Elight 44, August update

Elight 44 © Nova Luxe Yachts

After visiting suppliers in Europe, I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, the Mecca of catamaran construction. Here I was greeted by Allan and Kevin the two brothers that own and operate Nova Luxe Manufacturing.

They have been building commercial catamarans in South Africa for a few decades and the team they assembled over the years is top notch. They have specialists in vacuum infusion, painting and yacht design on the floor as well as a deep rolodex of individuals to call upon for expertise. Their facility is completely off grid, a large solar array and battery pack provide power to build, solar electric catamarans. In Europe and North America, a factory powered by solar is a great choice. In South Africa, it's a necessity because of an unreliable power grid.

John, a manager at the Nova Luxe facility, was formally a shipwright for the movie industry, has sailed the globe over four times and developed a pultrusion technique for carbon fiber stanches with a 20/80 resin to carbon fiber ratio explains the situation like this, "I was the captain of a 90' yacht and we ran generators 24/7 for the house needs. This was the old way; I've done it and it sucks. For my home, I am installing a large solar array, and inverters. Ideally, I could sell this power back to the grid thus stabilizing power for my neighbors when my array is producing more then I can use. However, its not legal to do this, so when I have extra power, I run a bitcoin miner." John is sharp guy not afraid to get his hands greasy with diesel, his transitioned to solar and batteries is a practical one, it's a better solution. This is the Nova Luxe mantra, our electric boats can do more then diesel boats, they are better choice.

We could not be more excited to bring the ELIGHT 44 to market - photo © Nova Luxe Yachts

At the facility stands a gorgeous 64' electric sailing catamaran. NLM (Nova Luxe Manufacturing) was contracted to build this boat and it will be launched in September. Inside, I was able to see the bespoke bamboo finish of the cabinetry and the master cabins which will be the same for the ELIGHT 44 were building now. One of the ELIGHT 44 hulls was completed, faired and painted while the other was in the process of vacuum infusion. Equipment has or is in the processes of being ordered.

The yacht will be propelled by two 100kw Torqeedo electric motors supported by a total of 160kw of battery power, 20kw range extender, 7kw of solar and a 22kw shore power charger. Our standard offer is 50kw motors and half the battery which can reach 13 knots, with the large motors this yacht will exceed 16 knots. Some of you may be thinking, "The 80kwh LFP batteries have a 1c discharge rate so you can't use 200kw of power at one time." You may argue that we can only use 80% of the total power, 160/200 (battery / motor size) but that's not exactly true. The range extender can be used in conjunction (or independently) with the batteries adding an additional 20kw. 180/200 for 90% power and finally for 30 seconds the batteries can output a total of 240kw and for 10 seconds output 264kw. (PS. each motors can accept 120kw of power for a short time and we have not factored this extra power into our top speed analysis).

This motor and battery sizing was intentional. Larger motors are great as they are almost as efficient as the smaller versions at low speeds but of course they have more gusto should you need it. Here we have to think a bit differently then diesel boats, we simply cannot sustain using 200kw of power nor would we need to. This is the logic for sizing our solar and range extender.

• 7kw solar array will on a normal day; generate about 30kwh of power and the hotel consumption while at anchor for a 24hr period will in most cases be below that figure. While under way the solar panels will contribute 3kw per hour to the propulsion bank adding about 4nm of range each day normally. With some settings changes, all 30kwh could be sent to the propulsion bank increasing the range by 12nm per day.

• 20kw range extender is enough power for 7 knots even if the batteries are completely flat. With our small 300-liter tank full of HVO this equates to 255nm. Of course, we always have the solar array adding range so a slower trip with more days on the water increases the total distance you can travel.

The layout and design are tailored for each buyer and we ensure an ergonomic finish that is above all else intuitive and easy to navigate. Starting aft, we re-invented tender storage, creating a raised sunbed and lifting mechanism to bring the tender up, into the bottom of the yacht. This shades the tender from sun damage, hides the unsightly dinghy and keeps the deck area free for guests. The electric motor can be removed from the tender, secured to our motor mount and plugged in to charge, all from the sugar scoop. After about a minute, one person can easily complete the task of putting the dinghy away before boarding the main deck.

Two sliding doors and a massive rear window open the salon aft and a forward door allows for passage to the foredeck. In the salon, visibility in all directions is excellent. The galley has all the modern conveniences of a kitchen on land and seating is ample. The captains chair in the galley doubles as an office chair, the charts table and large monitor area ready for any task.

The incline of all Stairwells is more closely aligned with standard land-based staircases vs steep ladders often used on boats. Descend into the owners' hull and you will find two spaces maximized for comfort. The head is aft and stretches the full width of the hull, complete with a walk-in shower larger than most on land. Forward is the VIP berth with vanity table and stool, expansive closets and a queen bed with views out the large hull window are sure to delight. Access is easy from either side of the bed and the hatch above the bed invites stargazing before dozing off.

Ascend the stairwell to the flybridge and you won't want to leave, or have too. A full wet bar complete with refrigerator, grill and sink allow you bring all the necessities to entertain on this deck. The helm station is accompanied by a lounge chair, convenient for any couple to manage the yacht, read a book and pass the time together.

We could not be more excited to bring the ELIGHT 44 to market. We thank all our newsletter subscribers for the support over the years!