Sunreef Yachts and the sun-powered superyacht, plus a Brabus twist

Most yachts are designed to be looked at. Sunreef would like yours to also be switched on.

From its shipyard in Gdańsk, the Polish builder has spent two decades making catamarans, and lately it has made an unusual argument: that a superyacht can be lavish and quiet at the same time, and that its own hull and decks can do some of the work of the engine room.

A different kind of ambition

Sunreef has built luxury catamarans since 2002 and, according to Yacht.de, employs more than 200 people at its yard. Its founder, Francis Lapp, has long championed going electric.

The pitch has two parts. The first is the multihull itself, with its wide, stable deck and generous space. The second is what the company calls its Solar Skin, a way of laminating photovoltaic cells directly into the surface of the boat.

Rather than bolting panels to a roof, Sunreef embeds them into the hull sides, the superstructure and the fixed bimini. Boat International reports that the company describes itself as the only superyacht builder to have embedded solar cells into large-scale fibreglass structures. That is the company’s claim, and one worth bearing in mind.

“With the Sunreef 100 Eco, we are proving that the future of superyacht sailing can be both luxurious and sustainable.” Francis Lapp, founder, Sunreef Yachts

The Eco range

The clearest expression of the idea is the Sunreef 100 Eco, which made its world premiere at the Monaco Yacht Show in September.

On the figures reported by Yacht.de, she is 28.65 metres long with a beam of 12.8 metres. Two electric motors of 360 kW each give a combined 720 kW, drawing on a 770 kWh battery bank charged in part by the solar skin.

The shipyard says the solar system can produce up to 45.1 kWp, with cells it rates at 24.8% efficiency. It also claims “unlimited range” under sail with electric assistance. These are manufacturer claims, and real-world performance will depend on weather, latitude and how the yacht is used. A sunny day in the Mediterranean and a grey week off Scotland are rather different propositions.

There is a larger sibling too. Sunreef’s 40-metre Explorer Eco, again by its own account, is designed so that its solar skin can power every system on board, from the audiovisual equipment to the Jacuzzi, with a maximum speed of 14 knots and a cruising speed of 10. Again, those are manufacturer figures.

Then, the plot twist

Which makes the company’s newest partner a surprise. Brabus is a German tuner best known for its heavily modified Mercedes cars, and not at all for restraint.

The Brabus Ultima 55, built by Sunreef, is the opposite end of the spectrum from a quiet solar cruiser. According to YachtBuyer, she is a 17-metre catamaran with twin 533 kW six-cylinder engines and a top speed in excess of 40 knots.

The details sound like a Brabus car at sea:

• Exposed carbon fibre inside and out
• Alcantara headlining and Moonstone Masterpiece leather
• A beam of 5.6 metres that widens to 7.6 metres when the side platforms fold down at anchor
• Two cabins for four guests, or three cabins for up to six, each with separate crew accommodation
• Certification to Category B for up to 12 people

YachtBuyer does not give a price or quote either company, so we will not guess at either.

Are the two ideas in conflict?

Fairly obviously, a boat that burns fuel to reach 40 knots is not the same project as one that sips from the sun. It would be unfair to pretend otherwise, and Sunreef has not claimed the Ultima 55 is a solar yacht.

What links them is the thing underneath: a lightweight multihull platform that Sunreef builds well, and a willingness to put its name to very different ideas of what a luxury boat should be. One is for people who want to cross the bay at the speed of a sports car. The other is for people who want to cross an ocean quietly.

Whether that breadth is a strength or a distraction is a fair question. Sunreef’s answer, so far, seems to be that the market is large enough for both.

What to watch

Three things will tell us how seriously to take the sun-powered claims:

• Independent measurements of the 100 Eco’s output at sea, not in a brochure
• How much of a typical day’s energy the solar skin really supplies
• Whether other yards follow with embedded solar of their own

For now, the honest position is that Sunreef is offering a convincing vision and some impressive numbers, most of them its own.

A word on chartering

Not everyone wants to own. Some of the finest yachts in the world are available to charter, and the best of them are rarely advertised. If you would rather spend a week aboard than commission a boat, you can speak to Tailyr about yacht charters. We handle requests privately, and introductions are always made with your permission. You can also read about Discreet Assets.

Sources: Yacht.de, Sunreef 100 Eco · Boat International, Sunreef Explorer Eco 40M · YachtBuyer, Brabus Ultima 55