You probably have been drawn in to click for this article by that alluring titleshot of the yacht´s sexy transom, right? The new First 30 is a true hit and, as expected, sold out for 2025 already. Well, now that you are here, I´d like to start a very cool story about a special First 30-boat. It´s hull number #005 to be precise. This boat is so special because she will be fitted with an all-electric propulsion system. Not a big deal, you might think: Nowadays almost all brands offer hybrid- or full-electric drives, right? Well, yes and no. As I said, this boat is special.
As the story goes, the Swiss customer and his associated dealer selling the yacht had very specific ideas of how the boat should be equipped and which products should be fitted. Apparently, as Seascape is ramping up production of this brand new boat which had just recently been launched a few months ago, an electric version wasn´t available at all! But both, customer and dealer, convinced the shipyard to accept. Now we see this special prototype in the making. A truly remarkable story – usually, that´s not how the series production companies work. This fact shows how important the topic of sustainability really is. And I am happy to see that many companies have moved beyond the usual greenwashing. So, what´s this boat all about?
All-electric propulsion for a newbuild First 30
As competition on the boating market is very tough, pricing pressure is one of the big problems. It often forces companies to opt for parts and equipment which are of inferior quality or, to not put it too harshly, to choose products for which much better alternatives exist. In terms of electric propulsion systems therefore often synchronous motors are fitted. Those are easier (meaning cheaper) to mass-produce, but are also light, abundantly available. Hence this engine-type usually becomes the go-ahead. But there are better alternatives.
Our Swiss dealer insisted that his First 30 shall be fitted with a high-quality engine. And he already had a brand in mind: The Austrian family-owned and -run manufacturer Kräutler is one of the high-class brands of electric components-making. They are manufacturing in Austria, not in China, directly at the Lake of Constance. For over 50 years now Kräutler electric engines are utilized in commercial shipping but also for various other industries. Kräutler also has a quite large leisure-department. And thus a stunning track record in custom fitting all-electric sailboats: More than 700 units of all sizes and types, like Sunbeam, Nordship and, of course, many Firsts are sailing with engines “Made in Austria”.
The difference of the engine fitted to our First 30 #005? It´s a mighty 5 kilowatts air-cooled asynchronous electric engine. This one is a little bit heavier than its synchronous counterpart, but of a much more rugged quality. You can tell by just looking at the pictures! Asynchronous electric engines do not rely on permantent magnets. These over time become usually bedome the big problem in synchronous motors. Our machine is much more robust, requires less maintenance and has a much longer service-life. Of course, it is a bit more expensive. This Kräutler-engine works with 48 Volts rotating current, transmitted without gearbox directly onto a 2-blade folding prop.
Is „blue“ electric propulsion the future for sailboats?
I had been sailing my own First 27 SE in all-electric mode for just over 2 seasons, you may have read my various adventures. This technology, when applied correctly and by utilizing high-grade products, proves to be increasingly reliable. In fact, as one Kräutler-official told me, since Victron introduced modular manufacturing for their then new LFP-batteries in 2023, prices for energy storage have gone down dramatically. The quality and „seaworthiness“ of electric components is permanently getting better. In case of our First 30 #005, a full set of 15 kWh-batteries will be installed, giving this boat a calculated range of 10 hours in cruise-speed. As the engineer told me, in some areas all-electric sailboats already today have almost the same cost-per-mile ratio as a Diesel-driven boat.
Standard for most sailing yachts produced today is still the Diesel-engine, of course. But both a common sensical drive by both our society and policy-makers will change that. Innovation is pushed by an attractively increasing market for „blue“ solutions. In my opinion, for a sailboat being used in inshore sailing areas, there is no reason anymore to not go full electric. For offshore and even coastal sailing, like I do with my own new boat, I´d personally be a bit observant, still. Although some companies have very interesting hybrid-solutions, such as HH Catamarans, in my world the Diesel is still the more reliable, the stronger and more easier to maintain option when it comes to go-anywhere yachts. But I am sure that constant innovation by shipyards and suppliers like Kräutler, Torqeedo or Victron, will bring about a change. Combined with a new generation of sailors – just like our Swiss First 30-customer – more and more actively asking for „blue-technology“. It´s surely much more than a trend!
A brand like the First-boats made by Slovenian Seascape shipyard is absolutely perfect to act as a forerunner in this respect. Their small and mid-sized fast and fun boats are state-of-the-art designs by the best naval architects, like Sam Manuard or Lorenzo Argento. These boats are used both in inshore and offshore areas and many of which in serious racing, like the Fastnet, the Silverrudder or the Midsummer Race. This is the best testing ground for technology on the edge. So, in this, I look forward to see #005 in the water soon and how the high-class components, like the Kräutler engine in connection with Victron-power, really performs. We will see in a few weeks, stay tuned guys.
You might as well find these related articles interesting to check out:
Electric avenue: The First 44 double-engine all-electric yacht
Fitting Torqeedo (Parts 1 and 2) and E-Propulsion systems (Parts 1 and 2) to First 27 SEs
Becoming sustainable – seriously! Talking to Erwan Faoucher