Sunreef SÓL, 24-meter eco catamaran brings solar-electric luxury mainstream

Sunreef SÓL is the moment when eco-yachting stops feeling like an add-on and starts reading like the brief itself. Built as the first unit in Sunreef’s 80 Power Eco series, the 24-meter catamaran combines serious electric hardware with full luxury accommodation, the kind of spec sheet that makes sustainability part of the ownership fantasy rather than a compromise.

The technical package is the point

SÓL’s core numbers tell the story immediately. Sunreef says the boat carries two 360 kW engines and a 990 kWh battery bank, which the yard describes as the industry’s biggest in the leisure-craft category up to 24 meters. That battery is paired with solar panels fully integrated into the yacht’s composite structures, so the visual and structural language of the boat is doing more than decoration.

The platform’s solar strategy is especially important because it goes beyond the usual flat panel treatment. Sunreef says the Eco range uses ultralight, composite-integrated solar panels embedded across the hull sides, superstructure, bimini roof, and, on sailing versions, the mast. On the 80 Eco platform, that photovoltaic system can deliver up to 36 kWp, and Sunreef says the 80 Power Eco can provide close to 300 nautical miles of e-motoring autonomy.

The owner brief shows where the market has moved

What makes SÓL feel different from a standard green concept is the reason it exists. Sunreef says the yacht was commissioned by an experienced family of yacht owners deeply engaged in sustainability, and the builder’s buyer forum says they were drawn to the boat because it allowed solar-generation capacity beyond a flat bimini top. That is a very specific kind of demand, and it says a lot about where premium buyers are now putting pressure on builders.

The owner’s motivation was not abstract. The family had already been shifting toward greener choices in other parts of life, and the appeal of electric yachting came from curiosity about what was possible, plus a desire to avoid the guilt of running a large diesel-powered yacht. Sunreef frames the result as a yacht designed for long, fume- and pollution-free cruises powered by clean energy, which is exactly the kind of language that signals sustainability has moved from marketing copy into the ownership proposition.

Luxury still has to work like a luxury boat

SÓL does not sell the environmental story by shrinking the experience. The yacht uses a four-cabin layout designed to accommodate eight guests in full luxury, which keeps the boat squarely in the territory of family cruising, private entertaining, and charter appeal. That matters because the catamaran market has always rewarded usable space, and Sunreef is clearly leaning into that advantage rather than apologizing for it.

The boat is also meant to be seen. Sunreef says SÓL is intended to appear at boat events and to be available for charter, so the concept can be experienced in public rather than only talked about in brochures. That visibility is part of the strategy: the yard is using the yacht as a working proof point that an eco powercat can still deliver the scale, comfort, and polish expected from a premium multihull.

SÓL sits inside a longer Sunreef Eco arc

This is not Sunreef’s first step in the category, and that history helps explain why SÓL feels like a milestone rather than a one-off. BOAT International reported that the first 24-meter Sunreef 80 Eco was delivered in Dubai in March 2022, while another report described the 24.4-meter eco catamaran line as using solar panels integrated into the hull sides, superstructure, and bimini roof for fuel-free cruising. Sunreef’s own materials place SÓL squarely in that lineage, but with the powercat format pushed further into everyday luxury use.

The public rollout has also been deliberate. SÓL made its U.S. debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in 2023, and Yacht Harbour reported that the 80 Sunreef Power Eco marked its official debut at FLIBS the same year. Those appearances matter because they put the boat in front of the exact audience deciding what the next premium catamarans should look like.

Why the rest of the market should pay attention

Industry observers have been making the larger point for a while. DNV says multihull yachts are gaining popularity because of their space and comfort, and it has framed Sunreef as part of the push that is moving multihulls into the mainstream of yacht building. BOAT International has made a similar point, noting that Sunreef’s success comes from proving that sustainable yachts do not have to give up luxury to make their case.

The sales record backs that up. BOAT International reported that Sunreef had already sold more than 40 Sunreef 80 sailing cats, including 10 80 Ecos off-plan, which suggests there is real momentum behind the platform rather than just interest in a few showcase builds. For other premium catamaran builders, the message is hard to miss: buyers now want the technology to be visible, the range to be credible, and the sustainability story to be built into the boat from the start.

SÓL is why that shift feels permanent. It takes the old catamaran advantages of space, stability, and comfort, then layers in solar-electric engineering with enough range, battery capacity, and public-facing confidence to make the whole package feel normal rather than niche. That is the template Sunreef is offering, and the rest of the high-end multihull world will have to answer it.