Eco power for a cruising cat

The expansive deck of an 8m Catalac catamaran proves to be a huge asset for Simon Milward's solar electric propulsion project

- Simon Milward

I've always been environmentally conscious and with an increasing concern about climate change, converting my new-to-me sailboat to fully electric propulsion was an idea that just wouldn't leave my mind.

Added to this I used to run a small solar panel company and seven years ago was awarded the Guinness World Record for the fastest solar-powered crossing of the English Channel. (Full story coming soon - Ed.) This was on Dart 15 beach catamaran hulls covered in over 100kg of rigid solar panels connected directly to electric motors with no heavy batteries to slow it down.

Boat choice

When I was able to buy my first proper sailing boat for our family three years ago it made sense to try to go electric as quickly as possible.

I was a bit disappointed at how long this took. Nevertheless, apart from a little bit at the start of last summer, I've now been fully electric for nearly a year. I hope that by sharing my experience, particularly of the advantages of solar-powered electric motors, I can help others work out what could be best for them and help them achieve that as quickly, easily, and economically as possible.

Our boat Chateau Cat is a '3-tonne' 8m Catalac and weighs around four tonnes fully loaded. The crew mainly consists of my wife and our three children. My dad and brother also sometimes swap in and out, particularly for longer passages like crossing to and from The Netherlands.

As the world record passage showed, catamarans are a justifiably popular choice for solar electrification on account of the large deck area, perfect for mounting multiple solar panels.