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The Best of Both Worlds: Silent 120 Explorer Yacht Pairs Luxury With Unlimited Range

Who said luxury is exclusive of sustainability? Silent Yachts, the very popular Austria-based builder of solar-powered, electric catamarans, aims to prove that you can have the best of both worlds with its latest build. Meet the Silent 120 Explorer superyacht.
Silent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOL 12 photos
Photo: Silent Yachts
Silent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOLSilent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOL
Silent 120 Explorer started out as the Silent 100, the largest model introduced by Silent Yachts last year, but has since been expanded an additional 20 feet (6 meters), to a total of 120 feet (36.74 meters), to fit extra amenities. The hull is now under construction at the VisionF Yachts yard in Turkey, with an estimated launch date for 2024. When it does hit the water, this explorer superyacht will set the tone for a new, more sustainable approach to yacht ownership.

Silent Yachts has been building solar-powered catamarans for the past several years, bundling in each hull the promise of limitless range, noise- and emissions-free sailing, lifetime warranty, more space, and an ever-increasing number of luxury amenities. The Silent 120 is peak of all that, and it’s all thanks to the fact that it offers an interior volume comparable to a larger vessel, but with a much-reduced carbon footprint and in a more efficient form factor.

The latest upgrades to the hull include luxury amenities worthy of the superyacht classification: a matching submarine and an aircraft – an eVTOL, if the technology and regulations allow for it by the time it hits the water. In what is billed an industry’s first, Silent Yachts has partnered with VRCO to put the XP4 aircraft onboard the Silent 120.

Silent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOL
Photo: Silent Yachts
Still in development stage, the XP4 is an eVTOL (electric takeoff and landing aircraft) that will seat four people and will offer enhanced safety through detection and avoidance technology, low-altitude crash prevention systems, and a ballistic parachute. The XP4 is due for certification the year Silent 120 is scheduled to launch.

The eVTOL, which will be customized to match the styling of the superyacht, will land on the sun deck, which features a solar panel roof that opens up, with the two halves sliding open to reveal the helipad. When this space is not used for this purpose, it will serve as a very generously-sized open-air lounge area, with sunpads and other removable pieces of furniture.

The XP4 eVTOL isn’t the only “toy” onboard the electric cat, as it will also feature the NEMO from U-Boat Worx, also known as the lightest submersible in the world and a now-proper must-have onboard every luxury explorer. The sub will also be matched in color and styling to the mothership, as befits any multi-millionaire toy.

With a design by Marco Casali, the Silent 120 offers 499 GT of interior space and a total layout of 9,687 square feet (900 square meters) of space, both interior and exterior. There’s even a pool on the aft deck, together with another area dedicated exclusively to sun worshipers, and several grassy areas on the side decks, which are designed for walking the dogs. You know this is not an average “boat” when you have features like this, exclusively for the use of pets.

Silent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOL
Photo: Silent Yachts
That said, the highlight of this superyacht is the promise of unlimited range, which comes with every Silent Yacht hull, regardless of size. Solar panels are coupled with 800kW lithium-ion batteries, which feed dual 340kW e-motors that take the yacht to a cruising speed of 8 to 10 knots (9.2-11.5 mph / 14.8-18.5 kph), and a top speed of 16 knots (18.4 mph / 29.6 kph). At cruising speed, range is virtually unlimited as long as the sun shines, but for those times when it doesn’t, Silent 120 relies on three backup generators.

The multi-hull design, combined with the use of electric motors that free up space that would have otherwise been dedicated to the engine room, means a more generous footprint than you’d find on larger vessels. This way, Silent 120 boasts two tender garages with an assortment of toys, a fully-equipped gym, and other superyacht-like amenities that are yet to be revealed to the public.

“The trend is for bigger yachts and more luxury, more comfort, more water toys and more possibilities. We have designed a boat that is bigger in volume although not in length, and bigger gives the opportunity to store more of these toys,” Michael Köhler, one of the founders and CEO of Silent Yachts, says in a statement.

Silent 120 Explorer will launch in 2024 with a matching NEMO sub and a matching eVTOL
Photo: Silent Yachts
When Silent 100, on which Silent 120 is based, was introduced last year, it came with an estimated price tag of $21 million. There’s no pricing offered with the update on the Silent 120 model, but if you factor in the added length, the sub (the NEMO starts at $1 million for the basic version, and this one will be custom), and what will hopefully be a first-gen eVTOL, it’s safe to say that this won’t be cheap, or in any way affordable.

But at least the lucky (and very rich) owner will find some peace of mind in knowing that running and maintenance costs will be drastically reduced, as will his or her carbon footprint.

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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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