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 :