A zero-carbon cruising yacht? Spirit Yachts 44e boat test | Yachting Monthly

A wooden yacht that is as light as a carbon boat, has no fossil fuels on board, uses only electric propulsion, and for which all parts are recyclable is a big claim. She's no mass-production boat, but could the Spirit 44e be leading the way for the boat-building industry to follow? Theo Stocker went to find out.
Watch to the end to find out how much she costs, and for more stunning sailing footage.
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[@kingrobbie1793]

I would literally swim from Canada to the UK to start an apprenticeship at Spirit Yachts, absolutely stunning craftsmanship.

[@rayred74]

good to see YM video reviews back

[@bos6782]

Beautiful craftsmanship, love the Spirit line of sailboats.

[@scottlalonde2878]

Beautiful boat. Have not a clue about sailing, but I appreciate your video, thank you.

[@gregnicholls8347]

Can't say I've seen anything so wonderful before, anymore beautiful and I wouldn't want to get it wet. It just looks as though it is made to make one feel good.

[@klausjensen9150]

WHAT A LOVELY YACHT . EXQUISITE LINES ALL AROUND ! job well done ,.

[@MrBrewzr]

These Spirit yachts are so beautiful.

[@yahuchanon37]

Beautiful boat!

[@alexk3806]

This is beautiful. I will probably swoon when it passes me on the Orwell...

[@Nozzall]

The bench issue in the cockpit with the benches being a little too deep is easily fixed with cockpit cushions against the coaming. That would take up those extra few inches.

[@australianwoodenboatfestiv3519]

STUNNING!

[@helenbritton3977]

Not to be snobby, but proud to be British when I see spirit yachts. Edit: the fact they say the price in this video is really good.

[@ruzgardeniz4673]

Tasarım çok zarif...⛵🗺👏

[@vitordacosta792]

Perfect, maybe in 15 years from now I will be able to aford such a nice boat.

[@BRuas9080]

Beautiful.

[@torstenbehrendt870]

Nice, Will buy one tomorrow.

[@philskype101]

its very pretty

[@Tomm9y]

Lovely boat, decently reviewed by Theo. Not sure about infused wood for the decks. With such long overhangs the interior volume is more like a 33 foot boat.

[@doblesptag]

For 800,000 Pounds you can get a lot better boat.!!!

[@andrewhankermeyer6009]

composting head or pump out?

[@zeloto]

what is the name of the song at the start?

[@FlesHBoX]

Gorgeous boat! I love the interior wood selection, and that it's a satin finish instead of a gaudy high gloss varnish. Though, I do wonder if your camera operator was drunk that day...

[@mw8653]

An elegant classy looking yacht nice to see craftsmanship of this standard is still available.

[@Andre-hi9xn]

This is what I call a yacht!

[@movieklump]

The interesting thing about this rather cramped cruiser is it's engine systems. What's the range? How do you charge it? Is there a generator? What's it's motoring speed? Where is Chris Beeson when you need him?

[@YachtingMonthly]

Motor - Oceanvolt SD15 motor (15kW) Battery - 30.4kWh bank Charging - 625W solar, 2kW shore power, 1.5kW regenerative charging under sail @8.5 knots Range details below, but just to caveat, these are without any input from the solar or regenerative charging from the prop, so these ranges are purely on a single battery charge: @3 knots - 200 miles @5 knots - 25 miles @7 knots - 14 miles

[@matthewkolodziej]

Stunningly beautiful

[@lucian823]

Could you cross the atlantic with this?

[@michaelcarron3418]

I would call it a coastal cruiser, not a deep water ocean crossing boat.

[@mcbrite]

My first thoughts exactly!

[@hv7978]

100%. And only coastal when the waves aren't 8-10 feet tall or breaking

[@mitchdehotte]

Nice I just have to win the lottery and this beauty could be mine ;) Hello Spirit yacht , dont you want to sponsorize somebody around the world ?

[@ancientheart2532]

Looks like a Hinckley Sou'wester

[@cattiethecat4896]

Bond!!! no time to die YachT!!!!

[@stevelawrie9115]

So attractive on so many levels

[@drxym]

Electric needs to become a mainstay of production boats, not just custom builds. Potentially infinite range and no noisy, smelly diesel should be an attractive feature.

[@michaelmurphy1127]

You have lost me on where the power for the infinite range comes from, unless you are covering them in solar panels and wind turbines.

[@drxym]

@@michaelmurphy1127 that's the point - cover them in solar panels like Silent Yachts are doing. Sail boats also have... sails and can have regen electric propulsion systems.

[@michaelmurphy1127]

@@drxym It wouldn't look like a Spirit Yacht then though would it.

[@drxym]

@@michaelmurphy1127 Erm this story is about a spirit yacht though. It has sails and it has solar for charging a motor. Motor could also be charged by regen propulsion. Not sure what the issue is here

[@michaelmurphy1127]

@@drxym Because you said cover them in solar panels, if you remember.

[@realnameverified416]

I had never heard of that LIgma wood. Interesting.

[@jasonmatthers2286]

Ligma balls

[@Knapweed]

Above all, a yacht should be a swan not a turkey. She's a rare gem.

[@markcampbell7577]

Maybe some day we will see least wind resistant hull keeling the sails. The stem keeling the headsails and the mast greater than 50 percent back to keel the mast and mainsail. A keel line to match the style and rigging...

[@ConvetionalHeretic]

What she is: a “eco friendly” sailing riva for daytripping preferably on a lake. What she is not: A long range cruiser that can take on what the ocean can dish out. I can honestly not imagine what it would look and feel like being tossed about in half a gale on a 44foot dinghy. Credit where credit is due, she is of a very fine design and I supose doing away with a diesel auxilary would aleviate some of the maintenance time and costs. (But anyone who can afford to sink 800k+ in to this kind of a yacht might not really care)

[@Mahalo_83]

Spirits do cruise well all over the world, definitely not as fragile as the may appear. They’re not liveaboards but like you say if you can afford one you can afford one that’s not an issue.

[@ConvetionalHeretic]

@@Mahalo_83 agreed, I am sure they wont fall appart but still... repeated beatings in heavy weather.... I once knew a massive carbon boom on a wally 100+ footer come crashing down mid race after too much strain (ok racing but still that lightness does not come for free). Also would you cruise to a remote destination with just an electric auxilary? You would at least have a generator on board to charge your batteries when weather does not allow for other means of charging. Again love the concept if not the price just got call it what it is. A really fun expensive daytripper. (nothing wrong with that though)

[@Andre-hi9xn]

G. Vanputte, They are all custom made, they will certainly build your dream yacht for you!

[@Andre-hi9xn]

@mark bushnell That's right, buying plastic...

[@YachtingMonthly]

The owner has bought this for sailing the wilds of Canada, and living aboard for weeks at a time. Not as spacious as other 44 footers by some margin, but think of her as a 34 footer and it's perfectly feasible

[@user-hp6sc7uh9x]

Bond yacht

[@larsolsson571]

What are the black rectangles on the main sail?

[@YachtingMonthly]

Those are solar panels - Solar Cloth System panels built into the sail which, combined with the panels on the quarterdeck, produce 625 Watts

[@leeoldershaw956]

Not enough solar.

[@shaggyrandy1264]

0 carbon made from carbon fiber?

[@maxflight777]

I find the craftsmanship and beauty utterly compelling. I think we all do ! (Not just the usual “wooden boat enthusiasts “! However. Why can’t we stop there ? What do I mean ? Well the claims of “eco” , “low carbon” , “green” , “environment friendly” … are arguably unnecessary. I’d go so far as to say untruthful, when you consider the big picture!

[@stianditlevsen2645]

Range by engine..?

[@Mahalo_83]

Not the point

[@bittorarregui]

Range at 5 knots: 25 nm

[@YachtingMonthly]

Range details below, but just to caveat, these are without any input from the solar or regenerative charging from the prop, which combined can add almost 2kW to the power equation, which is enough to motor at 3-4 knots indefinitely. So these ranges are purely on a single battery charge: @3 knots - 200 miles @5 knots - 25 miles @7 knots - 14 miles

[@Mahalo_83]

@@YachtingMonthly solar panels sure, but didn’t think you could get prop regen whilst under motor?

[@gabehumphreys2433]

@@Mahalo_83 In an earlier comment @Yachting Monthly wrote the prop creates "1.5kW regenerative charging under sail @8.5 knots"

[@dougbeers6123]

talk about tender! overpowered with main and jib.

[@MrJackwork]

Zero carbon yacht with a tall carbon rig. Funny, that.

[@latetotheparty3070]

Zero carbon doesn't mean that much does it. The carbon ( burned fossil fuels ) happen in the construction, just about every component on it including all the paints etc. , the slip it sits in, the dredged channels of the marinas, and I imagine much more. But the real irony here is that if one was concerned about wanting to reduce carbon emissions, a luxury sailboat is hardly the way to go. A very beautiful novelty though, it sure is.

[@MrJackwork]

@@latetotheparty3070 Yes, a cosmetic spirituality, carbon free.

[@raytheron]

What, no steel used? I wonder whether the boatyard ran on solar power only, and how the workers got to work. And, even though stainless steel contains less than 1% carbon, it is still there. And what is the building the yacht was built in constructed of? "Zero carbon" is a sop for the conscience, not a reality.

[@Sidghengiskhan]

@@latetotheparty3070 what if you had the money and wanted to spend ten years travelling the world, can't think of any other way short of walking or cycling that would be lower carbon.

[@latetotheparty3070]

@@Sidghengiskhan It is the "embedded" energy (carbon) used in the manufacture of it mostly, and if you ever had a boat you'd know the ongoing repairs and energy it would take, not to mention marina energy etc. buying an old truck and camping for extended periods in the wilderness would be a lot lower. But don't get me wrong I'd love to have this boat. I think the carbon concern stuff is wrongheaded. We as a civilization are running on empty so to speak and it's all downhill from here. Enjoy the decline in the most fun way you can. Our fossil fuel driven industrial civilization will stop burning that harmful stuff as it collapses. We ran out a while ago already of cheap to extract oil and the momentum has carried us this far but not much more.

[@agradina]

How fast can go

[@YachtingMonthly]

We got her up to 7.6 knots in 12 knots true wind speed under white sail only. I'd suggest she's capable of quite a lot more than that in stronger winds or with more canvas up

[@agradina]

@@YachtingMonthly yes spirit yacht are recorded even with 21 knots of speed.

[@jones616]

The word is Homey, meaning Home-like, not homely, which means ugly

[@jugaloking69dope58]

welcome the the 1890s lol craftsmanship minus the oil barons! but how much oil did it take to build this bueaty?

[@YachtingMonthly]

Clearly there is a footprint to building any boat, but a wooden boat with electric propulsion has a much smaller footprint than most

[@jugaloking69dope58]

@@YachtingMonthly sweet thanks for the reply. do love wooden boats!

[@brucebaker3523]

Sales mumbo gumbo really is offensive! She is a fantastic machine with an electric motor which makes her quite under power, a huge plus but it also has draw backs. Overall if you can afford to buy it you love classic sailing and all the artistry required to build it.

[@matthewprather7386]

A cruising yacht more for being seen rather than for seeing.

[@sallyb3]

Ropes???😅😂

[@vicpinto1970]

Zero carbon my ass. What about the resin? Batteries? It's all a bunch of feel good nonsense. Besides that, it's a nice boat.

[@JohnJohn-cu7nk]

Lot of money for a weekend cruiser.

[@gowithgid3274]

Dodger available? Can't see long-distance sailing without one.

[@YachtingMonthly]

Yes, she has a sprayhood/dodger. See the track on the coach roof just forward of the companionway. It just wasn't fitted on the day of the test.

[@Sidghengiskhan]

nothing said about the solar sails, that was a bit disappointing, stunner of a boat, spirit should sell tickets to watch their boats built, i'd go.

[@YachtingMonthly]

Apologies, our edit left out information on the solar sails. The sails are Forte 40 one-piece moulded sails from One Sails, made from single material HMPE so they are full recyclable. To these are attached the Solar Cloth System panels, with a capacity of 560watts on each side (1,120W total), in addition to the 350W capacity from the panels on the quarterdeck.

[@WiltonNick]

Solar panels went connected. LOL

[@YachtingMonthly]

This was filmed on the boat's second or third day on the water, so was still undergoing final commissioning.

[@mddah01]

A stunning boat in every way. It reminds me of the old 8 meter cruiser racers I used crew on in the River Clyde in the 1960s. But - more than GBP 800,000? Just let that sink in. For that money you can get a fully equipped 3-year old Swan 50. The Spirit is a gorgeous toy, but for serious sailing there is no comparison.

[@AmandorXose]

Homely?

[@YachtingMonthly]

Real timber, exposed beams and a sensible layout. I guess everyone's homely is individual to them!

[@movieklump]

I think he meant homey. Homely mean ugly.

[@gabehumphreys2433]

In American English "homely" is applied to a person to gently call them unattractive. In British English "homely" is applied to a place to convey coziness and comfort.

[@movieklump]

@@gabehumphreys2433 And in most English pedantic means what I am participating in.

[@fredwallinder3543]

Not a very practical weekend cruiser for the wealthy. For that kind of money, you can get a decent Hallberg-Rassy or Najad built for blue water in comfort.

[@markcampbell7577]

Zero halogenated vinyl and halogenated carbon is more important. Zero fuel power is possible with edison generators.

[@jameskelly5973]

Beautiful yacht, as usual from Spirit…..but…..please call it zero carbon emissions….. Not zero carbon….the whole boat is made from and built by carbon.

[@BlackheartCharlie]

Lol, "zero carbon". As a marine electrician and a sailor who has lived off-grid with 3x the solar capacity of this boat, I can tell you that its 625 watts of solar isn't even 1/10th the solar capacity required to make any kind of meaningful electricity for propulsion. You'll need some serious charging capacity dockside to charge up this "green" boat. The solar panels are there to sooth the conscience of the owner. Somewhere there is a power plant (here in the US, most likely fossil fuel) providing the energy for this boat. The efficiency is even more laughable - burn fossil fuel to make steam, turn a turbine with steam, run a generator off the turbine, step up voltage for the grid, transport electricity across the grid, step down the voltage, run a shore power charger to charge the battery, discharge the battery to run the electric motor - each step with significant loss of power. As for "recycling" of fiberglass and carbon fiber components, go visit a local boatyard and see how old sailboats are dismantled. They are chainsawed into pieces and loaded into a dumpster to go to the landfill. Beautiful boat, stunning build quality, but stop pretending that it is good for the environment in any way.

[@YachtingMonthly]

The zero carbon refers to her propulsion and systems on board. Depending on how you use the boat then the solar, coupled with regenerative charging through her Oceanvolt SD15 motor is capable of providing all or a large proportion of the power she needs. As for materials, Spirit have gone to lengths to make sure that the sails are fully recyclable, all the timber used in her construction is sustainably sourced. She is a wooden boat at the end of the day, which has far less impact at the end of her life than a GRP boat, and Spirit are working on more environmentally friendly resins used in her construction

[@justthink5854]

zero carbon. whatta joke this all is!

[@KingMinosxxvi]

Its a stupid boat

[@wayneyd2]

Batteries and the stove are NOT zero carbon.

[@Pfsif]

When the rich "virtue signal".

[@YachtingMonthly]

I'm not sure the owner is trying to virtue signal. He is making the data from the boats electrical systems publicly available as he genuinely wants to see electric propulsion become a reality for the mainstream. Clearly buying a yacht has an environmental footprint, but a boat in which the yard has made such efforts to build in sustainably sourced natural materials and fully recyclable synthetic materials is far better environmentally than a standard GRP boat and a lot more than virtue signalling.

[@eugenedreyer4805]

Awful and wrong

[@YachtingMonthly]

In what way?

[@AlexMotan1]

What an utterly useless, cramped, poorly organized, beautiful boat.

[@wysiwyg2006]

Dislike it

[@otm646]

A supposed cruising yacht that compromises crew safety for aesthetics. Not a chance, try again.

[@antoniogalvis2344]

like what?

[@YachtingMonthly]

The boat has guardwires which had been removed on the day - yes for aesthetics for the photoshoot, but normally stanchions and guardwires would be rigged.

[@Mahalo_83]

Watch the video properly before commenting.