”. The ‘e’ denotes the yacht’s electric drive system.

The 44ft (13.4m) sloop-rigged sailing yacht has a lightweight (65kg) Oceanvolt ServoProp15 sail drive, which is powered by 48V DC batteries (total capacity 30.4kWh, made up of 16 x 1.9kWh batteries). The electric drive system uses hydro generation via the electronically controlled pitch propeller to regenerate the batteries while sailing. Regeneration is boosted by solar panels on the mainsail and the aft deck.

Spirit Yachts managing director Nigel Stuart commented, “The original brief from the owner was for a yacht that would sail well in the light winds of British Columbia. The yacht also needed to deliver the lowest possible carbon footprint during its build and when operating, as well as having the flexibility to upgrade the systems when technology advances. Without a generator on board, the owner will need to be mindful of energy consumption, but with careful management of battery power there will be no sacrifice on any luxuries. The yacht has air-conditioning, heating and electric toilets, all of which make life on board very comfortable.”

Regeneration depends on sailing speed, but the company has calculated that 1.5kW of regeneration at 8kts of speed is feasible. Depending on the weather, solar panels on the deck and the mainsail can also regenerate a combined total of 1.47kW.

Two Solbian solar panels are integrated into the aft Lignia Yacht deck and support the drive system by recharging the batteries. The panels, which can be walked over, serve as the hatch covers for two large lazarettes below, one of which houses a tender with an electric motor.

To deliver on the brief of a yacht capable of performing well in especially light winds, Spirit Yachts fitted a taller mast and a larger mainsail than on a standard 44CR rig. It has also worked with OneSails GBR (East) to develop a solar solution for the yacht’s sail wardrobe. John Parker from OneSails GBR (East) explained, “We have collaborated with Solar Cloth System to integrate thin cell PV panels into the yacht’s 4T Forte main sail as a source of electrical generation.”

French company Solar Cloth System developed the technology, which is officially called Powersails. “Due to the high modulus construction of the composite material,” Parker continued, “the impact of the PV panels will be minimal in terms of the sail’s characteristics and performance. The technology is cutting edge and to my knowledge it is first project of its kind in the UK.”

Spirit Yachts founder and chief designer Sean McMillan remarked, “One of the great joys with this particular yacht was the freedom afforded by the lack of a large diesel engine, which would normally need to sit on the centerline and take up a considerable amount of space. By having a much smaller electric drive system, the owner is able to have a twin aft cabin and a more spacious central living area for living aboard and entertaining.”

The owner of the Spirit 44CR(e), christened Avvento, is Vincent Argiro, a retired technology entrepreneur living, sailing, racing and exploring in British Columbia. Commenting on the yacht he said, “Avvento is meant to be a defining prototype of an energy self-sufficient and sustainably built sailing vessel; a living laboratory and research platform for proving out all the technologies and practices that make eco-sailing attractive to many others. She will soon be live on the internet for all to study her ‘energy metabolism’ wherever in the world she is!” He also plans to launch a website, which will track the yacht’s energy usage and regeneration.

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Yachting Monthly

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Electric yacht: What are the options for going electric?

• Will Bruton
• July 17, 2020

The options for having an electric yacht or a hybrid-electric yacht are growing in popularity; we outline the current options for those making the switch

The Arcona 380Z is a standard production yacht that has been adapted for electric propulsion. Note the increased solar panel surface area with soft panels bonded to the sails. Credit: Jukka Pakainen

A modern electric yacht can come in all shapes and sizes, from the latest high-tech speed boats with recently developed high-performance electric engines, to a traditional tender with an electric outboard on the back. Increasingly yachts are going electric too as electric engines become increasingly capable of propelling boats weighing several tonnes, and with the rigging for sails, at a reasonable speed for an acceptable length of time. 

Since the invention of the marinised engine , there has never been the capacity to store enough fuel to cover significant distances in boats that are smaller than a tanker, with fuel capacity always being the limiting factor. As such the best way to cover long distances on a boat fit for a small number of passengers was, and remains, wind power. 

For all the many green attributes that using the power of wind offers, there is no escaping that for most, fossil fuels still represent some part of sailing – whether that be a diesel engine to motor in light winds, onto and off a mooring , or to generate power for onboard electronic systems. Even a small tender used to go from ship-to-shore is often fitted with an outboard motor.

Recent advances in electric power, however, have started to make electric propulsion a reasonable alternative to fossil fuel power. Range will always be an issue but that has long been true of a traditional diesel engine. Improvements in lithuim-ion battery performance is, and likely will continue to, increase range every year. 

Spirit Yachts 44e – the ‘e’ stands for electric

Additionally electric power and batteries offer the bonus of being able to be recharged via solar panels , a wind turbine or hydroelectric power – via a hydrogenerator mounted on the stern of a boat sailing. 

At first glance the electric yacht market could appear in its infancy, but like every revolution, the will of the people is driving forward technology that only a few years ago was seen as the stuff of fantasy.

The market has responded to demand, and battery and motor technology has come on leaps and bounds, driven in part by the rapid development of electric cars.

It may not be commonplace yet, but electric yachting is here, even available ‘off the shelf’, so is it time to get onboard?

The Spirit 111 is a bold hybrid yacht, promising 30 miles motoring under electric power alone. Credit: Ian Roman/Waterline Media

A cutting edge electric yacht

Like Formula One, it’s the cutting edge of electric yachting that trickles down into mainstream production in no time at all.

For Spirit Yachts, a builder defined by a unique blend of traditional and state-of-the-art, electric yachting has been driven by demanding clients that want their yachts to be at the cutting edge.

Spirit Yachts have now produced a number of projects aimed at the all electric luxury yacht market including the Spirit 44e electric yacht and a recent project, the Spirit 111, had all the hallmarks of a superyacht project and the team had to earn their keep delivering to brief.

Managing Director Nigel Stuart explained how it works.

‘The 111 combines several cutting-edge technologies to deliver a something that’s never really been done before. A lithium-ion powered electric drive system can be charged by hydrogenation and also two high-wattage diesel generators.

‘Each generator is 22kw, meaning they can pack a lot of power into the system in a short period of time, they don’t need to run for long to fully recharge.

‘The prop is both a means of drive and power generation, so no separate hydrogenerator is needed. She will be capable of motoring under electric alone for more than 30 miles.

‘When you take on a project that’s electric, it makes you think hard about efficiency so the air conditioning, water heaters and everything in the galley has also been carefully selected to use less power.

‘For her owner there is very little compromise and some major advantages.’

Whilst it’s a long way from the average cruising yacht, the trickle-down effect of projects like the Spirit 111 can’t be underestimated.

Calypso , a Contessa 32, was the yard’s first foray into electric-powered yachts. Credit: Jeremy Rogers

Traditional electric yacht

Jeremy Rogers’ yard in Lymington is the birthplace of the iconic Contessa designs and a veritable temple to long keeled , traditional craft.

Less well known is the yard’s interest in electric auxiliary engines, something they have been involved in for more than 10 years.

Their first project, the refit of a Contessa 32 called Calypso, was an experiment by the Rogers family to see what was possible.

‘ Calypso was a test bed in the technology’s infancy,’ explains Kit Rogers of this early electric boat.

‘Inevitably, we didn’t get it all right, but we learned a lot about the dos and don’ts of electric yachting. The end result was a hybrid. The more we did, the more interesting the project became.

‘It’s not just the obvious, silent peaceful propulsion; it’s also the things you take for granted about a cruising boat. For example, no gas, we didn’t need it because we had electric power.

The yard has also worked on an electric folkboat conversion for a foreign customer.

‘The client, first and foremost, loves to sail. He sees the electric as an auxiliary option, along with the rowing and is excited to own a boat that’s quietly different.

‘He’s looking for a more connected experience and an electric boat helps him achieve it. When you’ve been motoring in and out of marinas under chugging diesel engines for years, the electric motor is something of a revelation.

Arcona has installed solar sails on its latest 380Z electric yacht

Off-the-shelf electric yacht

Perhaps the biggest indication of the future of the electric boat is the willingness of production and semi-production builders to pin their flags to the mast and embrace it.

One of the first was Hanse, who developed a version of their 315 utilising a Torquedo electric pod system.

Providing around the same amount of power as a 10 horsepower diesel, a 4.4kWh lithium ion battery pack powers the system.

Arcona, Dufour, Elan and Delphia also have electric boat models and are each taking their own direction on entering the market.

Arcona’s 380Z (the ‘Z’ stands for ‘zero emission’) fully electric boat has solar panel covered sails, capitalising on the large surface area to top up batteries under sail.

In the multihull market, there is even more scope for solar, wind and hydrogenation due to the horizontal surface area available for solar charging.

What are the options for an electric yacht?

Pure electric.

Purely electric systems can be broadly divided into two categories, high and low voltage.

The latter is the simplest option in terms of how it works and requires less specialist knowledge to install.

Kit Rogers installed a 48v Ocean Volt system in his latest project and remarked on the experience.

‘The advantage of the low voltage system is its inherent lack of complexity. Whilst we’ve coupled it with lithium ion battery technology, it can also be wired up to conventional lead acid batteries. There are pros and cons to both. What surprises everyone is the size, it’s a tiny motor and is surrounded by lots of space where the engine would normally sit.’

High voltage systems are more advanced, and utilising lithium-ion technology, their capacity is improving year on year.

For larger yachts this is generally seen as a better option.

A partnership between BMW and Torqueedo has led to the development of the Deep Blue 315v high voltage battery.

Effectively the same unit as found in the BMWi3 electric cars now often seen on the high street, the system produces a lot of power and is being used on the Spirit 111 project as well as catamarans.

Electric hybrid

One big barrier to entry exists for most potential electric yacht buyers – range.

Even the most advanced set-ups are limited to a maximum of a few hours motoring at cruising speed.

‘The electric motors excel at two things in particular,’ explained Kit Rogers.

‘The first is as auxiliary power for getting in and out of marinas. The second is engaged at low power to very efficiently motor-sail in light airs. If you want to do more than that, at present, you need to add a way of packing in the charge into the battery quickly whilst at sea; which means a generator’ .

As with electric cars and as enthusiasm builds for the technology, a hybrid option, pairing a generator with an electric drive system, is already proving popular and is probably the most practical option for those planning to cruise any distance.

Using a large generator, charge can be quickly put into the system when needed.

Once under sail, the yacht’s propeller becomes a hydro generator, meaning that diesel power is not needed day-to-day.

Solar can also be used to add additional charging capacity.

‘When a fully integrated electric hybrid system is incorporated into a cruising yacht from the outset, its possibilities really become clear,’ explains John Arnold, UK manager at Torqeedo.

‘Sailing for days on end with no engine noise is entirely possible. There are other less obvious benefits too. Electric drives have no long rotating shaft, so can be used as pod drives as well, meaning the boat is far more manoeuvrable than even a yacht equipped with bow and stern thrusters.’

Spirit Yachts 44e

How much does it cost to convert a yacht to electric power?

The technology exists, but anyone seriously considering going electric will want to crunch the numbers.

In the case of taking out a traditional inboard diesel and replacing it with an electric system, it’s relatively easy to work this out.

However, unless you include an auxiliary generator, you will be limited to battery range alone.

For this reason, we’ve done a like for like comparison for a 35ft yacht engine refit, including the cost of a generator to make the system a practical hybrid.

Unsurprisingly, at the moment, there’s a big difference in cost, but at between three to six times the cost, it is gradually coming into the realms of possibility, and prices should continue to drop as technology develops and evolves.

Ocean Volt SD10 Motor system (including batteries, charger and 6kw generator): £30,825.16

Beta Marine Beta 20hp Marine Diesel: £4,100

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More From Forbes

One haute yacht, the spirit bartech f35 owns speed, style, and control.

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The Spirit Yachts BARTech F35's stylish design dovetails classic lines with modern technology, ... [+] flying on foils while taking on the appearance of a golden era film star.

BAR Technologies and Spirit Yachts dovetailed talent and expertise to deliver a chic luxury launch in May of 2023, the Spirit BARTech F35 . With a gleaming mahogany skin and a nostalgic profile taking inspiration from the Rum Runners of the 1920s, the F35 is a distinctive, scene-stealing craft.

The first fully electric yacht to own a 100 nautical mile range, the F35 flies on foils while powering ahead at what is described as thrilling speed, courtesy of its electric motor and battery system. The yacht set a speed record for the circumnavigation around the Isle of Wight for electric vessels, slashing the existing best time from six hours to just one hour and 56 minutes.

The Spirit Yachts F35 is all about BAR Technologies' foiling design, offering a high level of speed, ... [+] control, and stability.

UK firm BAR Technologies , branched from Ben Ainslee Racing, employs advanced strategies and innovations to deliver efficient, sustainable solutions in answer to client requests. Using Artificial Intelligence, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Design Optimization, Finite Element Analysis, Performance Analysis, and expertise gained from America's Cup designs, BAR Technologies appears at the forefront of engineering for leisure craft as well as commercial vessels and work boats, delivering systems that are sustainable with an emphasis on exceptional results.

Ipswich, Suffolk, UK-based Spirit Yachts is known for precision woodworking and classic yacht design placing an emphasis on sustainable methods and materials. Universally recognized for a high quality aesthetic and functional purpose, Spirit Yachts builds custom wooden motor and sailing yachts. They are experts in creating everything from day sailors and performance racing yachts to blue water cruisers. And, as they point out on their website, occasionally the owner's brief requesting the design embraces all three.

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A chic instrument panel and innovative design with removable panels make the Spirit Yachts BARTech ... [+] F35 a versatile choice, going from a two person spider to a six person entertainer.

Already an owner of a Spirit 111 sailing yacht , the owner of the first F35 wrote a brief that requested a suitable launch to complement the existing yacht. Additionally, the owner requested that the launch be highly efficient, sustainable, and display a classic aesthetic. All squarely within Spirit Yachts' wheelhouse, so to speak, the design process began.

The successful completion resulted in a vessel inspired by sleek Rum Runners of decades past, fitted with BAR Technologies patented fully foiling design that lifts the boat entirely out of the water. Pairing nostalgic good looks with top-of-industry technology, the F35 offers an exclusive, sophisticated, comfortable ride.

Aft cowling panels lift off to reveal additional seating for three and a table, giving the Spirit ... [+] Yachts BARTech F35 a wider range of possibilities.

F35 By The Numbers

A luxury, 35-foot, fully electric foiling launch, the Spirit Yachts BARTech F35 is constructed of carbon skinned cedar planked mahogany veneer. Classing styling disguises the electric propulsion provided by the 24 V battery system, driving the F35 to a top speed of 30 knots, with a cruise speed of 22 knots and a 100 nautical mile range at 20 knots. A coachroof hatch is convenient for drop in battery access.

A "C" category inshore design, the F35 is stable in up to two meter significant wave heights, capable in wind speeds up to Force 6. The Aft foil, as well as the forward foils, are constructed in titanium with a composite trailing edge.

A cool box keeps drinks and snacks chilled. A water ski attachment point is provided by an ensign post fitting.

Flying on foils with at 30 knots, the Spirit Yachts BARTech F35 looks like a solid classic wooden ... [+] boat, but takes to tech for a surprising turn.

About The Partnership

Portsmouth UK firm BAR Technologies partnered with Spirit Yachts to deliver this luxury launch that satisfies the aesthetic while providing speed with a more sustainable footprint. Using its America's Cup design expertise, BAR Technologies was able to extend both speed and distance with this design, while maintaining the chic classic profile owned by Spirit Yachts.

The partnership of Spirit Yachts and BAR Technologies offers a blend of old and new in their F35 ... [+] foiling launch.

BAR Technologies CEO John Cooper notes, "The electric flyer will be the first of a series of boats we design to break new ground as we move into a greener generation of leisure yachts. The Spirit BARTech F35 is a boat of pure elegance that cannot help but attract interest."

Spirit Yachts' Karen Underwood adds, Öur collaboration with BAR Technologies is the epitome of the modern classic ethos on which Spirit Yachts was founded. Beautiful, clean, classic lines and sustainable timber construction married with forward-thinking technology from BAR with no compromise on comfort and efficiency."

Pointing toward a more sustainable yachting lifestyle never looked better.

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Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

The esprit of spirit yachts.

By Nic Compton , Sep 29, 2023

The sleek 52′ (15.85m) Flight of Ufford, launched in 2007, was campaigned hard and successfully by Spirit Yachts cofounder Sean McMillan. The traditionally styled wood/epoxy sloop has become the yard’s most popular model to date.

T he James Bond movie franchise has never shied from any chance to include a yacht in the narrative and as part of the set. And given the urgent nature of the glamorous secret agent’s business, these have tended to be fast powerboats, starting with the Fairey Huntresses and Huntsmen in  From  Russia With Love  (1963) through to the Glastron GT150 speedboat, which performed a spectacular 120 ‘  (36.6m) leap in  Live and Let Die  (1973), and a clutch of Sunseekers in subsequent films. In 2006, while filming  Casino  Royale , the filmmakers decided to do something a bit different. Alongside their usual high-velocity petrol-fueled fare, they featured a sailing yacht: a 54 ‘  (54 ‘  9 “ /16.7m) sloop with a long counter stern and seemingly acres of flawless varnish, which James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) sailed into Venice during a romantic interlude in the film.

Cast in the enviable role was the Spirit 54 designed and built by British boatbuilders Spirit Yachts, located in Ipswich, Suffolk, on the east coast of England. And if that wasn’t enough notoriety for the somewhat obscure custom builder, the producers repeated the trick in the 2021  No Time to Die , this time using a Spirit 46 (46 ‘  6 “ / 14.15m) sailing yacht for James Bond to sail around Jamaica during his “retirement” scenes.

The 54′ (16.7m) Soufrière was built for the 2006 James Bond franchise movie Casino Royale. Her brief appearance in the film making her way up the Grand Canal in Venice added the cachet of an international luxury brand to Spirit’s already sterling reputation as a yacht builder.

The pairing was in many ways a marriage made in heaven. Just as James Bond has come to symbolize the aspirational best of British wit, style, and appetite for adventure, Spirit Yachts offers the best in bespoke sailboats, combining high-performance modern hulls with a classic aesthetic and a price on par with Bond’s generous expense account. The formula has inspired a devoted following and led to a unique line of yachts, steadily increasing in size over the years, from the original 37-footer (11.5m) built in 1993 to its biggest creation so far, the 111 ‘  (33.8m)  Geist , launched in 2020.

Spirit Yachts is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, so it seemed the perfect time to visit its expanded boatyard facility in Ipswich, where Spirit has become an increasingly important part of the regeneration of the disused docks and looks set to play an even bigger role as plans for a company-centered boatbuilding university take shape. The year started with the announcement of a major management reshuffle. Founder and chief designer Sean McMillan (now 72) is in effect taking semiretirement, handing ownership to a consortium of Spirit yacht owners and the day-to-day running of the company to Management Director Karen Underwood and the office’s newest recruit, Production & Design Director Julian Weatherill.

McMillan at the drafting table.

Yet the first person I see when I walk through the office door is McMillan, looking as suave and relaxed as James Bond himself, and bearing a roll of drawings for his latest design. No surprises there. Spirit Yachts has always been inextricably linked with this former-art-student-turned-boat-bum-turned-boatbuilder-turned-company-director. It turns out that he’s staying on as a consultant for the next three years, before fully retiring from the scene. Though it seems to me unlikely that will ever really happen.

“Sean is hanging on to the bits he likes [the designing] and letting go of the bits he doesn’t like [running a busy boatyard],” says Underwood, with a cheerful chuckle. She has worked in the marine industry for the past 25 years (including 15 years at Oyster Marine), and you get the feeling the company is in very safe hands.

She and McMillan are meeting a client at 11 a.m., so after a lengthy chat, newly promoted Marketing Director Helen Porter shows me around the yard. “We’ve had both sheds full of new builds for the past three years, catching up with pent-up demand after COVID,” she says. “We’ve had three 72s, one 68, one 52, and two 30s. We’ve now finally got space to take on some refurbishment projects, one for a couple who has been waiting a couple of years. The 52 in-build over there is Spirit hull number 80—or Sean’s 100th boat, if you include the ones he built before Spirit Yachts.”

A Spirit 72 in the busy yard in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, last June. At the time, the 30-year-old company was building its 80th hull.

It’s all a long way from the cottage in Saxmundham, about 18 miles (29 km) north of Ipswich, where I visited McMillan and his then-business-partner, Mick Newman, in 1994. They had just built their first boat, the Spirit 37, in a disused cowshed at the back of Newman’s house, and I had come to interview them and take photos of the boat for what would turn out to be the first-ever test sail of a Spirit yacht. Not that any of us had the slightest inkling of what was to come.

It all seemed to be a bit of a laugh. Sean had already had his fingers badly burned when his company, McMillan Yachts, had gone bust in the global financial crisis a few years earlier. Those boats were strip-planked gaffers, usually with modern underwater hull shapes and fancy joinery that fairly shouted out, “I am a wooden boat!”

“I was already playing with the visual joke about having a traditional-looking boat which is very modern below the waterline,” McMillan says. Not everyone got the joke, however, and after building a dozen boats, the company ground to a halt.

Back in ’94, he had joined forces with Newman—a former barge sailor—to create something completely different. The original Spirit 37 was inspired by the skerry cruisers of the Baltic, with their improbably tall rigs designed to catch the wind blowing over the tops of the flat islands, and their long, narrow hulls for optimum speed rather than comfort. But the new partners wanted to push the type to its limit by building the boat in super-lightweight materials and with a modern underwater shape—that McMillan joke again.

The first Spirit 37 (11.5m) was built in 1994, inspired by the tall-rigged skerry cruisers but with a modern hullform. She sailed beautifully and spurred multiple orders for boats of the same type and form.

The Beginning of Spirit Yachts

The first Spirit 37 was by any standards an extraordinary boat. With her long overhangs and narrow 7 ‘  (2.1m) beam, she looked superficially like a classic yacht from the 1920s, but underwater her bulb keel and skeg rudder told a more contemporary story. A judicious use of modern materials—including a strip-planked hull sheathed with fiberglass set in WEST System epoxy—meant the boat turned out exceptionally light: just 2 tons (4,000 lbs/1,814 kg), with an impressive 60% ballast/displacement ratio. It had a retro-looking fractional rig with knocked-back mast (curved aft at the top) combined with a modern-looking T-section boom and full-battened mainsail. The double cockpit and modern deck fittings suggested she was a serious racing boat, while the black walnut trim set it all off to dramatic aesthetic effect. Below decks, the boat had only sitting headroom, despite her 37 ‘  length, and the fit-out was stylish but spartan.

The Spirit company logo, a distiller’s retort flask, is set in the deck of the Spirit 52 Oui Fling

The pair named the boat the Spirit 37, not from any spiritual conviction but due to the volume of spirits consumed during her construction—hence the distiller’s retort flask in the logo. They had considered calling her the Hashish 37, but wisely decided against that in the end.

On the water, the boat proved nothing short of spectacular, clocking 11.7 knots on that first trial (a record she would take many years to break) and as light and responsive on the helm as an overgrown dinghy. She was every bit the fun boat McMillan and Newman had intended, but at that time she was a complete anomaly. The Spirit of Tradition class had yet to be created, and there were only a handful of identifiable “modern classics” in existence—mostly big cruising boats from the boards of Bruce King and André Hoek.

“[Back then] we were whistling in the dark,” McMillan later told me. “We had no idea whether there was a ‘retro’ movement or not. We just built the boat we wanted, which was fun and of a size we could relate to. Luckily, it struck a chord.”

The Spirit 46 Reprobate reveals the modern bulb keel and spade rudder that contribute to her remarkable turn of speed as she sails hard on the wind.

The Spirit 37 was one of the standout boats at the Düsseldorf boat show in January 1995 and was quickly snapped up by a German buyer, who sailed her for the next 25 years. The company also received two orders for 33 ‘  (10.1m) versions of the boat that would satisfy size restrictions on European lakes. Since then, Spirit Yachts hasn’t looked back.

The 37 was followed in 1996 by the 46 (14m), complete with carbon fiber mast, teak decks, and a serious turn of speed, reaching 18 knots on plane (though, according to my notes, McMillan claims he once got 26 knots out of a 46). Ten 37s were eventually built, as well as a dozen 46s. McMillan is keen to emphasize that no two Spirit yachts are identical, as they are all custom built, and even the 37 has three slightly different hull shapes, never mind the various interiors and deck layouts.

The year 1996 was a significant milestone in another way: it was the first time the Antigua Classics featured a dedicated class for modern classic yachts, and by a happy coincidence it named that class Spirit of Tradition. The Mediterranean classic-yacht circuit eventually followed suit in 2003. Suddenly it seemed that Spirit Yachts’ eccentric foray into imaginative boat design was not so contrary after all and was in fact on the leading edge of a new and growing movement. The bad boys of British boatbuilding were trendsetters in a glittering new vein of yachting.

Crucial to all this was McMillan’s background in fine art, for while he is just as concerned with performance and seaworthiness as other designers are, it is his willingness to take aesthetic risks that has set him apart in what is an intrinsically conservative industry.

After her role in the Bond film, Soufrière collected real-world silver racing in Ireland and at the Classics Week in Cowes.

“I take the view that yacht design is an art with science applied,” he says. “You have to have an instinctive understanding of how the hull moves through water. I gained that by sailing tens of thousands of miles as a delivery skipper, by leaning over the side of the boat and watching the hull, by getting more curious and studying hydrodynamics, and by going out and doing it. Some of the boats were great, and some not so great, but I learned a lot along the way.”

Despite its growing success, the business remained in the old cowshed behind Newman’s house until 2003, when they had to erect a temporary extension to build a 70-footer (21.3m), which was a full 10 ‘  (3.1m) longer than the shed itself. That was the final straw, and the following year the company moved to bigger premises at the old docks in Ipswich.

The slightly shorter Spirit 52 was spun out of that success, including the flush-decked Spirit of Tradition racing machine Oui Fling.

Bond Effect

If you had to imagine what a James Bond sailing yacht would look like, it would probably be a modern classic with exaggerated hull lines and a generous helping of shiny deck gear. So, it was almost an inevitability that sooner or later Spirit Yachts’ classy finish and understated power would attract the creators of the world’s most famous secret agent—and the 54 ‘   Soufrière  was duly built for the 2006 Bond movie  Casino Royale , complete with a luxurious interior comprising two cabins, en suite heads, and (that rarest thing on a Spirit yacht of that era) full standing headroom. The yacht was shipped to the Bahamas and sailed to Puerto Rico, then shipped to Croatia and sailed to Venice, where she is said to have been the first sailing yacht to go up the Grand Canal in 300 years (albeit under power).

All these efforts yielded just a few minutes of footage in the final film, but it was enough to turn Spirit Yachts, until then mainly a British success story, into an international brand. Following the release of Casino Royale , inquiries at the yard increased fourfold—though more often than not the phone went quiet when a price was mentioned. Not everyone, it seems, has a Bond-caliber budget.

Soufrière  turned out to be exceptionally fast and, under her new real-life owner, won a string of trophies at home in Ireland and at the annual British Classics Week in Cowes. Her success prompted McMillan to build a slightly smaller version for himself. Launched in 2007, his 52 ‘   Flight of Ufford  has proven equally competitive, regularly clocking speeds of up to 16 knots and winning British Classics Week three years running in 2014–16—though since 2017 he has had to take turns at first place with the stripped-down, flush-decked 52-footer  Oui Fling , built for Baron Irvine Laidlaw of Rothiemay. McMillan’s proudest moment on his boat, however, was being invited to join the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in 2012—the only modern yacht to be summoned.

The year 2007 was also a landmark for a more somber reason, as McMillan’s longtime business partner, Mick Newman, died in a plane crash. Sadly, he would never see the full flowering of the company he helped to create.

The 111′ (33.8m) Geist, designed for the owner of a 52 who wanted a larger version, was built mostly of sustainable timber, except for the teak decks.

The 52 went on to become the yard’s most popular boat to date, no doubt helped by McMillan’s enthusiastic campaigning of  Flight of Ufford  on both sides of the Atlantic. It also led to the yard’s biggest and most challenging commission. After the Spirit 52  Happy Forever  hit a rock in the Baltic, she went back to the Spirit yard for repair, and while her owner (a young German shipowner) stopped by to check progress he spotted a design McMillan was working on. He asked him to design a 90 ‘  (27.4m) version, and when that wasn’t quite right, asked that it be drawn out to 100 ‘  (30.5m), then 105 ‘  (32m) and, finally, 111 ‘  (33.8m). While the yacht’s hull grew longer with each design iteration, her freeboard remained unchanged—she just got sleeker and more stunning each time.

The result was  Geist , the Spirit 111, said to be the biggest single-masted wooden boat built in Britain since the J-Class  Shamrock  in the 1930s. Not only that, but the yard claimed it was “one of the most environmentally friendly sailing superyachts ever created.” Built mostly of sustainable timber (except for those endless teak decks), it boasted a 100-kW Torqeedo electric engine served by four banks of lithium-ion batteries that could be recharged by the propeller while under sail.

Belowdecks, the owner specified that he wanted only organic shapes—there should be no straight lines and no sharp corners. It was a challenge that the Spirit workforce (with some help from the design agency Rhoades Young) rose to, creating a cocoon-like interior with rounded bulkheads, curved seating and sideboards, and shell-like beds that seem to hover in space. Storage space is mostly hidden behind panels with sensor-activated doors that open to the touch. It was quite simply, as Underwood puts it, “a floating work of art.”

“Building the hull wasn’t a problem; that’s our bread and butter,” says Yard Supervisor Adrian Gooderham, who has worked at Spirit for more than 20 years. “But building the interior was a challenge, especially as they wanted the veneers to match, even in the sink areas, where it comes down the bulkhead onto the countertop, down the side, then onto the shelf, and down again—all matching. If there was a defect in any part of it, you’d have to find another veneer and start again.”

Most of the internal joinery was farmed out, but Gooderham built the distinctive saloon table—56 curved legs arranged in a circle, with a round glass top that bolted to the top of each leg. “Quite complex,” he admits.

Geist’s curvaceous bulkheads, settees, and house structure were built with flawless veneers, glass surfaces, and the absence of trim that could conceal any gaps.

Building Clean

The company’s commitment to the environment stems from its early days when, McMillan points out, just choosing to build in wood would label you as a crank. He still feels just as strongly about it now.

“You can’t build boats and not be concerned about the environment,” he says. “The implications for the yachting industry are dire, yet 99.9% of companies are banging out petrochemical products with no attempt to deal with end of life. There has to be a point when you stand up and say, ‘This cannot be right.’ We are gradually getting rid of diesel engines and trying to build boats that have minimum impact on the planet.”

Laminating diagonal sipo wood veneers over the Douglas-fir strip planking yields a stiff monocoque hull built mostly of renewable wood.

Over the years, the company has refined its focus. Early on, they stopped using Brazilian mahogany when their supplier couldn’t guarantee it came from a sustainable source. They switched to sipo, a similar timber grown as a commercial crop. More recently, they stopped using teak for decks and tried using the teak-substitute Lignia. When that company went bust amid concerns about the durability of the product, Spirit switched to using Douglas-fir, which has proven a good substitute. Various test panels with the alternative decking material are being continuously monitored, in part thanks to an accelerated-aging test tank on loan from electronics supplier Raymarine.

In 2020, they launched the first all-electric Spirit 44E (13.4m), fitted with an Oceanvolt sail drive powered by lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged by two large solar panels on the afterdeck or, while under sail, by the spinning propeller. Her decks were made of Lignia, and her sails were fabricated with 4T Forte recyclable cloth, courtesy of OneSails, which makes most of Spirit’s sails.  Avvento  was shipped to her owner’s home in British Columbia, Canada, where she cruises in remote areas for weeks at a time with no need for external energy supply. Her owner jokes that he’s more likely to run out of food than run out of electricity. Nearly half of Spirit’s new builds are now fitted with electric engines, though McMillan is quick to acknowledge that, environmentally speaking, they are not the “perfect panacea” due to the use of rare metals in the batteries.

Recently the yard has experimented with replacing teak decking with quarter-sawn Douglas-fir.

Bcomp’s flax fiber is a promising alternative to glass fiber laminate for exterior hull sheathing on Spirit’s 30-footers

More recently, Spirit Yachts has been applying flax cloth in place of fiberglass to sheathe their 30-footers—Bcomp’s ampliTex flax 350-g/m 2 biaxial (+/–45°) 1270mm and ampliTex flax twill 2/2, no twist, 1000mm, 300-g/m 2 —and will apply it to the bigger boats once they are happy with its performance. (See “ Flax  Boats,”  Professional BoatBuilder  No. 197, page 44.)

“We had to be much quicker with the glue when laying up the flax, as it is very absorbent,” says Gooderham. “We had to be precise with the quantities of resin, and we had to post-cure in a tent at 25°C [77°F] during the fairing process.”

The Spirit 44E Avvento was the first Spirit yacht with an electric sail drive powered by lithium-ion batteries. She also sported sails made of recyclable sailcloth.

They are also experimenting with bio-based resin in nonstructural areas and hope to use it more extensively in due course.

And there are many other, smaller ways the company earns its eco-credentials, as Helen Porter explains: “We recently replaced our plastic paint trays with sugar cane trays, and we’ve replaced our paint brushes and rollers with low-carbon-footprint products. We’re using vacuum bags made out of recycled materials. We’ve discovered we can reduce waste timber by 20% by using CNC to cut wood. So, we are constantly chipping away in the background. The goal is always to lower the carbon footprint of a yacht as much as possible.”

She makes the point that in most instances, the more sustainable solution will offer other benefits such as reduced noise, cheaper running costs, or greater self-sufficiency, meaning there is less need to call on expensive marinas. When the benefits are fully explained, she says, nine times out of 10 the client will opt for the more sustainable option.

Once again, the company’s once-unorthodox stance has served them well, and while most of the marine industry is playing catchup on burnishing their environmental credentials, Spirit finds itself in the vanguard of the movement. Underwood estimates that as many as 60% of their customers “have sustainability in their minds. They are living and breathing it already. They have an electric car. They have a ground-source heat-pump system at home. That’s why they come to us.”

Custom cabinetry and accommodations are strategically built-in before the cabin structure is sheathed.

Another sign of the times for Spirit Yachts is a greater emphasis on boat interiors, something designer Tom Smith, who trained partly in Italy, is happy to go along with. “The interior never used to get as much attention as the exterior. Now it’s just as much,” says Smith, who heads a team of four designers at the yard. “Lots of people want their yachts to be as comfortable as their homes. That should be possible, as long as you’re clever. I hate it when people say that yacht design is a compromise. There’s no reason to compromise; you just have to be clever with the design.”

In practical terms, that has meant a shift away from traditional wood paneling toward lighter colors, including white satin painted panels. The company is also collaborating with textiles companies to try out new color palettes including cloths made from recycled bottles.

Spirit Yachts Under Power

In recent years, Spirit has added a few powerboats to their stable of designs—from a couple of retro-styled launches, the P40 (12.2m) and P35 (10.7m), to a more substantial 70 ‘  motoryacht, the P70, designed to cross the North Sea from the U.K. to the Baltic and back at 18 knots. Even here, the company is keen to emphasize the designs’ eco credentials, noting that it can build the boats lighter than their GRP equivalents, which means they require smaller engines and therefore have greater fuel efficiency. It’s a virtuous circle that again benefits the client by saving them money in running costs.

Spirit’s most spectacular powerboat to date had finally completed its trials stage when I visited the company in June 2023. The F35 looks every bit like one of those classic North American speedboats from 100 years ago. Long and narrow, with sensuously shaped varnished topsides and foredeck, it appears the epitome of 1920s elegance. But, like her sailing sisters, the F35 has a secret hiding underwater: foils. Power her up to 14 knots or so and she will free herself from the tedious limitations of wetted surface area and fly largely above the water at up to 30 knots (though 22 knots is her cruising speed).

Spirit Yachts joined forces with BAR Technologies (better known for its  America ’s Cup simulation and design) to create this electric foiler with a range of 100 miles at 22 knots. This is a major step forward in electric boating, and all with a classic aesthetic that you don’t expect to perform so efficiently—that old McMillan joke again.

McMillan is rightfully proud of his new design and, back in the office, shows me a video of the boat in action on Lake Maggiore in Italy. Halfway through, the F35 is joined by a copy of the Crouch-designed  Baby Bootlegger , a curvaceous 1924 American mahogany speedboat that inspired his design. (See Paul Lazarus’s “How Fast Will It Go?” in PBB No. 169, page 62.) The family resemblance is clear—though, as McMillan points out, their performance is quite different. The old boat with its 220-hp (165-kW) combustion engine leaves a vast wake, while the big foiler at speed barely dimples the lake surface.

She’s clearly the future of motorboating—fast, elegant, and clean—especially once safety and ethical concerns around some lithium-ion batteries are resolved or competing alternative fuels become viable.

I’m keen to see the roll of plans McMillan has brought in for scanning—he still works in the early stages with pen and paper before submitting his drawings to CAD for the development and production stages—but it turns out they’re top secret. All he will say is that they are for an “extremely radical” electric foiler, considerably bigger than the F35. Even at 72, he is still clearly excited by this latest project.

An F35, the latest model in Spirit Yacht’s sparse line of powerboats, is an electric-powered fully foiling tribute to the mahogany runabouts of the 1920s.

Spirit Yachts’ Academy and Beyond

McMillan is willing to talk about another project close to his heart: the new Spirit Academy. In the past the company was able to recruit staff from all over the world to work in the yard, but that has become more difficult since Brexit, and like most companies in the boating sector, Spirit has suffered a skills shortage. The solution McMillan decided on is to set up a training center in a disused building right next to the yard. The Spirit Academy will be the first university-standard boatbuilding college in the world, training students to a high skill level so they come out ready to start work using modern tools and materials. The course of study will comprise most aspects of boatbuilding, including design, rigging, and sailmaking. The only thing that won’t be in the curriculum is fiberglass construction, which McMillan is convinced will soon “come to a crashing halt.”

He said he hopes to start restoring the building this autumn, with the first intake of students possible as early as fall of 2025. The plan is to enroll two classes a year of 12 students each for a two-year course, with a total of 48 students when it’s fully up and running.

Meanwhile, Spirit Yachts will continue building its distinctive brand of high-quality wood/composite yachts. Despite recent forays into powerboats, sailing yachts will continue to be their focus, particularly in the 60 ‘ –90 ‘  range (their “sweet spot,” according to Underwood). The new 72-footer is particularly popular right now, with three built in two years—one for charter (with a cabin forward for paid crew), one for racing, and the third for bluewater cruising.

McMillan shows no signs of slowing down, and neither does the company he created in a disused cowshed all those years ago. At last, it seems the world has caught up, and the McMillan joke of delivering modern performance boats with vintage aesthetics is one we can all understand.

About the Author:   Nic Compton is a freelance writer/photographer based in Devon, U.K. He lived on boats in the Mediterranean until the age of 15 and worked as a boatbuilder for many years before swapping his chisel for a pen and his router for a computer. He sails a Rhode Island–built Freedom 33, currently based in Greece.

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This 246-Foot Electric Superyacht Concept Is Designed to Shine Like a Diamond

Feadship's new c vessel catches the light just like the gem., rachel cormack.

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At the center of the C lies an atrium with floating stars and a lift without walls that allows seafarers to navigate decks in a novel fashion. Highlights of the living quarters include a duplex owner’s suite, a partially enclosed sea lounge that can be used at anchor or on the waves, a beach club with a sea-level dining area, and a private observation deck with an articulating crow’s nest. To top it off, C is outfitted with two infinity pools that match the hexagonal shape of the atrium and other seating areas.

C also shines on the technology front. She features a sleek hull and a fully electric propulsion system similar to sisterships Breathe and Savannah that renders her 30 percent more efficient than a typical 246-footer with dual shafts, propellers, and rudders, according to Feadship. Her streamlined underwater profile means less wake, too.

C will also be equipped with fuel cells and lithium-metal batteries that will together cover all power needs. (Feadship has also incorporated fuel cells on Project 821 .) Green methanol will be the fuel of choice due to its relatively high density and ease of use. Normal cruising speed on the fuel cells is 14 knots, while a top speed of 17 knots can be achieved by adding the battery power. In addition, two wave-actuated fins can generate enough grunt to cover one-third of the hotel load.

C will be fully unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show next week. The yacht is just a concept at this stage, but Feadship says she is completely buildable. Perhaps the yard will land a buyer at the show.

Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

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New electric boat record as hydrofoiling Candela C-8 crosses Baltic Sea

Hydrofoiling boat manufacturer Candela has set a new electric boat record, taking their C-8 model 150 nautical miles (172 mi / 275 km) across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm, Sweden to Åland, Finland. It is the first time an all-electric boat has crossed the Baltic, and the team took the record one step further by returning to Stockholm the same day.

“The aim was to demonstrate that zero-emission sea travel is not only possible today, but that foiling electric ships and boats are so much cheaper to operate than fossil-fuelled vessels,” said Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela. The proof is in the crossing: the Candela C-8 had 85% lower costs than a fossil-fuel-powered boat.

Fossil fuel chase boat had range anxiety

It wasn’t just 15 times cheaper than gas/petrol, there was also less range anxiety, continued Hasselskog, “We did have anxiety, but not for the Candela. The irony is that the photographer’s gasoline-powered chase boat had to refuel six times during the trip, while we only charged three times!”

The record trip was made Thursday, September 12 in the latest version of the Candela C-8, equipped with a Polestar battery. The trip was made mostly with the existing charging infrastructure, and in partnership with Kempower, a charging solutions provider.

Starting out at 6 a.m. from the Stockholm Frihamn port authority in Candela’s hometown, they made a charging stop in Kapellskär – roughly the halfway point of the journey – and reached Mariehamn, the capital and largest town of the Åland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland, at lunchtime.

Kempower has been working with various charging companies like Aqua superPower and utilities like Norways’s Plug Power to provide high speed marine charging stations in Nordic countries.

Check out the Plugboats map of high speed chargers.

The Baltic trip was made mostly with the existing, non-high speed charging infrastructure. In Kapellskär, the Candela charged with a Kempower Movable Charger, a 40-kW wheeled charger connected to the existing power grid at the harbour.

In Finland the boat was plugged into the marina’s standard three-phase outlet, which took a few hours while the team met with local officials and refuelled themselves. In the evening at 6 p.m., the hydrofoiling speedboat started flying back to Sweden, topped up in Kapellskär and returned home in dense fog at 11.30 p.m.

Not Candela’s first electric boat record 

“Kempower is proud to contribute to the electrification of boating and help create greener waterways. Electric boats combined with hydrofoiling offer the best possible efficiency. Kempower’s DC fast charging solutions are ideal for electric boating, and our Kempower Movable Charger is a plug-and-play solution that integrates seamlessly with the electrical grids already available in many marinas,” says Antti Vuola, Director, Market Segments, Kempower.

This isn’t the first time Candela has set distance and endurance records and challenged preconceptions about electric boats. About a year ago they covered 420 nautical miles in 24 hours. That is approximately the distance between London and Amsterdam but it was done going back and forth between two points in Stockholm 40 nm apart.

In that case the power did not come from the onshore grid, but from a Voltpack mobile battery storage system by Northvolt, which is owned by Volvo and Swedish EV maker Polestar. The 281 kWh battery packs are about 250 x 170 x 90 cm (4′ x 8′ x 3′) and were coupled with a DC charging station from Plug. The idea was to showcase how DC charging networks for boats could work in archipelagos and remote coastal areas.

Read about the 420 mile thing

The Voltari 260 electric boat actually went further on a single charge than the C-8 did in this trip, but that was at a speed of 4.4 kt (5 mph / 8kmh) when it did the 79 nm (91 mi / 145 km)  journey from Key Largo, Florida to Bimini, Bahamas in 19 hours.

The Voltari is standard planing boat where the boat has to constantly overcome the resistance and friction of the hull against the water, while Candela’s hydrofoiling technology lifts the boat above the water, enabling it to achieve both speed and distance. This ability is one of the reasons the C-8 won the  2022 Gustave Trouvé Electric Boat Awards  in the Up to 8 Meter/26 Feet category.

Massive cost reductions for sea transport

Hydrofoiling is a great advantage for pleasure boats, but it also enables massive cost reductions for sea transport, which was proven on the Baltic Sea ride when the electric costs were tallied up. The similar size gasoline-powered chase boat on the trip had to pay 750€ ($835 US) to fuel up, while the Candela C-8 consumed 213 kWh of electricity, at a cost of about 45€ ($50).

That’s makes a huge difference for public transport boats that are operating constantly, and governments around the globe are adopting Candela’s 30 passenger P-12 electric hydrofoiling ferry.

This fall the P-12 will begin operating on the Ekerö-Stockholm City Hall route, where it is expected to not only save money but also halve travel times as its minimal wake allows it to travel in the inner city where standard ferries have to slow down dramatically to adhere to no-wake zones.

In Berlin, private operator Reederei Riedel has purchased a P-12 that will connect the East Side Gallery, near Ostbahnhof, with the cultural hub Funkhaus. Candela also recently announced a deal to electrify the water transport network in Saudi Arabia’s giant NEOM project, as well as ferries sold to a protected national park in New Zealand.

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SPIRIT 44CR(E) DELIVERED

Spirit Yachts has successfully delivered its new Spirit 44CR(e) to her Canadian owner. The yacht, named Avvento, is set to shake up the sustainable sailing market with its extensive eco capabilities.

Based on the Spirit cruiser racer (CR) design, the 44CR (e) was commissioned for an eco-conscious customer who set Spirit Yachts the goal of “near total energy self-sufficiency”. The ‘e’ denotes the yacht’s electric drive system.

The project is the first fully electric yacht to be designed and built by Spirit Yachts. At the request of her owner, the yacht has zero hydrocarbons onboard. She is also the first yacht in the UK to be launched with solar panels integrated into the main sail and deck.

The 44ft (13.4m) sloop-rigged sailing yacht has a lightweight (65kgs) Oceanvolt ServoProp15 sail drive, which is powered by Oceanvolt 48VDC batteries (total capacity 30.4kWh, made up of x16 1.9kWh batteries). The electric drive system uses hydro generation via the electronically controlled pitch propeller to regenerate the batteries whilst sailing. Regeneration is boosted by solar panels on the mainsail and the aft deck.

Spirit Yachts managing director Nigel Stuart commented, “The original brief from the owner was for a yacht that would sail well in the light winds of British Columbia. The yacht also needed to deliver the lowest possible carbon footprint during its build and when operating, as well as having the flexibility to upgrade the systems when technology advances.”

Nigel continued, “Without a generator onboard, the owner will need to be mindful of energy consumption, but with careful management of battery power there will be no sacrifice on any luxuries. The yacht has air-conditioning, heating and electric toilets, all of which make life onboard very comfortable.”

Regeneration depends on sailing speed, but Spirit Yachts has calculated it will be realistic to see 1.5kW at 8knots of speed. Weather dependent, the solar deck panels on the deck and the mainsail can regenerate a combined total of 1.47kW.

Two Solbian solar panels are integrated into the aft Lignia Yacht deck and support the drive system by recharging the batteries. The panels (that can be walked over) serve as the hatch covers for two large lazarettes below, one of which houses a tender with an electric motor.

To deliver on the brief of a yacht capable of performing well in especially light winds, Spirit Yachts fitted a taller mast and a larger mainsail than on a standard 44CR rig. Spirit Yachts has also worked with OneSails GBR (East) to develop a solar solution for the yacht’s sail wardrobe.

John Parker from OneSails GBR (East) explained, “We have collaborated with Solar Cloth System to integrate thin cell PV panels into the yacht’s 4T FORTE™ main sail as a source of electrical generation.”

French company Solar Cloth Systems developed the technology, which is officially named Powersails®.

John continued, “Due to the high modulus construction of the 4T FORTE™ composite material, the impact of the PV panels will be minimal in terms of the sail’s characteristics and performance. The technology is cutting edge and to my knowledge it is first project of its kind in the UK.”

OneSails’ 4T FORTE sails are currently the only sails made from a cloth that can be stripped of its hardware and recycled at commercial recycling plants.

On deck, a wide cockpit offers ample space for six guests crewing, socialising or al fresco dining. Manual Lewmar winches give a nod to more hands-on sailing, whilst a carbon mast and boom from Hall Spars ensures her rig remains lightweight. A 40” Sipo Mahogany and stainless-steel steering wheel was fitted for smooth handling.

Down below, a reversible heating/air-conditioning Webasto pump heats and cools the yacht using minimal power. All lighting is LED and a Webasto 4.2gallon 115v/750W heater provides hot water. At the owner’s request, there are no hydrocarbons onboard and any cooking will be done on a stove using alcohol for fuel.

Spirit Yachts founder and chief designer Sean McMillan commented, “One of the great joys with this particular yacht was the freedom afforded by the lack of a large diesel engine, which would normally need to sit on the centreline and take up a considerable amount of space. By having a much smaller electric drive system, the owner is able to have a twin aft cabin and a more spacious central living area for living aboard and entertaining.”

The interior layout accommodates four guests across two cabins. A forward double V berth with ensuite serves as the owner’s cabin and a starboard aft cabin sleeps two guests in twin berths. A fold-down chart table has been built into the forward bulkhead of the guest cabin to maximise space.

A central saloon has a port-side, u-shaped sofa around an American Walnut dining table, complemented by a second sofa to starboard. Aft of the saloon, to port, is the open-plan galley. White bulkheads, Sipo mahogany ringframes and exposed yellow cedar planking give the interior a warm, natural feel.

The owner of the Spirit 44CR (e) is Vincent Argiro, a retired technology entrepreneur living, sailing, racing, and exploring in British Columbia.

When asked what he enjoyed most about the design and build process at Spirit Yachts, Vincent commented, “The sense of freedom to create a truly white sheet design, with Sean’s brilliant vision and the rest of the team’s wide experience and substantial advice and expertise. It has been a true collaboration.”

Vincent went on to say, “Avvento is meant to be a defining prototype of an energy self-sufficient and sustainably-built sailing vessel; a living laboratory and research platform for proving out all the technologies and practices that make eco-sailing attractive to many others. She will soon be live on the internet for all to study her “energy metabolism” wherever in the world she is!”

Vincent Argiro plans to launch a website, which will track the yacht’s energy usage and regeneration.

Nigel Stuart added, “Vincent (the owner) is knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to eco-friendly technology and its capabilities. His unwavering ambition to live sustainably onboard has allowed us to be bold with innovation and push the boundaries of eco-friendly yachting.”

Scroll down to watch the Spirit 44CR(e) launch video. Click here to watch an interview with Avvento‘s owner, Vincent Argiro.

To enquire about the new Spirit 44CR(e), contact [email protected] or call +44 (0) 1473 214715.

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Olympic Ceremony Fleet in Paris: Electric Boats on Seine

Kevin Desmond looks back at the Electric fleet on the Seine for Paris 2024.

This summer has seen some great rallies for electric boats: 34 e-boats cruised around the island of Venice, 65 e-boats teams competed at the Monaco Solar Energy Boat Challenge , then on 23 July, despite heavy rain, watched by 326,000 riverside spectators and viewed by 1.5 billion on their screens worldwide, 32 electric boats, some retrofitted some new, were part of a fleet of 85 boats which were transporting 205 flag-waving delegations of athletes, cruised for 6.3 km along the River Seine from Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadéro for the unprecedented opening of the 33rd Olympic Games. Of course, the loud music and the cheering hid the silence of this fleet.

It was near the same Seine in 1881 that prolific French inventor Gustave Trouvé fitting his electric engine at the back of punt called Le Teléphone when he decided it would be more practical to detach the motor and take it home each night to tinker in his nearby workshop apartment. It was the invention of the outboard motor. The man who signed “Eureka” would have been very pleased to see these 32 e-boats cruising  one the same waters, near the Pont Royal Bridge which he had tested his pioneer skiff – 143 years later. All of these boats passed several luminous fountains, another Trouvé invention.

Of the 20 retrofits the world watched the Mistinguett, the largest boat in the parade, and the longest and heaviest electric boat ever on the Seine, carried 250 athletes along the river. She is now powered by two Yamaha-Torqeedo Deep Blue100i electric motors and their new Deep Blue Battery 80. Then there were four 250-passenger vessels from the Vedettes de Paris, one of Paris’ most significant tour boat operators, located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. With names such as Trocadero, Etoile, Iéna, each has been retrofitted with two 10 kW motors powered by 11 tonnes of two 330 kwH lithium-fer-phosphate batteries, prepared by Actemium Marine (ex-Barillac Marine) of Concarneau. Their hulls were made more efficient at the Vanpraet Shipyard at  Villeneuve-la-Garenne and Ship-ST. They were joined by the brand new electric Montparnasse, with “100% Electrique” painted on its sides.

Then for the Bateaux-Mouches Company the 200ft (60m) Hirondelle. Then, sponsored by Total Energies, the Vedettes du Pont Neuf company’s 50-passenger Rocca II, built in 1962 and retrofitted with twin 55kW e-motors and two batteries of 30,5 kWh.. Then her sister ships: Gavroche, Sisley and Arletty are being retrofitted.  Backed by Europa Horizon 2024, the Vedettes du Pont Neuf are adding a 300 passenger electric.  These were joined by the sixty-year-old retrofitted Le Rhône, having made a lock-by-lock 700km cruise from the Côte d’Or Region. Then the barge Rive Gauche and the 11m 1936 Swedish CG Petterson timber cabin cruiser Farö, both retrofitted by Naviwatt.  Then among the ten newly-built boats chosen by the Paris JO 2024 Mobility Committee  FinX’s  a 12 metre boat, Imagine for the Olympic Parade. With its hull made from bio-sourced materials, it is powered by the company’s unique biomemetic motor inspired directly by dolphin swimming and the movements of their tail fins. The there was Green River Cruises solar-powered pontoon e-boat. Also among the fleet, two hydrogen powered 150-passenger NepRiver waterbuses, equipped with the RexH2 autonomy extender, then solar-electric Hyke, linked to the Eker Group in Fredrikstad, and Holland Shipyard’s autonomous electric ferry built using computer 3D-created components.

At the end of the parade, the silver-winged phantom horse and rider which, ridden by a female jockey (Morgane Suquart) “galloped” up the River Seine, impressing the entire world. This was powered by a 130 kW BellMarine electric engine powered by 18 batteries. Top speed 23 knots (43 kph) but Sequana (the ancient name for the Seine) had to be “reined in” to comply with the timing of the ceremony. Given the television coverage, this vessel was the most famous single-seat e-boat in the world…even if for only ten minutes!

Behind this pioneer fleet, financed to the tune of €11 million by both France’s Environmental and Energy Management Agency (ADEME, and the Greater Paris Regional Authority  PAMI (Modernization and Innovation Assistance Plan), the River Seine has a much more ambitious long-term strategy: Haropa Port Project is bringing together the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Pariswith VNF (France Waterways) to see the Seine’s entire fleet of passenger boats (150+) electric by 2037. 

This follows the initiative taken by Amsterdam where by 2025, the Dutch city’s EPZ will impose a total ban on fossil-fuel boats for its fleet of 10,000 motorboats, including 7,000 pleasure craft around its 60 miles of canals. Only 100% green and hybrid vessels will be able to be registered. Oslo, similarly, is on its way to eliminating ICE engines by 2030.

The PolyBoatGlobal Challenge competition is proud to announce that all these e-boats in the Olympic Games Inaugural Cruise can count their historic journey up the Seine as one in the logbooks for our competition, to which they can accumulate a variety of other cruises during the next eight months. To join our growing fleet of competitors, please contact us by visiting polybotglobal.com, or by text on 0033 06 41427322, or by post: PolyBoatGlobal Challenge 2024-2025, 15 Chemin de Peybotte, 33360 Lignan de Bordeaux, France.

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Zin Boats’ bigger, faster electric leisure craft is built from the hull up with PNW pride

After taking on water during the pandemic, Zin Boats is back with a bigger, better electric watercraft that it has built from the hull up — again. And with the first craft off the line going to none other than Bill Gates, the company’s plan to power a new generation of clean, high-tech boats has kicked off to a promising start.

As with so many businesses, the pandemic hit Zin hard. Despite significant interest in its 20-foot Z2R runabout , the company found itself, like most of the world, unable to assemble suitable supply and manufacturing lines. To add to that, the automotive and marine suppliers providing equipment like batteries, propulsion and the like ended up being less reliable than the startup had hoped.

Founder and CEO of the eponymous company, Piotr Zin, took these setbacks as a challenge. If the car industry wouldn’t sell him batteries, he’d find someone else. And if existing marine motors and parts weren’t good enough, he’d design his own. Such determination is admirable, but the plan did require a bit of time and money.

“Rather than retreat, we said, let’s use this time to invest in R&D,” Zin Boats’ President and COO, David Donovick, said. “We were first to do an electric runabout, but what’s something that we haven’t done?”

Apparently the answer was to make something bigger — and much fancier.

It’s hard to argue with the results. The 11-meter Z11, which will reportedly (though this has not been officially announced or confirmed) act as a tender for a hydrogen-powered $640 million megayacht commissioned by Gates , is the first to use the company’s new technology platform, which will be debuted next week in Tampa. But TechCrunch got a sneak peek at what’s under the floorboards, which is where the magic happens.

(You’ll have to wait for the full reveal to get the real glamour pics. These were taken by the Zin Boats team at their Seattle headquarters.)

A pickup truck’s weight in space batteries

For Piotr Zin (who is, by chance, my neighbor here in Seattle), starting from scratch offered an opportunity to truly reinvent how a boat like this works. One of the first decisions the company had to make was regarding the battery and control systems.

The startup had learned its lesson from relying on more or less off-the-shelf automotive batteries and marine control systems.

Of the batteries, which it originally got from BMW, Zin said, “We were basically in a subservient position where we got their leftovers. We needed a battery supplier that wasn’t going to cut us off.” But the batteries still had to be customizable, highly energy dense, and extremely safe. It only takes one flaming boat to sink a marine startup’s ambitions.

The startup found a supplier in Xerotech , an Irish company that makes a high-durability battery used by electric ore transport vehicles in mines. Its batteries had also been tested and chosen by the European Space Agency for inclusion on the International Space Station. So that’s pedigree taken care of!

These highly customizable cells are super safe and can be put together in hundreds of configurations for powering large or small boats. They’re further wrapped in a thermal isolation material used for orbital reentry vehicles. And if, by some cosmic joke, a cell did manage to ignite, it would immediately be extinguished by a flooding mechanism. No chances are being taken here.

Zin is proud of the fact that the startup not only found this great supplier, but locked down a global exclusive on the marine batteries.

The first Z11 is carrying 400 kWh of batteries — for comparison, a Tesla Model 3 maxes out at 83 kWh. Zin and Donovick said the batteries weigh as much as a Ford F150, and are located below deck to provide maximum stability. All told, the boat tips the scales at 6,266 kilograms. That’s pretty low for a boat carrying a pickup truck — mostly because Zin chose to use carbon fiber for every place another material isn’t absolutely necessary.

‘You literally just plug this into that’

One would think that the relative simplicity of electric drive systems, compared with their internal combustion cousins, would be simpler to control. And they are — but simpler doesn’t mean simple.

Zin, an experienced industrial and electric engineer, gave up on using the standard components used by most boats to connect the control systems, batteries, and motors.

“I had crates of random electronics and cabling; their technician came over to put it together. It was supposed to take a day, and it took a week and a half. So our system, you literally just plug this into that,” he said.

“This,” to be clear, is Zin’s all-in-one control unit that unifies a dozen functions in one attractively machined block of aluminum that turns joystick movements into thrust vectors and propeller speeds. Whether you have two motors or one, or three, or extra thrusters, or this or that voltage or some other variation, you just plug the control unit in to “that,” meaning the propulsion and general cabling.

In fact, Zin is planning to sell this central control unit and all the below-deck stuff. The Z11 is sort of “both a prototype and a viable boat — it demonstrates that the next generation of technology is not just possible, but it’s here,” said Donovick.

“The majority of our work went into just making the damn thing go,” said Zin. “What we put on top, how it looks and feels, is not that difficult to change.”

Zin will make its own boats, but it also intends to happily sell the basic package — batteries, control unit, and propulsion — for as little as about $25,000, and boat makers can (and some already are) build their own style of craft on top of it. Smaller Zin boats are planned, but you may buy something from a well-known brand and see a little Zin badge on it, too.

The startup doesn’t plan on making it the most affordable boat out there — it’s too fundamentally high-end — but it said it expects plenty of others to fill in the other market segments. Lenovo and Apple both exist, it noted, and you’re free to choose either one.

But as Zin pointed out, the extra money you might pay up front is offset by a near-total lack of maintenance needed, and, of course, savings on fuel. Depending on the size of one’s boat, that can save tens of thousands yearly.

Proudly made in the Pacific Northwest

One aspect of a boat like this you might not expect to hear about is local pride. Seattle has always been a center of marine activity — we have big ports, bigger ferries and tons of recreational boaters. But it’s one thing to make a custom speedboat, and quite another to make an industry-leading, category-redefining, electric tender of a size and performance few have even attempted.

Turns out, however, nearly everything Zin Boats needed was within about 200 miles of Seattle.

“When I moved here, I fell in love with Seattle and the Pacific Northwest,” Zin said. “And as I learned more about the history of this place, I learned we’re living on top of an untapped talent pool here. That boat [the Z11] supports over a hundred individuals at dozens of companies within the greater Seattle area. The Pacific Northwest is open for business, for building really nice boats.”

Donovick also pointed out that the risk of running a global supply chain has only worsened. If everything but the batteries is within a few hours’ drive, that’s not just convenient, it makes the business more resilient.

“We love the local impact,” he said. “But the other thing is, we’re living in scary times, with trade wars, tariffs, and supply chain problems. These are real concerns.” Focusing not just on being U.S.-built but locally built has a cost, but it also has significant benefits.

The new Zin platform (but not this Z11 specifically) will get its official debut at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition in Tampa on October 1.

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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The all-new hybrid propulsion superyacht brand unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show

It all started in 2018; an idea that would bring a totally new design concept to the superyacht industry. When His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco spotted Slovenian shipyard Greenline Yachts’ 9.9-metre all-electric model at the Monaco Yacht Show, he couldn’t wait to step on board. Fast forward to the Monaco Yacht Show 2024 and GX Superyachts makes its grand debut – a range of 24-56-metre aluminium superyachts offering a greener solution to ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

Born out of passion and market demand, the idea caters to the growing desire of current Greenline owners looking to scale up, while inviting new clients to experience the shipyard’s innovative approach. Backed by industry veteran Andrea Armas, who now advises the Board with over 28 years of experience in the industry, and manufactured at the renowned SES Yachts facility in Tuzla, Turkey, the first 42-metre GX42 model is already under construction.

A fresh design concept

The GX42 is offered in two configurations: the raised pilothouse (RPH) and the coupe. Renowned designer Marco Casali of Too Design is behind the yacht’s exterior, which features a striking, low-profile superstructure. The coupe version showcases a curved superstructure roofed with solar panels, which, at the push of a button, slide apart to reveal a hidden sundeck complete with a jacuzzi and bar. Alternatively, the RPH version offers a large flybridge for those seeking panoramic sea views.

Both configurations are equipped with a spacious beach club, enhanced by fold-down wings that create additional space. A notable design feature is the versatile aft passerelle, integrated into the stern and serving both as a gangway and a crane for tenders and toys.

Boasting 353 GT, the GX42 RPH offers a generous interior. She will comfortably accommodate up to 10 guests across five cabins, including a master suite on the main deck, while the lower deck houses a full-beam VIP cabin and three twins. Casali’s interior design ensures that moving through the yacht feels like a “natural, harmonious progression”, with an open and airy atmosphere throughout. Collaborations with high-end brands contribute to the luxurious styling, including Antonio Lupi porcelainware and Dornbrach faucets in the bathrooms, loose furniture by Poltrona Frau and Rugiano, Foglizzo leathers and natural wood flooring from Cadorin.

Silent cruising

At the heart of GX Superyachts is a commitment to the environment, with each yacht featuring a hybrid propulsion system that allows for smooth electric cruising at low speeds and powerful diesel performance when needed. The hybrid setup ensures the yachts can glide through the water in total silence while significantly reducing emissions.

In electric mode, the GX42 can achieve a range of 100 nautical miles at six knots. When switching to diesel power, she will showcase remarkable capabilities, including the ability to cross the Atlantic at 12 knots on a single tank of fuel. This impressive range is made possible by the smart hull design, penned by Francesco Rogantin of NAMES studio, which enhances both efficiency and speed, allowing the yacht to reach a top speed of 16 knots.

 What sets the GX range apart is its significant reduction in carbon emissions, which is less than 60 per cent of a conventional yacht’s footprint. In line with Greenline Yachts’ sustainability ethos, the GX range will feature an extensive solar array and a large lithium battery bank. This system enables the yachts to remain at anchor for 48 hours or more, with full hotel systems, including air-conditioning, powered solely by the batteries.

While the yachting industry still has progress to make in sustainability, GX Superyachts embraces the concept of "responsible yachting" rather than the often overused "sustainable yachting". This approach emphasises that both the shipyard and owners are doing everything possible with the technology available to them to minimise environmental impact. This includes not only hybrid propulsion systems but also careful material selection, minimising single-use plastics, reducing waste and ensuring fair working conditions, to name a few. To further promote eco-conscious practices, the shipyard hosts the annual Greenline Yachts Awards, recognising owners who have generated the most solar power and logged the highest electric engine hours. This initiative encourages owners to participate in "responsible yachting" in a fun and rewarding way.

With 50 per cent of the hull already welded, the first GX42 has already been sold and is on track for a summer 2026 launch. A new order placed now could be ready to hit the water as early as the end of 2026. To find out more information, contact the GX Superyachts team today or follow the brand on Instagram for regular updates.

Sponsored content created for GX Superyachts