woods eclipse catamaran

Multihull Centre Brokerage

The multihull specialists.

Mill Road, Millbrook, Cornwall PL10 1EN, UK.

++44 (0)1752 823900

SPECIFICATIONS

Draft: 0.6m (daggerboards up); 1.8 (down)

Name: Swing Cat

Lying: Multihull Centre

Design:   Woods Eclipse

Designer/Builder: Owner-build

Built/Launched: 2016

Accommodation:

6 berth: 2 x double; 2 x single

1 heads:  Model Airhead ecological toilet;  Type: ecological (separation of liquids from solids);  Holding tank capacity:  Approx 120 Solid deposits.

Sbower incorporated in heads

Pressurised water system

Gas boiler hot water system

Headroom Bridge deck: 185 cm

Headroom Hulls: 2m

Hull & Decks

Coppercoat (2020)

Rig & Sails

Deck equipment, general equipment.

Navigation Equipment

Safety equipment.

There is a gas safety certificate dated 26/08/23 .

Owner’s comments

Swing Cat has beaching keels and kick-up rudders so is happy drying out in tidal creeks.  Its wind generator and 6 solar panels charge 500Ah of battery storage which provides electrical energy via 12V DC and 240V AC distribution.    One can live off the grid with a high level of creature comforts while remaining connected to the shore via computers and mobile phones (if desired!).  

When on shore power in a marina, full use can be made of a microwave, toaster, electric kettle and electric heating.

The interior accommodation consists of a double cabin in the stern of each hull and single cabins in the bow of each hull, giving sleeping accommodation for 6.    The bridgedeck cabin provides comfortable seating around a large table and access to both hulls.    A cockpit awning, together with cockpit cushions, provide further shady seating in the cockpit as well as shelter from any shower.    The trampoline forward of the bridgedeck, between the hulls, is a favourite place for sunbathing, watching the sun go down, or for watching dolphins on passage.

The hulls and cabins are fully lined and insulated ensuring a cool interior on hot days and a cosy interior on cool days.    When at anchor on cold evenings a wood burning stove is available.   

Swing Cat is designed to have minimal impact on the environment.    The sources of renewable energy means there is no need to have a fossil fuel generator.    There is an electric motor for the tender.   

There is no discharge of sewerage from the boat and no conventional holding tank.    An ecological toilet ensures the separation of liquids from solids with both being captured, and disposed of, separately.    The absence of urine in the solids tank, together with the use of mechanical ventilation, ensures that using the heads is a pleasant experience!   

Swing Cat also has a grey water tank for cruising in environmentally sensitive areas. This tank retains washing-up and shower water until it is OK to discharge it – for example when dried out on a beach, grey water can be discharged only when the tide is in and the boat is afloat.

With forward-looking sonar, broadband radar, AIS Tx & Rx, VHF radio, Echomax radar reflector, electronic chart plotter, full size chart table and safety equipment, including lightning protection, Swing Cat is fully equipped for creek crawling or bluewater sailing.

Swing Cat was built by its owner starting in 2011 and was launched in 2016.    The website documenting the build and its sea trials can be found at www.swingcat.co.uk

The reason for the sale is that the owner and his family no longer have as much time for sailing as they did previously.

Viewing by appointment with the Multihull Centre, Foss Quay, Millbrook, Torpoint,

Cornwall, PL10 1EN, Tel. 01752 823900, Option 2    

These details are believed to be correct but cannot be guaranteed and do not constitute any form of contract.   All statements made therein are made without responsibility and the intending purchaser must satisfy himself as to their correctness.   Survey by a qualified marine surveyor is also strongly recommended.

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Woods Designs - Eclipse, Flica and Vardo build times

Discussion in ' Multihulls ' started by flagg , Dec 5, 2014 .

flagg Junior Member

Hi there, I am looking at these three designs and comparing the (built) weight differences and assessing build times for each boat for the available construction methods. I'd like to use foam flat panel style (on a table) construction where possible as I like the simple, clean approach (no stringers, gel coat finish on the outside, light etc.) and favour the investment in foam and learning that method. I haven't decided on hand laid, vacuum bagged or infused etc. but don't fear learning the process. No different to learning how to glass ply, bog and fair it. I've bogged, faired and painted race cars and know how painful it is for even a small area. The Eclipse meets my needs and has the headroom (I'm 187cm) and it is light - 2.5t which (from what i've read) generally means a faster build than the 3t Vardo or 3.5t Flica. However its cedar strip plank hulls and roof and ply topsides have me concerned as I want the most efficient build method and some of the build logs/websites quote some huge build times for this boat. The Flica also meets my needs (other than an outboard option?) and it lists flat panel GRP hulls and foam decks but the built weight implies that there is a LOT more boat to build and it's looking a bit dated compared to the others. So this brings me to the Vardo which doesn't have the headroom I'd like and is sheet ply flat panel build. If it had 50 - 100mm more headroom and was available in flat panel foam construction it might be the best/quickest build of the three? What is everyone's opinion on which approach is best? Suck it up and strip plank an Eclipse, build the older Flica in GRP/Foam, or adapt a Vardo for flat panel foam build (which Richard did on his own Gypsy) and see if he might add a little headroom? I should add that I am looking to minimise work not create it, so I would use LAR keels, outboards and probably tiller steering. I am happy to use ply bulkheads if that will be simpler and for the interior of course. (I still cant understand why designers don't do CNC plans for their interiors, everyone agrees there is a lot of time there too and not everyone wants to learn how to be a cabinetmaker!). Regards Brett.  

cookiesa Senior Member

If build time is of concern, I'd avoid strip planking as it is generally time comes nsuming, not just the build but fairing. Great way to get nice curves but labour intensive. I am a fan of ply for bulkheads.  

Steve W Senior Member

Im not sure which design id choose, your right about the Flica looking dated. On the construction making flat panels on a table just jump in and do infusion, it is not at all difficult and the resulting panels are of very consistent high quality, it is a very clean process and after doing a few test panels a very relaxed process. The equipment cost is low and the material cost can be reasonable too if you don't get sucked into the epoxy for everything mentality, you can build very high quality panels with polyester or vinylester with foam or balsa core. There are some great threads here that will teach you more than you need to know on the subject. Steve.  

bluebox3000 Junior Member

There are some interesting discussions on build times in this tread incl. comments from Mr. Woods: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/build-time-40ft-catamaran-49339.html  

Richard Woods Woods Designs

As you have also posted on my own forum pages I will answer more fully there later today The Flica was designed in 1981 so naturally its styling is no longer fashionable. However the boat still works well as a cruiser, many happy owners have sailed many ocean miles in them I would say though, that the three designs are very different. The Flica has the most room, and is the slowest. The Eclipse will probably take the longest to build but be the fastest but have the least load carrying. The Vardo is in between on performance and space, but probably has the best load carrying. So you shouldn't really decide on the design by the build time, rather on what you want to use the boat for once built. Please email me direct to discuss it further I have personally built an Eclipse in 18 months by 1 1/2 people, built mainly outside with not under cover in the UK, so little work was done during the winter! So say 3000 hours A Vardo was recently launched after 18 months singlehanded building in a very confined space and not full time. I haven't sailed a Vardo, but have been on board one. I have sailed Flica 34, 35 and 37 variants extensively, and of course thousands of miles on an Eclipse Richard Woods of Woods Designs www.sailingcatamarans.com  

catsketcher Senior Member

Get the right design for use not build Gday Brett Good on you for building a boat rather than buying a big heavy charter version. As to reading too much about build times from forums I would urge caution. A huge amount of build time can be used in think time. If the boat is well designed with good drawings and is well considered by someone who has actually lived and cruised on board then you think less and build more. This is one reason I really like Richard's boats - especially the Eclipse. They are tried and tested by someone who sails and cruises like me. No air conditioners on board and drawn by an ex racer who likes to sail well. I can probably build a boat faster than the average guy because it would be my fifth build. If you have a great shed with flat concrete floor it is faster, if you can afford to get all the gear at once - faster, if you can work 10 hours a day - faster. If you can get help when you need two people much faster for some jobs heaps faster. Buy the whole rig - faster. Don't make your own hatches - faster. In the end the variables mean that if you built an Eclipse on your own, under a tarp, in an awkward spot, hunted through scrap yards to make fittings, made your own rig - you would double the time to build. A nice flat block with good shed/tent and big blocks of time would make a big difference to the project. As for round bilge - it is great and probably the way to go. Strip planking is probably the nicest part of building the boat. Getting the nice curves right is fun and if you get advice from people who have done it is is fast. Some essentials - Don't scarf planks into long lengths - nice but not essential. Just butt them. - If on your own dry fit planks and put spacers in. Kankama has this and she is still going strong. - Fit the interior without the sides on. I did this on a folding cat and it worked well and the Eclipse is spot on for this. You build the hull pan and then all of the interior gets worked on before you get the last hull side on. saves heaps of time. Funnily enough strip planking allows you to have a less fair hull. A hard chine needs to be fair or it will wander but you can be a little looser with a round bilge hull. Also if it is like my 38 footer your cat will jump out of the water up until about halfway back in a big chop so having Vee (deadrise) back here is good and the rounded hull does this almost as well as a hull with Vee without the leeway problems. Cruising this year I met two blokes who built boats in record times. One guy. John, built his 40ft Lock Crowther in foam in 7 months with his son and wife working. They went full throttle and didn't miss a season. Marcel singlehandedly built a strip plank 43 footer in 20 months and then sailed around the world. Both boats are looking great after 14 years but these guys knew how to work. John set up a production line where he fit and installed the foam pieces and he gave them to his wife to laminate the glass on them and she and he worked hard ALL day every day. Marcel put a sign on his door saying "Lunch 1-1.30. I can talk then otherwise go away". Anyone who spends time on a nice blog should probably be in the shed instead until they finish. Get the boat you want to cruise and then put your head down and build it. My vote is for the Eclipse. cheers Phil  

Thank you for the compliments. Coming from you I appreciate them even more. Several Eclipse builders have built the interior before fitting the topsides. Anything to avoid climbing ladders. Too many people deck a boat too soon. Check out photos of production boats being built. We left the transoms off my Eclipse until just before launching. It made it so much easier getting in and out, never mind giving more light. Some people enjoy the building experience. I don't, so I always try to speed it up. We sold a set of Sagitta plans (the 30ft small sister to Eclipse) in 1990. The builder launched it in 2010. In comparison, we (meaning 2 1/2 people) built the plugs moulds and our complete Sagitta in less than a year. So in that time really we built a wood Sagitta, then an over weight glass one, then a foam sandwich one. One foam sandwich Flica was built and sailing singlehandedly in 12 months, it's the bottom one on this page http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/component/content/article/351 The earlier photos on that page are dated, so you can see the speed of progress We have an expression in the yard "can't talk now, I've got a boat to build". Interesting though that Jeff, the Vardo builder, had a very good building blog, but almost nothing posted since launching. No doubt he is too busy sailing to write about it... Richard Woods of Woods Designs www.sailingcatamarans.com  

Back in the mid 1970s I rented space to build a cold molded keelboat from a guy who was building a cold molded 57ft twin keel ketch of his own design, a huge boat, by himself. He had taken out a lease on a nice big commercial building, more than he needed and he and his wife were living in the offices and he rented out space to others to build their own boats, it was a great deal for everyone concerned, nice space. He had a big sign set up next to his boat the said something like " yes it is a big boat, yes i think it will float and a whole bunch of other answers to stupid questions. We of course always had the big doors open in the summer and folks would walk in and see him working on the boat and just as they were about to open there mouth they would see the sign and leave. Steve.  

Spoilt for choice Thank you everyone for the feedback and thank you Richard for responding too. I am a great admirer of your designs and philosophy. I have read most of the threads in this forum on build time and construction methods and it has been a great source of information. Bob Oram once wrote that to save time build less stuff! I love that saying and would consider one of his designs had he not retired, best of luck to him. I have also looked at the Easy range in 9.9 and 11m but not really keen on all ply build. I would probably wait for a really cheap one to be for sale s/h than build one if I wanted a ply hull boat. I have a good shed with flat concrete floor, it's 9m x7m with a 3.5 x 7 carport on the end. However I am looking into whether I can open the end up and extend so I have a 15 x 7 which I could fit the whole boat into, otherwise I can build the major bits as far as possible and put together outside under a cover. I'm on acreage so room is not a problem nor getting a hand occasionally for 2 or 3 people jobs. The boat will be the family holiday boat with the intention of working our way up to coastal trips and maybe one day across to some islands like Vanuatu etc. and getting around Oz. So much to see in this part of the world. It has to be easy to single hand and safe. Something Richards designs are renowned for. I would even consider a professionally built carbon unstayed (non rotating) mast to simplify the build further. I would rather invest money in foam build and a carbon mast than diesel engines when outboard/s will do. The flicka is probably the best suited for headroom (I'm 187cm tall) and construction method (is designed for grp and foam which is how I would like to build). Not sure if outboards are easily done? I like that the Vardo is a new design it is just a bit cramped headroom wise and designed for ply build. Richard I'll message you directly about whether flat panel foam build for the hulls and decks would be easy enough to do as well as a little more headroom. The Eclipse is a great boat and part of me says stop worrying about the extra build time there and just strip plank the lower hulls in cedar and maybe I can use foam for the sides and decks? My best mate built a strip plank David Payne Snapper Boat with his dad recently so knows the drill now and can help me there. It is also 10m LOA which will save some money as berths seem to be either 10m or 12m for Multihulls not that that is a biggie on the list. I am really attracted to the infused flat panel build method which allows for taping seams therefore reducing fairing and pads for reinforcing mounting points etc. Gropers build and his commentary on some threads has been inspiring. It just seems common sense and maybe appeals to my thinking. This is why I come back to the Vardo as it may be a good candidate for this approach? Regards Brett.  

If the ply construction is the only reason to give the Easy a pass why not build it in foam cored composite panels instead which you can infuse yourself ? If it can be built in ply it can be built with cored panels, Talk with Peter Snell and see what he thinks. I would guess the value if you sell it later would be higher. Steve.  

flagg said: ↑ I like that the Vardo is a new design it is just a bit cramped headroom wise and designed for ply build. Richard I'll message you directly about whether flat panel foam build for the hulls and decks would be easy enough to do as well as a little more headroom. Click to expand...

Attached Files:

24 Vardo JG cross sections.pdf

I know that infused foam attracts a lot of favourable comments but its a mistake to think that one building method will be the ultimate. I like ply for bulkheads and cabin sides where no stringers are required. Foam is great for decks and cabin tops and curved hull sides. Strip cedar is great for curves. I would not worry about a couple of hundred hours here or there. the boat will take heaps of time. You will be able to spend many more hours fairing the interior than building the structure. Before looking at how at amazing savings in time from one technique check out that the people forwarding the technique have made a whole boat and not just some hulls. The interior will take the time not the hulls. I had a look at the blog on the Eclipse. Looks like a nice build but they are building slowly. My guess is that a fast builder away from a boatyard and doing ten hour days could do it in about half the hours ie 18 months full time. cheers Phil  

Again I agree with Phil. That Eclipse builder is doing a great job but taking his time. The one in Holland also took a long time, but he modified a lot of the boat - like the cabin! Others have been quicker. Fitting out the interior will take the time, not building the hulls. Fortunately you want outboards and tiller steering as that saves a lot of time. Keep the interior simple. I also often comment that my 28ft Gypsy catamaran, fitted out very simply and cheaply, had 6 interior lights. My 32ft Eclipse, only 4 ft longer, had 26. But that included locker lights that came on automatically when you opened the doors, a cockpit security light and courtesy lights that lit the steps down to the hulls that came on with the nav lights. All reasons why my Eclipse took 3 times as long to build as my Gypsy (I was sailing the latter after under 1000 hours building, all singlehanded) Also remember that, by and large, the longer you take building the boat the heavier it will be Richard Woods  

Thank you for the feedback everyone, all great points. Richard, sorry, I took the headroom figures off the Vardo website page at 1.85 for the saloon but hadn't looked at the study plan cross section pdf you supply there. That sounds sufficient, as long as it remains over 1.9 where you stand in the saloon and access the hulls. I know you must get tired of the headroom questions but when you are 187cm every mm counts and makes a big difference between comfortable and downright annoying. I spent a day on a Seawind 1000 recently and clobbered my head twice. An extra 30-40mm would have prevented it. I'm definitely going for simple systems where possible. I'll be using outboard/s, a composting toilet and a camping port-a-loo for the kids rather than plumbing and holding tanks. Rechargeable battery LED lights in the bunks to save running wiring everywhere when you just need a light to get into bed etc... Steve, thank you, a Foam built Easy is not a bad idea and one I'll consider. The Easy range are popular and well thought of here and Peter is only 3-4 hours up the road. It would really depend on Peter and if he was keen to see it happen, as I really value the designer support. Thanks Phil, your feedback is always excellent on this forum and I like your open-minded approach towards things. I agree with what you said, I'm ok with ply bulkheads & furniture, and even cedar strip lower hulls for the eclipse. Everyone agrees the interior is where a lot of the time is spent so what is everyone's best tip for reducing the interior fitout and fairing time (and still having a reasonable finish). I'm already looking at simple systems as described above but what about the construction of hulls, decks, bridgedeck, cockpit, saloon top etc.? Does foam offer an advantage here using peel ply or other techniques during the construction which save heaps of time later? Regards Brett.  

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redreuben redreuben

Flagg. In Australia replace cedar with paulownia. For interior mouldings get yourself some sheets of formica covered chipboard and build a 90 degree mould for your furniture. The basic mould will give you the bench top and front, you can drop in bulkheads and ends as required, or make wood blanks for cut outs etc. radii can be made from plasticine and a drill bit. This will give you fibreglass moulded furniture units with your choice of core.  

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Autobiography of Richard Woods

A bit about myself.

(This was written in 2000 as an introduction to my original website. For more recent biographic details I suggest you read my Year Reviews and Facebook page)

The internet and web sites in general can be very impersonal, so the aim of this page is to show that catamarans designed at Woods Designs are designed by a person, not a computer!

I sailed my first catamaran in 1959, which means I could be considered a pioneer, if it wasn't for the fact that I was only 5 years old at the time, and my Dad had built my 6' long cat out of scrap timber and oil cans! But the (rather shaky) photo does show me sailing with my 2 year old brother as crew.The boat was safely tied to Dad who was holding a (very) long painter!

Then came a succession of International Moths (probably the most extreme singlehanders ever designed). A 10th place in the Europeans came just before I started as a yacht design student at the Southampton College of Technology. I had been on an electronic engineering degree course at Imperial College, London University, but after 2 years I realised I prefered sailing to working in a factory, so left Imperial in 1975. The Southampton course was (maybe still is) the only full time yacht design course in the world. Many famous designers have studied there, Bill Dixon was in my year, Dave Alan Williams the year above, Ed Dubois had also been a student there. I left in 1978 with distinctions in design, structures and stability.

I believe there is a big difference in being taught (anything) full time at a college, as I was, and by a correspondence school as many others are. Face to face discussions with fellow students, never mind with lecturers must help ideas flow and understanding increase. And of course a college has assets that aren't available by mail. The use of a big test tank in my case. I don't call myself a naval architect, even though many who took the same course as me do. Even some who have no formal qualifications at all still call themselves naval architects. I don't do so because I design yachts, whereas a naval architect is often someone who doesn't design anything, but knows a great deal about, for example, stability or ship structures.

As an aside: This technical background obviously helps me design good, safe boats, but it also led me to being asked to sit on the ISO stability committee. This international committee has been meeting for several years and comprises known experts in their fields and discusses and formulates rules for all craft. I am the only multihull designer on the committee, other members have expertise in power boats and monohulls. I also used my dinghy sailing and rowing boat design work to help with small boat stability. I have since been asked to sit on the UK's MCA small craft advisory working group. I don't believe in bureaucracy so always consider the needs of sailors and boatbuilders first. It doesn't always make me popular!

Throughout my dinghy sailing and monohull racing days I had maintained my interest in catamarans - monohull design simply didn't interest me at all. I remember as a child I was always making catamaran models and dreaming of winning races or sailing oceans - always in catamarans.

So during my summer vacations as a design student I got a job working for James Wharram on his Pahi range of designs. As a result, I got the chance to sail the Atlantic on the Wharram's own 51' Tehini. In the Caribbean I sailed as mate on a 70' charter monohull (in fact an old 12m) for the season. Swapped to a Swan 55 for Antigua Race Week and then helped sail it back to Majorca via Bermuda and Gibraltar. An interesting trip, including a major electrical fire and a broken forestay when 700 miles from land. Returning to the UK I spent a year working for Derek Kelsall who gave me the opportunity to design and build my first catamaran the 9m Cockleshell Hero. The success of this boat gave me the incentive to start designing boats for other people.

I married Lilian (an expert Dutch catamaran sailor) in 1981 and during our time together we designed many of the present range of boats. Lilian was responsible for the aesthetics and much of the actual plan drawing while I concentrated on hull shapes, rigs etc. We drew the accommodation layouts together (after all, most of the time we were married we were living on catamarans - even in the snow!)

We also built quite a number of boats, ranging in size from a Pixie and Quattro 16 to the Sagitta and our largest project, the 35' Banshee. We sailed these boats far and wide, not just in races (like the 2-handed Azores and Back Race and Yachting Monthly Triangle Race - we won both of them incidentally) but we also cruised extensively.

Probably our best known voyage was our single-handed trip (three of us in 3 different Strider Clubs) from Plymouth up through the Baltic to the Soviet Union and back during the summer of 1989.

I've always preferred day racing in small boats rather than racing offshore. That's why in the 1980's I initiated and then helped develop the Micromultihull Class, a class of cruiser racer trailable multihulls under 8m (26') in length. These have proved very popular, particularly in the UK and I have raced in numerous National and European Championships.

We won both the Europeans and Nationals in our Strider in 1987 and I came 3rd in another Strider in 1992. In 1994 we came 4th in the European Championships in our Wizard. In the same year I sailed with Graham Goff (who later sailed on Team Phillips with Pete Goss) on a Firebird when we won the National Championships.

One of my favourite boats was the Sagitta. Lilian and I (plus some other workers!) built the plugs, moulds and then a complete boat in our garden. It was the biggest project we've undertaken as in effect we built three boats to produce one sailing one. It was a really comfortable boat, fast and easy to sail. We cruised it between Holland and the Scilly Isles and it is now in the Mediterranean.

Sagitta was followed by the 28' Gypsy which was built on a very low budget almost completely singlehanded. Again, a nice boat to sail, but lacking the racing performance that I enjoy, so again it was reluctantly sold to make way for the 32' Eclipse.

Despite advancing years(!) my love of dinghy racing has not diminished. I have always favoured fairly extreme singlehanders, and raced a Blaze for two years - only selling it after I had won the National Championships.

I then decided there was a market for a home builders performance singlehander and so I built the 14' Stealth.

It seems from the above that all I do is sail - well maybe that's true. My motto is "The sea is for sailing on, and boats are for sailing". So I don't mind what sort of boat I sail, so long as it sails well. In that respect I am very different from the majority of designers who tend to only sail their own boats (if they sail at all that is).

Apart from anything else I feel that they are missing out a lot, and their designs suffer as a result. Its only by experiencing all types of boat in all conditions that you can really learn what makes the ideal boat. As examples of this wide range of sailing experiences in the last few years I have been crewing on a First Class 8 racing monohull (we ended up club champions), represented my sailing club match racing and competed in numerous regattas in my Stealth dinghy. And that's not forgetting a trip back from the Mediterranean in a Flica 37, racing in the Capetown to Rio Race etc!

So, I'm not someone who became a yacht designer because they liked designing boats. Rather it was because I liked sailing, but couldn't find any designs that offer the compromise between comfort and performance that I wanted.

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You've got this far and must now be wondering just why its important to know as much as possible about your chosen designer. Well, clearly for most people a large boat is a huge financial investment, often even more than their house (the materials alone for my Eclipse cost more than my apartment). But in some ways what is more important is that you will spend an even more valuable asset, that is your time on this earth, building and then sailing a boat. So its vital that you have a well proven boat and, to offset your time, one with a good resale value.

Maybe you are just looking at this site to just cover all your options, and actually plan to build another designers boat.

But before you do, I would urge you to check on their credentials. For example:

Have they been professionally trained as a yacht designer? (I have) Have they had over 35 years experience as a full time multihull designer? (I have) Have they been successful at designing both cruising and racing boats? (I have) Have they designed a large range of different types and sold in sufficient numbers to prove their designs? (I have) Do they build, sail and OWN their own designs (I do). Ask your designer what boat he owns and how much he sails it. Be wary of those who don't sail. I suspect all car designers own and drive a car!!

In fact, if your chosen designer can answer "yes" to all these questions then I'd like to know who he is, for to my knowledge no one else comes close to having the same experience as I do.

Maine’s Front Row Seat to the 2024 Solar Eclipse: What You Need to Know

The Solar Maximum and the Solar Eclipse of 2024 are set to create exceptional conditions for viewing the Northern Lights , or aurora borealis, in Maine this year. This rare even will offer incredible opportunities to see a spectacular display for both avid stargazers and casual observers alike.

Here’s why these celestial events are generating excitement and why Maine is poised to be an ideal viewing spot.

✅ The Solar Maximum: A Peak in Solar Activity

The Solar Maximum is a period of heightened solar activity that occurs approximately every 11 years . It’s characterized by an increase in sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections .

These phenomena are significant because they influence the intensity and frequency of the aurora borealis. During a Solar Maximum, the sun releases larger amounts of solar particles and magnetic fields into space.

These, when interacting with the Earth’s magnetosphere, enhance the strength and visibility of the Northern Lights.

The increased activity means that the auroras can often be seen further away from the poles than during quieter periods of solar activity, making northern regions such as Maine prime locations for witnessing the lights.

✅ The Solar Eclipse 2024: Amplifying Conditions

Solar eclipses are known for their dramatic beauty and the unique viewing experiences they offer.

The Solar Eclipse of 2024, occurring on April 8 , 2024 is particularly noteworthy because it will be a total eclipse . It will cast a shadow across parts of North America and provide a rare spectacle for observers in its path, i ncluding those in Maine .

The eclipse path begins down by Mexico and sweeps upward and eastward across the United States. According to NASA , here is the time the eclipse is expected in Maine:

That is amazing timing for all of us in Maine, or those who plan to be here. Of course, this is just for the eclipse, but the heightened Northern Lights will be happening in the time around the eclipse, not just that day.

During the solar eclipse, the moon will completely cover the sun, leaving just the corona!! It should be amazing!

While solar eclipses do not directly enhance the Northern Lights, the period around the eclipse can be marked by increased geomagnetic activity . This may improve chances of seeing the auroras around the times of the eclipse.

Additionally, the natural darkening of the sky during a total solar eclipse can provide a unique backdrop for viewing the Northern Lights, should they occur simultaneously or near the event.

Solar Eclipse Viewing Safety Viewing a solar eclipse is a breathtaking experience, but it’s crucial to do so safely to protect your eyes. The only safe way to look directly at the sun during an eclipse is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or handheld solar viewers. Ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun. If you plan to observe the eclipse through a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device, ensure it’s equipped with a solar filter before the eclipse begins; do not use eclipse glasses as a filter for these devices.

Remember, you can safely view the eclipse’s totality phase without protection only when the moon completely covers the sun’s bright face, which happens for a brief time in the path of totality.

Here’s some high level explanations from space.com .

✅ Why Maine Is a Prime Viewing Location

Maine’s geographic location , combined with its relatively low light pollution in many areas, makes it an excellent spot for observing the Northern Lights , especially during a year of heightened solar activity.

The state’s northern latitude is close enough to the auroral oval —where aurora activity is concentrated—offering a better chance of witnessing the lights.

Northern Maine, in places like Aroostook County , Presque Isle, Island Falls, Houlton , as well as Acadia National Park area , are all known for their dark skies. That darkness will provide optimal conditions for aurora viewing, with wide, unobstructed horizons and minimal artificial light .

Check our Northern Lights page for some places to stay for the best chance of seeing the aurora.

In summary, the coinciding of the Solar Maximum and the Solar Eclipse of 2024, along with Maine’s favorable viewing conditions, presents a unique opportunity for witnessing the Northern Lights in their full splendor.

This year promises enhanced auroral activity , making it an ideal time for enthusiasts and newcomers alike to experience one of nature’s most mesmerizing phenomena. Whether you’re a seasoned aurora hunter or simply looking to experience this natural wonder, Maine offers a front-row seat to the celestial show.

✅ Will We Be Lucky Enough to See the Northern Lights During This Time?

You can read more about the optimal requirements for seeing the Northern Lights in Maine . However, basically it comes down to darkness and clear weather. This is going to be the best opportunity in 11 years to see the aurora in Maine.

During the entire Solar Maximum, which will last from January through October 2024, there will be heightened solar activity, and better opportunities for those of us in the lower northern latitudes to see the aurora.

I know that even though I’ve already seen amazing displays in ( mostly when I lived in remote Alaska ), I’m super excited and hoping to spend as much time in northern Maine as I can in the hopes I can catch more!

Meet the heart and soul behind Wandering Through Maine – a true New Englander at heart, originally from NH, who found their forever home in the beautiful state of Maine. Maine called to them like a lighthouse beacon, and they've embraced it wholeheartedly ever since. This blog isn't just a guide; it's a heartfelt invitation from someone who's walked the trails, sailed the waters, and knows Maine not just as a place on the map, but as a vibrant community and an adventurer's paradise that they call home.