Most solar boats are calm, boxy ferries. Solar Odyssey is something else: an orange-and-white racing trimaran that looks as if it should be crossing oceans under sail, except its “sails” lie flat on deck.
It was built by Lemer Pax in Nantes with one goal: to set long-distance records without burning a drop of fuel, starting with an official solar transatlantic crossing. The boat was presented at the 2010 Grand Pavois boat show in La Rochelle.
The hull and floats are made of carbon-fibre panels with a honeycomb core, keeping displacement to about 5 tonnes loaded. With an overall length of 18.28 m (60 ft) and a beam of 9 m, there is room for 110 m² of silicon solar panels mounted on composite panels across the deck and floats. The light, slender hulls create very little drag, so the target cruising speed for record attempts is 8 knots, with a top speed of about 18 knots.
On board there is space for two crew and six guests. Moored in Nantes (as in this photo), it is a striking reminder that solar boats can be fast and beautiful, not just efficient.
Technical data
| Builder | Lemer Pax, Nantes (France) |
|---|---|
| Type | Solar-electric trimaran |
| Size | 18.28 m long, 9.00 m wide |
| Construction | Carbon-fibre panels with honeycomb core |
| Displacement | ~5 t loaded |
| Solar | 110 m² of silicon photovoltaic panels |
| Speed | 8 kn planned cruising for records, ~18 kn maximum |
| On board | 2 crew + 6 passengers |
| Presented | Grand Pavois, La Rochelle, 2010 |
Photo (Nantes): Llann Wé² / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources: CharterWorld · New Atlas