silent yacht ocean crossing

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Greener and Better: the Silent 60

• By Chris Caswell
• December 16, 2022

If there was any question that the “Tesla moment” has arrived in yachting, the Silent 60 clearly provides a positive response.

Consider, for a moment, crossing oceans in silence at 5 to 6 knots without consuming a drop of fuel and never needing to plan your course between fuel stops. Imagine sitting at anchor and running the air conditioning all night, not to mention all the galley appliances plus the washer-dryer, without the hum or fumes from a genset.

During my time aboard the Silent-Yachts 60, the electric yacht cruised easily at 8 knots. When I whipped out my sound meter, it barely registered 52 decibels, which is about the sound of a dishwasher. The Silent monitors at the helm showed we were charging our 286 kWh lithium batteries at more wattage than we were using to spin the 340 kW motors, so we were ahead of the power-usage game—and this was in South Florida rain under a solid cloud layer. Had we upped the ante to the yacht’s top speed of 20 knots, it would have been drawing from rather than adding to the batteries, but the speed capability gives skippers the option to outrun weather (or just get to the best moorings first).

The Silent 60 is a catamaran design for several reasons. First, the twin hulls are easily driven to minimize the power needed. Second, with nearly 30 feet of beam, there is enough deck area for the solar panels needed to create power.

Buyers can choose as many as six staterooms, each en suite with stall showers and nearly king-size berths. The salon also uses that beam well, providing bowling-alley space under 7-foot-6-inch headroom. With the Silent 60, the interior is basically a blank sheet, allowing buyers to tailor the layout to their cruising needs.

As for the engine rooms, NASA could take a page from Silent-Yachts: Everything is precisely labeled, placed for easy access and surgery-suite spotless. Externally, the Silent 60 is striking, with reversed bows and black graphic slashes on the topside that conceal dark-tinted windows (which provide bright, airy interiors to the staterooms). What catches the eye most, however, are the 42 solar panels that cover every inch of the cabin top as well as the hardtop over the flybridge. Produced by SunPower in California, these panels feed power to a lithium battery pack reportedly good for 3,000 charge cycles—or an estimated 35 years of normal boating use.

The Silent 60 I got aboard, which was Hull No. 3, had a four-stateroom layout. A larger stateroom forward in the starboard hull served as the master, with an athwartships berth, settee and built-in vanity. This yacht also had a walk-through Dutch door forward in the salon next to the helm, leading to settees on the foredeck as well as providing salon ventilation. Another benefit of the door for short-handed cruisers is quick access to the anchor gear under the foredeck.

Owners can sacrifice the forward door in favor of a forward master stateroom with a king berth just a couple of steps below the salon and an en suite head in the starboard hull. An intriguing design feature is the two outward-facing “window seats” indented into the stateroom on each side deck, which would make a wonderful spot at anchor with a good book.

The salon has a fixed dining table that easily seats eight people on the wraparound settee. There also are loose chairs and a pad just forward for lounging. The helm is raised one step and has twin Simrad multifunction displays plus the Silent systems monitor, all easily understood.

Aft and to port, the U-shaped galley has a dishwasher as well as a full-height fridge to starboard. The fridge setup may change to a pair of undercounter drawer fridges on future boats for easier access and to eliminate a blind spot for the skipper.

Abaft the galley, a window slides open for easy pass-through to the cockpit to serve whatever the cooks have prepared using the Hafele four-burner, two-zone cooktop.

The Silent 60 is a work in progress, and additional changes might be on the way, such as the addition of twin berths that slide together, and a different location for what is now the midsalon washer-dryer (in a console abaft the helm). This hull was built in Thailand, but production is moving to Italy.

Still, the yacht has exceedingly clever design ideas, such as the hinged hardtop on the bridge. The top lowers electrically to seal off the bridge from the weather as well as keep the solar cells from being shadowed. The bridge itself is conventional, with a double-wide helm seat to port that reverses to create wraparound seating for the dining table, and double lounge pads for relaxing, not sunning, since the solar panels take up every bit of sun space.

The cockpit has a settee and an L-shaped table. A hydraulic swim platform is available in varying widths to handle up to a 13-foot tender without impinging on the platforms on either hull. Silent-Yachts also gets points for good walk-around decks protected by toe kicks as well as welded stainless-steel rails.

The Silent 60 is on the leading edge of a greener yachting experience. For cruisers who are looking to lessen their carbon footprint while enjoying some quietude at sea, this yacht is worth serious consideration. 

Built for Safety

Future Silent 60s from Italy will have fully resin-infused fiberglass sandwich construction with carbon reinforcements in high-stress areas. Each of the hulls has watertight bulkheads, sealed floors and three collision compartments for enhanced safety. The foam sandwich core provides thermal and sound insulation.

Kite Sailing

One option available on the Silent 60 is a kite-wing propulsion system using a collapsing mast and hidden winch to fly a 140-square-foot sail. (By comparison, a Laser sail is 76 square feet.) With open ocean breezes of 17 to 21 knots, the builder says the kite can power the Silent 60 at 6 to 7 knots alone, or it can bump the speed with motors to go faster than the usual 8-knot cruise speed. 

Big Sisters

In addition to the Silent-Yachts 60, the boatbuilder has 62-, 80- and 120-foot electric power cats available for owners looking for something bigger. Additionally, it recently started work on the hybrid-powered Silent VisionF 82. 

Take the next step: silent-yachts.com

• More: Catamarans , Electric , Electric Boats , October 2022 , Power Catamarans , Reviewed , Silent-Yachts , Solar Powered Yachts , Yachts
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How SILENT-YACHTS has quietly helped fuel a sustainable revolution

“I see what we are doing at SILENT-YACHTS as being like what Tesla did in the automotive industry,” says chief marketing Franz Böse. “They started developing an electric car when no one else in the world thought it was a good idea. And just look now. Our founders did something very similar.”

SILENT-YACHTS is a disruptor in the superyacht industry, firmly set on a mission to spark a green revolution with its fully electric yachts. While other yards have been slowly – and, some might say, belatedly – investigating the possibilities of introducing alternative drive-train solutions, SILENT-YACHTS ripped up the blueprints for what a yacht could be.

Like at Tesla, the SILENT-YACHTS team didn’t want to compromise in chasing their objective. They wanted to combine the noiseless cruising and unlimited range of a sailboat with the comfort of a motor yacht. To have true ocean-crossing capabilities and virtually no need for maintenance. To allow luxury self-sufficient yachting to truly go hand in hand with nature.

And the result is a line of seven solar catamarans ranging from the SILENT 60 at 18 metres to the SILENT 120 Explorer at 36.7 metres. On each one, solar power is used for propulsion, powering all navigation, household and comfort appliances (including AC) and for charging toys and tenders. When the sun isn’t shining, power comes from state-of-the-art lithium batteries charged by photovoltaic modules on the top and middle deck roofs. There is no diesel motor lying ready “just in case” (although there is a diesel regenerator to top up the batteries if needed).

“The boats run very efficiently because right from the start we intended them to be solar electric boats,” says Böse. “You can live 100% from the solar energy. It’s quieter, more stable and you can do everything you want. You are also more independent – you have watermarkers, you can be out at sea for a very extended period of time. Our catamarans offer an environmentally friendly approach plus the opportunity for maximum freedom.”

SILENT-YACHTS has seen a change in owners becoming increasingly eco-conscious. “Most of our customers drive electric cars, they have solar panels on their houses or their company buildings, they are tech people that have a different mindset,” Böse says. “They are striving for a better future and are interested in something different. I am sure there will be customers who might get pressure from their children, who say ‘Dad, you can’t have a yacht that burns that much fuel’.

“Most of our clients understand this is the right approach to yachting and how the future will be like.” And younger owners themselves are interested because they “don’t see motor yachts as an option for them because they know how much diesel and fuel big boats can consume”, he adds.

As awareness of climate change continues to grow, the yard believes the tide is turning in the industry. “The market is growing, interest in and enquiries about our boats is increasing,” says Böse. “We have customers that used to own a big sailing yacht or motor yacht but now they want a more relaxed and environmentally focused approach to yachting. Our niche will further grow; every year the slice of the cake will get bigger. Regular diesel catamarans will become outdated and unpopular. I am convinced they will die because eclectic cats have so many advantages.” He predicts a switch to electric boats in the smaller size ranges, too, once there’s an improvement in the charging systems

SILENT-YACHTS has sold more than 50 solar catamarans so far, with about 25 boats in build. By 2025, it expects to be producing 25 a year. Of its models, the 60 is the most efficient because it’s the smallest. With any new technology, there are bound to be some humps in the road. Böse admits that in port or on anchor, the 120 can run 100% on silent electric for a long time but might have more need of the diesel generator to add to the propulsion from time to time. 

SILENT-YACHTS’ green revolution is already starting to positively affect the wider industry, Böse believes. “We are convinced that what we did a decade ago, when SILENT-YACHTS was founded, ensured the industry started to change. Now we are seeing new companies opening with similar boats and big shipyards beginning to invest in alternative drive-train solution. And we welcome that transition. It was always one of our main motivations.”

The yard has plans to expand its offering, but for now it is – true to the brand name – keeping quiet. As Böse adds: “We will for sure enlarge our range – in which direction and with which boats we will keep a secret for now.”

To discover more about the SILENT-YACHTS, visit the company’s website. 

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SILENT Yachts

The Iconic Original – Reinvented

The SILENT 60 embodies the next generation of the legendary SILENT 64, the first and only solar powered yacht to cross the Atlantic.

It can easily be driven by two people and offers enough space for families and crew members.

The possibility of storing a 4 m tender, two jet skis, several bicycles and a motorcycle makes it the adventurer of the SILENT family. Ideal to discover the world.

In November of 2021, the SILENT 60 won the “Best of Boats Award” in the category “Best for Travel”. This specific category is defined as “suitable for long distance travels with all amenities to live on board permanently, adapted for both inland waters and the tough conditions at sea”. Generally, she can easily be handled by two people, making the SILENT 60 ideal for families cruising with or without additional crew.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Solar power generation, light displacement.

Trans-Ocean

Certification

Specifications, model versions.

Front Master / Front Exit

Cruising speed

1000 L – 1900 L

900 L – 2100 L

SUNLIGHT Yachts

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