This YouTuber Built His Own Solar-Powered Yacht That Can Run Forever

You'll find solar panels just about everywhere these days. They are installed to convert the sun's energy into electric power for residential, commercial, and industrial use. Solar-powered vehicles have been around for a long time too, with clever minds engineering solar-powered automobiles, aircraft, and boats over the years.

Sure, we might be a long way off from having mass-produced solar-powered cars or other vehicles, but there's an active community of lesser-known builders doing very interesting things with solar-powered vehicles. One of those builders is a fellow from Finland by the name of Lukas. Through his YouTube channel, True North Yachts, Lukas has drawn a lot of attention in recent months with his solar-powered yacht, which he's currently testing out in Europe. 

Lukas' vessel, which he named the Helios-11, is still a prototype that's unfinished in many ways. Even so, you can see the boat represents a new way of looking at a yacht, with a focus on lightness and strength over luxury amenities. This boat is intended to serve as a test of concept rather than a polished product. As such, it's one that Lukas hopes will pave the way for larger, more refined, and more powerful True North solar yachts to come. 

At 11 meters, or about 36 feet long, Helios-11 is a fairly small vessel by ocean-going standards and is certainly nothing like the 100-foot DIY yacht one amateur boatmaker built in his backyard. Lukas built the yacht in his shed over the course of six months, with an emphasis on keeping the boat light and strong. This means the boat foregoes all of the heavy appointments found on traditional ocean-going yachts.

Keeping the boat as light as possible was crucial to maximize efficiency and performance from its solar propulsion system, which uses lightweight solar panels to power a 6-kilowatt electric motor. Lukas says the boat has a top speed of 8.5 knots, with a cruising speed in sunny conditions of around 7 knots. As you'd assume, the biggest issue with a solar-powered vessel is speed and range in cloudy or nighttime conditions. This is why it also has a sail onboard, to both increase propulsion and act as a reserve power source.  

With no need to refuel or recharge, the vessel theoretically has an infinite range in the right conditions, along with the ability to stay "off-grid" as long as you'd want. Despite its size, Lukas says Helios-11 is built and rated to handle long-distances and trans-Atlantic travel. However, it will likely be some time before he attempts such a voyage, as he'll first have to test out all the boat's limitations in Europe's smaller bodies of water.

While Helios-11 might be classified a yacht, this type of vessel is not intended to be one of those massive superyachts favored by the world's elite. Even in its yet-to-be-seen final form, this True North Yacht is designed more for essentialist, silent, self-sustained exploration of the world without the need to find marinas for refueling. If you were to compare it to a road-going vehicle, Helios-11 would be more of an off-the-grid camper van rather than a big, luxurious RV.

In its current form, Helios-11 is stripped down to the basics, with almost zero amenities; a raw, unfinished cabin; and even a simple plywood steering wheel. Yet the most important thing is that it all functions smoothly. For his next project, Lukas intends to build a larger, catamaran-style yacht with more professional-grade materials and construction, increased solar generating capacity, and higher power.  

While time will tell whether the promise of these adventure-oriented, solar-powered vessels is realized, Lukas does not seem like a pie-in-the-sky type. As it stands, the True North looks to be a realistic and workable model with similar capabilities and limitations to a modern, solar-powered vessel. Even in its primitive form, Helios-11 has shown the potential of a lightweight, solar-powered yacht that can serve as a highly adaptable home base for adventure.