Spirit Yachts, located in the UK, has launched its new Spirit 30. This 9.15m fully electric yacht is the company’s first hull to have flax lay-up and bio-resin incorporated into its build. Responding to demand for a smaller Spirit design, the first Spirit 30 has now been handed over to its new owner in the UK.
“The Spirit 30 is the ideal yacht for coastal or lake sailing, or competitive racing. She has all the style and beauty of the larger Spirits, with the fun-factor of a fast and easy to handle day sailor,” says Spirit CEO and head of design, Sean McMillan.
Spirit Yachts MD and head of production, Mike Taylor, adds: “Not only is the Spirit 30 much-admired and a joy to sail, but she is also the most sustainable Spirit yacht to date. After several tests, we used flax fabric and bio-resin on the non-structural elements of the hull, which have been very successful. The electric drive system is easy to operate and delivers simple, near-silent manoeuvring.
“We are continuing our drive to lower the carbon footprint of all our yachts and as such the hull materials and the electric drive system on the Spirit 30 are now standard options for all Spirits.”
The first Spirit 30 was constructed from responsibly sourced, FSC-certified sapele ring frames and Douglas fir planking. The hull was then made water-tight using flax material, which was laid on the timber and sealed using PRO-SET bio-resin.
The fully electric Spirit 30 has a Torqeedo Cruise 4.0 FP electric drive system powered by lithium-ion batteries and a Torqeedo 650W battery charger, giving a range of circa 16Nm at 5kt. Increased range can be gained with optional additional battery capacity if preferred. The batteries are recharged by shore power or via solar panels that mount over the cockpit cover.
