Clean sailing : our solutions

#electricengine : Who will be the nautical Tesla?

Why is it that the nautical industry is lagging behind the motor industry?  The answer is an easy one, but unfortunately one that has been difficult to overcome: a boat as a lot more friction than a car… The invention of the wheel and paved roads was a revolution, allowing us to go great distances with minimal effort.  We have not been able to achieve the same efficiency for travel over water … until now!

Candela – Hydrofoiling Electric Boats

It’s true that major manufacturers are rapidly developing electric or hybrid propulsion solutions for sailboats. Excess, at the forefront of innovation for the Bénéteau group, launched its electric Excess 15 and has developed multiple solutions for the Excess 11.

However, because of this problem of friction, the autonomy that can be obtained is very limited and comes at a price. By adding 20% of the price of your Excess catamaran, you can sail for about 2 hours at 6 knots before having to start the generators, at which point you will use about as much diesel a conventional propulsion engine.  So a good option for short day trips, but nothing that blue

4 Electric Hybrid engine configurations under review by Excess Catamarans

The future is therefore frictionless navigation… that is to say on a foil. And it is in this field that the Tesla of boating will appear.

For example, the start-up Candela has developed a range of boats on foils, with electric propulsion and equipped with a super computer that manages the foil angle to ensure a stable flight.  Because yes, boats on foils sail over the water rather than on the water!  In order to be able to fly a boat must be very light, which means a carbon construction and consequently a higher cost.  But the benefits in terms of fuel economy, maintenance and of course preservation of the environment largely compensate for the initial investment costs.   Candela is therefore the ideal solution for public transport and VIP transport in sensitive environments such as the lagoons of Tahiti.

Sail Tahiti is proud to be the Candela Ambassador in Polynesia and we are here to support you in setting up your project.

Today’s pleasure boat is mainly made up of petroleum derivatives (resins, plastic foam) and fiberglass (manufactured from glass and with high levels of water and energy consumption). What’s more, fiberglass boats are non-recyclable. Progress in manufacturing that is more respectful of the environment is being made step by step and is being led by industrial groups such as Bénéteau, which have made it a strategic priority.

Today pleasure boats are mostly built from petroleum products (resin, plastic foam) and glass fiber which is obtained from glass by using large amounts of water and energy. Moreover fiberglass boats are non recyclable. Progress in manufacturing that is more respectful of the environment is being made step by step and is being led by industrial groups such as Bénéteau, which have made it a strategic priority.

Our partners are all working on solutions with each new model they launch: 

• Neel Trimarans are developing a mix of fiberglass and linen fiber 
• Excess is developing a mix of fiberglass and hemp fiber
• Neel Trimarans and Excess use PET foam, made exclusively from recycled plastic
• Excess s gradually replacing resins with biosourced resins, the wood comes from eco-managed forests

At Sail Tahiti we’re closely following the progress our manufacturing partners are making, and we’re focused on helping you to choose the most virtuous boat possible.

How you set-up and use your boat is the area in which you can have the greatest impact. If sailing in the traditional sense was a non-polluting mode of travel, the multiplication of comfort elements for long-distance travel projects creates very high energy consumption: watermaker, refrigeration, household appliances, air conditioning, additional boat weight… With our partners, we can help you to choose the solutions that minimize your own pollution:

• Choose a performance boat to sail more and use your engine less
• Solar panels, wind generators, hydro generators
• Better battery capacity, either classic or lithium
• Better, low-consumption water makers
• Induction cooking

Sail Tahiti brings dedicated blue-water solutions to make your cruise as respectful of the environment as possible.