If it is the art of noise, does that make it the science of silence?
by John Curnow, Global Editor, Powerboat.World 17 Mar 21:00 UTC
Silent Yachts 62 - Let there be light.. © Silent Yachts
Distinctly more than just moments in love? You'd have to think so. A serene theme for life. A futuristic take on it all. New Romantic collides with Renaissance. Abstract meets impressionism. A sensibility and inner peace that only real Zen can deliver. Yes. This is Silent Yachts.
All of that's definitely our cue for a discussion with Steve Bell, Vice Chairman of the Board at Silent Yachts. If nothing else, he is articulate, energetic, and knowledgeable. He's part of the triumvirate that owner Michael Said created when he bought the business only 12 months ago. The other is CEO, Fabrizio Iarrera, who looks after the making of the boats. The hardware if you like, and Bell handles the software. A perfect match for a modern boat in a brave new world, and don't they get on like the proverbial dwelling soaked in accelerant.
Iarrera commented about their rapid success, "Together, Steve and I are growing the company and its organisation. It has been a wonderful journey so far, and we have a terrific outlook to go and fulfil."
Immediately after our discussion, I wrote this line. 'How amazing to have a discussion where budget and range are not the determining factors.' It applies just as much to Bell's and my long ranging chat, as it does to the ones that Silent Yachts have with their owners. Or more precisely, the ones they don't have.
Let me explain. The boats are not cheap. €4.7M for the 62, €9M for the 80, and probably €40M for the 120. However, they are more competitive than some in this space. Also, you won't have to bunker every time you go somewhere, they're deathly silent on the way there, and blissfully so once you have made it. Oh, they are capable of crossing the Atlantic, should you so choose. And yes, you are talking about mooching around at 6-7 knots, with a 'sprint' pace of 10 knots, but if it is all about dialling the throttle back in life, this is the way to do it.
Bell simply says, "Yes. We are focussed on the 62 and 80 for now, but all three vessels (all available in any of the three styles) form our offering at this time." For my money, and seeing as the super-talented Nuvolari Lenard design team are on board, I would imagine there is more to come, possibly sooner, rather than later. We'll see.
As for the last 12 months. Well, they launched six vessels from the 62-foot class in 2024. They have sold three more already in 2025, and are likely to splash nine 62s this year alone. It means a full 62 build is done inside six months. The launch of the first 80 is imminent. That's one handy scoreboard, and this is but your first year done, as you commence Y2. It is rarefied space for a 'start-up', let alone one delivering non-standard machinery. Round of applause, please.
It is especially so when you consider that Silent Yachts went to all the owners of the failed former business and said, 'You have to pay full price for a new one, but we will hand back your original investment once your new Silent Yachts 62 is launched.' Little wonder the mass took that offer up... And Silent Yachts have honoured it, too. That's probably an even more compelling story!
Now if that's not goodwill personified, then I am Davey Jones. Not that often you get to see the cash again that went up in Mephistopheles Mansion. (Boom. Boom. Basil Brush.)
The 62 is 9m wide, so in reality it is best compared with an 80-foot monohull when considering volume. The batteries have a 3000-cycle warranty from full charge to depletion, so considering most don't do this, 15-20 years with a high percentage of battery life still around (maybe as much as 80%) offers a good starting point for any ROI calculation.
For the last 12 months, Bell has also been working at various times on the same particular 62 exploring continuous improvements, and then back-applying them across the fleet. As a certified Yacht Instructor, and electronics boffin, he's qualified on both fronts, and the craft benefit from it. Whether it is driveline, controls, or solar array, everything is reviewed, enhanced, applied. A Silent Yacht does live up to its name, but Bell is also insistent that its quality and usability will set it apart from anything else.
When we were reviewing certain data, Bell said to me, "I want us to be the best." I stopped him and said, based on these certain comparisons of battery density we're discussing, you're already oceans ahead. "Well, yes, but we cannot just stop there. Best means striving for more, and in a space of such rapid technological development, there is always something to ponder and investigate."
The Victor Kiam moment comes in the form of Bell undertaking an Atlantic Crossing in a 62, again, come this November. "I am incredibly proud of what we've got with this yacht and how they work."
Clearly a vessel like this is going to be governed by the mass of batteries required, the fill rate from solar, the ICE back-up generator, and the very output delivered to the screws. "You're right about the technology. Solid State batteries will change everything, and the pace of development is substantial. Even in the last year we've gone from 286 to 348 kilowatt hours of capacity in the same form factor. That's huge. At six knots we are at 40kW of power consumption, others are more like 75kW. Big difference, and it is all part of the bigger range and storage discussion."
"There are solar panels that for quarter of a million Euros can double our output. Expensive? Perhaps, but advantageous? Definitely, and in the grand scheme of a Silent Yacht, potentially you could say priceless."
Silent Yachts is probably technology agnostic. Delivery of the key premise is the goal. All else is subservient. This is where you get to see how much Bell is involved in what they do. If it pertains to electrification and living aboard, he's your go-to-man. Best. Quietest. Longest lasting. These are what you here Silent Yachts talk about. Not so much LiFePO4 or level of electrolyte, but panels that actually charge batteries, not just look good on the sides of hulls, and a genset that replenishes the whole lot in a mere two hours. Take that cloudy day...
A powercat will offer volume, but is not your friend headlong into a significant seaway, and six knots is not a way to get far in a hurry, but being silent all day, and running the AC all night without the smelly on delivers its own distinct compulsion. Any boat is always a set of variables, and you just determine where you lie on the matrix. This one is clear about its positioning. It is in the name.
The batteries are from MG Energy Systems in the Netherlands. 100% charged is not full, and neither is empty total depleted. They could be used from 80% down to 60% depending on the draw, and then the solar top up, which is not a full cycle. It is about operating inside particular bands, and having the best available for the many jobs on board, which takes us straight back to the technology agnostic point.
"So, you take in that, then those new panels that could be 20kWh over 10kWh, then monitor hotel loads, to turn off unimportant stuff for a while, and you just don't know where we'll be, but it will be good. Better than good," said Bell.
A Silent Yachts runs everything but propulsion on 24V, and the only 12V is the starer battery for the genset. Their battery management system is Silent Yachts IP, as too the bi-directional DC-to-DC conversion. The Low Voltage (24) utilises the solar panel at the front, and it is the High Voltage (800V DC stepped back down to three phase 220V AC for the Danfoss motors) that uses the main array atop, as well as the Hyundai 3.6l V6 ICE 140kW back up genset.
Bell then added, "There's even a 17kW standby genset that will power the vessel to five knots with no solar input. It runs in through the shore power connection. It's the back up to the back up. That sort of redundancy means safety."
Now High Voltage DC has its benefits, like smaller cables and less heat, but the kick if it goes wrong is like that from the whole herd of mules, all at once. Silent Yachts followed an Aeronautical process of logging all the connections, and their tensions, so that is by the book to avoid said hooves in head.
This is not a company that is behind. They are in front, and it is a position they are well keen to hold onto. They actually have boats out there doing long distance, whether you want to class that as Transat, or whether you call that Florida to Bahamas or whatever. You may have thought they could call the company Better Boats, because that is what they are striving for. All the time. Thing is, if '25 is like '24, you simply won't have to take my word for it.
"I love these yachts. I get on them and I go, I absolutely love what we do as a business. We do want to go further ahead and accelerate even quicker," said Bell.
Now we opened the piece with a note on the budget and range discussion. We have looked at volume and seakeeping, and you do have to account for berthing and slipping, because even though there is no real mechanical to speak of, there is antifoul, and being clean underneath will make you faster (relative term of course) and more efficient. In short, you are going in heavy, or is that lighter in the case of your wallet, but you will be freer as time goes by, and I guess all of that means, use your boat.
"The objection is not so much the price, but rather the question is how far can I cruise? Our customers who love the idea of silent cruising. Yes, the powercat is not the ultimate in seakeeping (like 4m waves), but the answer is you can cruise as far as you like. Sit out the weather where you need to, top up with solar every day, and then the genset after that if needs be, which is not that often, and do whatever it is you want to do, in silence."
Passage making is key here, and there is specific software for that, like PredictWind, so you can do it in hops, other than trans-oceanic, of course. The boon will be in places like say Thailand or the Bahamas. Lots of good flat water a lot of the time, and sun, sun, sun. Remember, it is how far do you want to go, not what range does the boat have? It might take a while to adjust to that thinking, but once you do, you get the point.
"We really are blessed to have such a talented group of customers who are so interesting and intelligent, and an utter delight to talk with. They are so into what we do, and what they want to do with their boats. It is truly fantastic. The range is irrelevant. It's a lifestyle," said Bell.
So, who better to qualify that statement than the very first of the original owners to sign up again for their Silent Yachts 62? Incidentally, Silent Grace as she will be known, gets launched about the same time as this Editorial gets published.
Naren King said, "In everything I do, I like to work really closely and personally with people and build relationships. I enjoy my life in this way. It was the same with getting to know the people behind Silent Yachts. When Silent Yachts came out of the difficulty, we said to Michael, Steve, and Fabrizio, 'We know you. We trust you. We believe you're going to build our boat and the other owners who want their boats finished. We're with you all the way.' We made a financial commitment in that moment just over a year ago, and here we are about to launch our boat."
"That trust and faith and support for them along the way has worked, and they've given us unlimited support and care in return. It is every detail on Silent Grace, and it's been a heartwarming experience rather than a disaster. It was a certain leap of faith, but built on understanding people and knowing people that have integrity and do what they'll say they'll do."
It is a very exciting time for Naren and Sono King, who is an artist and designed Silent Grace's interior spaces. The couple will spend a month cruising in the Mediterranean as soon as Silent Grace is launched, and then she will be available for charter, anywhere from the Balearics to the Adriatic immediately after that during the peak season, and potentially Greece and Turkey later on in the year.
Naren had sailed in his youth, and then completely stopped before making 20 years of age, with no more boating of any description taking place. Their Silent Yachts journey began when Naren was in Covid isolation for 11 days. "I started exploring what life would look like after that. I went into the whole yachting and motor yacht world online and figured, well, I don't really want to sail again and spend most of my time looking after a boat, and I definitely don't want to burn a lot of diesel. I then came across Silent Yachts."
"I was looking for something sustainable, and it had to incorporate a future of freedom and exploring the world from a vantage point that most people don't get to experience. Three days after the Covid fever, we signed an order form for what is now Silent Grace."
"We've been to the shipyard five times so far, watching the whole process unfold with the great support of the Silent team who have been all fantastic. We have also enjoyed being on board other Silent Yachts in the Mediterranean, which has been so wonderful."
As for range anxiety, the early adopter that is King looks back on when he bought a Nissan Leaf some 10 years ago. Despite the questioning, the dealer insisted it would make it all the way back to his house without a charge. It didn't, and the brand-new car spent a night in car park 15 minutes away.
"We have two generators on board. We are happy with slow progress, after all, it is the aim as we head into retirement. We know we won't have any issue with getting where we want to go, and we have a crew there to make it as seamless as possible. Sono has created a very elegant looking boat. It's going to be truly a luxury floating villa on the sea. She brings her touch of beauty and grace to everything, and that's the kind of life we're after with this dream of having a silent yacht."
"After a lifetime of work, this is a boat we can really relax on and enjoy the sea very quietly, as too will our charter guests," said King. To that end, Silent Grace has four doubles, with one that can be converted to a twin, and then two cabins to house up to three crew. "We're going to have at least a couple of years in the Med, but I would like to have a bit of an adventure with her across the Atlantic to the Caribbean at some point."
Now I was wondering if it was bravery that got people to put the hard-earned shekels down, and in some cases, that was twice. It is. However, in the case of Silent Yachts, their customers stepping up was met with their own fortitude. Knowledge and prudence followed. A happy family of cruisers ensued. It's the stuff of a TV series, only this one is real.
In the very same relaxed candour we began with, Bell concluded by saying, "We're just passionate about what we do." Talk with any of the team at Silent Yachts and it is exactly the same. Thing for me is, their customers have precisely the same hymn sheet, and isn't that just wonderful. I think so, which is why I now have said verses and choruses about love, art, the way of the world, nature, and respect for the universe before me.
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John Curnow
Global Editor, Powerboat.World