Experience solar navigation

The motor catamaran is renewing the nautical industry. It retains the user-friendly platform of sailing catamarans, while freeing itself from the complexity of sail trimming, since it uses only its engines. Until now, engines have been thermal, which was sometimes uncomfortable due to noise and odors. Motorized catamarans can now be electric, silent and odorless.

The catamaran platform offers a new art of living to its yachtsmen. A lifestyle focused on quality and conviviality on board. Depending on ship size and sailing schedule, cabins are not always required. On a catamaran, everything happens on deck. This is where passengers enjoy the sea in maximum comfort.

SeaZen has chosen this type of boat for its Boat Club created in 2015, the Suncy Solar Boat, an autonomous solar-powered catamaran. This article summarizes the main uses of these boats, as gathered from the enthusiastic customers we met in Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

Sharing a convivial moment

To share a meal, you need a large table and benches. And just as well, they’re right in the middle of the catamaran. This space is so well located in the center of gravity that passengers can continue to eat with six of them, while enjoying the show as it unfolds before their eyes. Be careful, however, not to go too fast into the waves, as this could shake things up! In summer, the morning brunch and evening aperitif are the quietest times to sail on calm waters, while in winter it’s lunchtime.

The sun is generally sought-after, but you always have members in a group who are looking for either sun or shade. Thanks to an elegant arbour – a photovoltaic roof in the shape of an airplane wing – the solar boat almost always offers a bench in the sun and a bench in the shade. It’s “sol y sombra”, as the Spanish would say. Everyone finds the comfort that suits them, while allowing the group to share this moment together.

Next, to keep food cool, there’s nothing more practical than taking an insulated bag on board. In fact, rather than transferring the items back to a refrigerated container on board, experience has shown that it’s easier to take your own insulated bag and place it, for example, behind the skipper’s seat or in a trunk. The trip only lasts a few hours, and the bag is more than sufficient. You may also want to think about cold packs or ice packs.

Sea bathing

Of course, you’ll need a bathing ladder, as goes without saying for all boats. But what’s particularly appreciated on a catamaran is a sufficiently spacious stern deck (the rear of the boat). This makes it easy for the bather to get ready before going into the water. Once back in the water, they can also take their time drying off without wetting their neighbors.

The sea bath is accessible via a comfortable bathing ladder

Sunbathing on a terrace above the waves

There’s no shortage of solariums on a catamaran. The best location is at the bow. On board the seaZen, the sunroof stops above the table. The balcony can accommodate two people lying side by side at the bow (the front of the boat). Don’t forget your towels, as the teak deck can get very hot in the sun!

A passenger tans on the bow of the solar boat

You can also lie back on a bench seat to enjoy the cool shade of the “sol y sombra” cockpit.

Last but not least, when the sundeck isn’t being used by bathers, there’s still plenty of room for sunbathing. Few people actually think about it, yet it’s the quietest spot for the first person to occupy it.

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