Electric catamaran

What it means

A catamaran has two slender hulls joined by a deck or bridgedeck. The form is old, but it has become the natural shape for a serious electric boat, and the reasons are physical rather than fashionable.

Why two hulls suit an electric drive

Slender hulls make less wave than a single beamy one, so a catamaran needs less power to hold a cruising speed — which is the constraint that governs everything on a battery. The wide deck also carries solar panels that a monohull has no room for, and the level, single-storey interior comes free with the geometry. Stability at rest is a further gain: a catamaran does not roll at anchor.

Why it matters

The costs are berthing and handling. Marinas charge for width and some cannot take a catamaran at all, and a wide boat is less forgiving in a tight harbour. In exchange you get the combination — range, solar area, deck space and stillness — that makes long-distance electric cruising plausible at all.