Sulis - 32' (9.75m) Solar/Electric Cruiser

Sulis was an entry in the Concept Boat 2004 boat design competition in England.

1. make increased use of renewable resources, or,
2. are energy and resource efficient, or,
3. are of low emission or non-polluting design, or,
4. minimize the effect of boating on the marine environment.
This year’s theme focuses on designs that:

Sulis has an interesting design evolution. This is explained in my submission to Concept Boat. Due to a restriction on the submission length, I couldn’t fully explain what I hope the "Chunnel Jet" hull will be able accomplish. Most boat design literature indicates that wave-making represents from 75% - 85% of a vessel's resistance through the water, while friction only represents from 15% - 25%. Hopefully, in the Chunnel Jet a slight increase in wetted surface will be offset by much improved propeller and rudder efficiency, less rudder drag, better directional stability, shallow draft, and perhaps most importantly, reduced wave-making resistance. Not a bad trade… if it works. As well, I hope that the relatively wide stance of the boat (the buoyancy in the hull is spread wide by the tunnel) will make for a stable vessel, with good roll characteristics.