Aquila 50ES Hybrid Sailing Catamaran Makes European Debut at La Grande-Motte

The figure Aquila will need to defend at Stand P1 is already documented: at 6 knots, the 50ES draws just over 10 kWh from its 80 kWh battery pack, translating to roughly 50 miles of generator-free propulsion before the 40 kW onboard generator needs to start. That number, confirmed during a sea trial off Fort Lauderdale ahead of the boat's in-water debut at the 2026 Miami Boat Show, is the metric that separates a genuine hybrid offer from a marketing label. When the International Multihull Show opens in La Grande-Motte on April 22, Aquila's team will be presenting that figure to a European buying audience already tracking it.

Aquila confirmed its show lineup on March 30, placing the 50ES alongside three powercats: the 50 Yacht, 46 Coupe, and 32 Sport. The 50ES is also a 2026 Multihull of the Year nominee, with the winner announced at the show on April 26, giving every conversation at Stand P1 a competitive edge.

The propulsion package pairs twin Torqeedo Deep Blue 50i electric motors with the 80 kWh battery and the 40 kW diesel generator. At 7 knots, consumption is 22 kW; at 7.5 knots, 28 kW; at 8 knots, still under 40 kW. That last figure has practical weight: at typical passage speed, the generator is not merely sustaining the battery, it is actively recharging it while the boat is underway, producing an energy balance that stretches passage range on minimal fuel. The review from the Fort Lauderdale trial described the electric mode as "absolute silence," comparable to sailing itself, with only wave noise audible against the hulls.

What that trial did not fully publish, and what the La Grande-Motte reps will need to address directly, is the regeneration rate under sail. The system incorporates solar input and captures energy under certain conditions, but the recovery figure while sailing at hull speed is what converts the hybrid designation from a one-way battery depletion story into a genuine round-trip energy equation. Aquila's Chief Revenue Officer Nick Harvey, a lifelong sailor with more than two decades in the sailing catamaran industry, has been explicit that the Hybrid Ocean Drive is "not some niche option" but an integral part of the 50ES design, available from the first hulls. A diesel alternative, twin 50 hp Nanni saildrives, remains on the spec sheet for buyers who are not ready to commit.

Frank Xiong, CEO of Sino Eagle Group, positioned the 50ES and its sister models as "our next phase as a global boat manufacturer." The boat measures 14.97 meters with a 7.86-meter beam, displaces around 19 tons, and carries 156 m² of upwind sail area with no daggerboards fitted, a deliberate call aimed at families and charter fleets rather than racing crews. The four, five, and six cabin layout options all offer private entrances and full-size walk-in showers, and the bridge-to-bow circulation, bow cockpit lounge, and aft bar connecting to the salon reinforce a pitch aimed equally at the liveaboard and luxury charter segments.

The competitive backdrop at La Grande-Motte sharpens the conversation further. The Whisper 50 solar-electric catamaran and New Zealand's Earthling E-40 hybrid will both debut at the same event, giving buyers an unusually direct side-by-side comparison between rival hybrid systems in a single week. The 50-mile electric-only figure at 6 knots is Aquila's opening position in that comparison; what the other boats answer with will determine whether the Multihull of the Year award stays in French waters.