When it comes to envisaging an environmentally friendly future for yachting, there is one builder which has proven itself ever-ready to rise to the challenge: the Austrian-based SILENT-YACHTS. Think game-changing solar and electric technology, true explorer capabilities and an approach to design which continues to surprise and delight owners and industry experts alike.
To discover more, we take a closer look at the shipyard’s flagship vessel, the SILENT 120 Explorer, the first unit of which is slated for delivery in 2024.
Scaling up
Beginning her life as a 30.48-metre (100ft) solar catamaran project, the SILENT 120 Explorer has grown significantly throughout her development and now stands at an impressive 36.74 metres. A truly imposing motor yacht, she offers volume in spades, thanks to her 13.85-metre beam and a generous gross tonnage of 499, with her 900 square metres of combined exterior and interior space giving prospective owners plenty to play with.
Eco-styling
Thanks to her sheer size and volume offering, the only limit on her design is found in the imagination, with owners able to customise the vessel to suit their unique requirements, rather than relying on tried-and-tested formulations. Springing from the drawing boards of long-term SILENT-YACHTS collaborator, well-respected Italian designer Marco Casali, the first hull sports numerous features including an aft deck swimming pool as well as grassy areas for dog walking on the side decks.Marrying her eco-credentials with her innovative design, her solar hard top cleverly slides out in two sections, revealing an upper sundeck which also doubles up as a touch-and-go helipad for owners keen to get out and explore the skies for themselves.
Adventure awaits
With globe-trotting itineraries top of the list for many yacht owners in 2023, the SILENT 120 also offers space for two of the latest must-have toys for remote voyaging alongside the usual tenders and toys: an all-electric two-person submarine for underwater adventures, as well as an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for heli-cruising. This space is created thanks to both her catamaran hull form, and the compact nature of her electric propulsion units.
Limitless power
The SILENT 120 ‘Explorer’ lives up to her adventurous name thanks to her potentially unlimited range. Representing the pinnacle of solar-powered cruising technology, her 40kWp (kilowatt-peak) panels provide sufficient energy to cover the yacht’s hotel loads, aided by her highly efficient systems design.
In addition, her selected range-extender generators, in addition to 800kW lithium-ion batteries, drive her highly efficient 340kW e-motors and give the yacht unlimited miles of cruising potential. And how does this translate in real terms? Performance-wise, the SILENT 120 has a maximum speed of 16 knots and cruises through the water with ease at eight knots.
The future is green
As for the industry’s reception to the SILENT 120 Explorer, it is safe to say that it has been highly positive. As SILENT-YACHTS founder and CEO Michael Köhler highlights: “There has been a recent burgeoning of environmental concern within the industry, as well as an awareness of the luxurious lifestyle which can be enabled by the space of a multihull vessel. The result? We are now firmly embedded in the age of the super catamaran.”
In short, for those owners who are looking to square the circle of marrying genuine eco-credentials with the best of the superyacht lifestyle, the SILENT 120 Explorer presents a compelling argument for its possibility – offering a welcome escape from the stresses and strains of the every day, adventurous possibilities in the skies and seas, and even a place to walk your dog.
