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Silent 55 Catamaran, the Dead-Quiet Cruiser With Unlimited Range

Cruising the world’s waters doesn’t have to take a toll on the environment or, for that matter, on the pocket of the seafarer, with the only exception of the price he or she pays for the boat.
Silent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noise 13 photos
Photo: silent-yachts.com
Silent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noiseSilent 55, solar-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noise
Austrian shipyard Silent Yachts, producer of oceangoing solar-electric production catamarans, operates by the motto that the only footprints seafarers must leave should be in the sand and not on the quality of the water or the air. The Silent 55 catamaran, unveiled at the 2019 Cannes Yachting Festival, helps them to do just that.

Designed by founder Michael Köhler, Silent 55 is solar-powered, highly efficient, completely silent and guilt-free. For a catamaran, it’s also elegant and comfortable, though not exactly as luxurious as, say, a superyacht (which is completely understandable, by the way). It’s spacious and versatile, and ideal for long-distance cruising for a variety of purposes.

More importantly, it comes with unlimited range and high efficiency. Powered by two 250 kW e-motors, 210 kWh battery capacity, it is maintenance and cost-free, and can cruise day and night without vibrations or fume, noiselessly thanks to the proprietary enhanced noise reduction technology.

Silent 55, solar\-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noise
Photo: silent-yachts.com
Silent 55 has 30 high-efficiency solar panels mounted on the flybridge, rated for approximately 10 kilowatt-peak. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) solar charge regulators allow it to cruise at night without issue, using the energy stored during daytime. An inverter provides power for all household items (fridge, AC and water-maker that produces 100 liters per hour), so Silent 55 does away with the need for additional generators for such appliances.

“What this represents to the yachtsman, among other features, is the ability to cruise for many hours at normal speed and throughout the entire day and evening at reduced speed,” Michael Köhler, Silent Yachts founder and CEO, told the media last year, before the big unveil.

However, a 22kW generator can be added as an extra option, with the possibility of having it kick in when batteries drop under 30 percent or when they need charging ASAP.

“Our best-selling 16.7m innovative solar electric catamaran has been upgraded and become even better than it used to be,” Köhler explains. “We did these updates and changes because we always try to improve and to install the best and latest technology available to satisfy our clients. We have built one new Silent 55 already and we’ve got three more orders for this model, which shows that we’re heading in the right direction.”

Like other catamarans on offer from the shipyard, Silent 55 also comes with a range of customization opens. The idea is to offer a little something for everyone, so Silent Yachts includes 5 different layouts for Silent 55 to choose from, ranging from three to six staterooms with three or four heads. Staterooms can be fitted with double or twin beds, while heads include separate showers. Other layouts are available on request.

Silent 55, solar\-powered catamaran with unlimited range and zero noise
Photo: silent-yachts.com
There are plenty of areas for storage and relaxation included, as well. Silent 55 can be used to transport goods but it’s just as efficient for leisure cruising as well. It’s fitted with a dining area with a kitchenette, sun deck, swimming platform, air conditioning that uses a reverse-cycle heat-pump system warming the interior if need be, and a design that allows in plenty of natural light. Amenities are reduced to the basic requirements for comfortable cruising, but the design is elegant, creating spaces that are luxurious in feel without including the over-the-top stuff you’re bound to encounter on a megayacht.

Silent 55 can reach top speeds of 14 knots and cruise leisurely at 8 knots. Running at 5 knots in sunny weather, it can do 100 miles a day without problem.

Starting price point is $1.5 million, but for this kind of money, owners buy the promise of a maintenance- and (relatively) cost-free catamaran that is highly efficient without producing fumes, noise or vibrations.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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