November 4, 2025
What the watt?
Man spent 200 days building a solar-powered explorer yacht that can run forever
Runs forever… or until the batteries quit? Internet splits over sun-powered “freedom boat”
TLDR: A Finnish inventor built a solar yacht that can cruise indefinitely in sunlight. Commenters are split between celebrating fuel-free freedom and calling out missing power specs, sailboat déjà vu, and warnings that “forever” collapses when batteries, controllers, or storms strike—making it a feel-good dream with real-world caveats.
A Finnish tinkerer built the Helios 11—a handmade 35‑foot explorer yacht that claims to cruise purely on sunlight—and the internet instantly turned into a floating town hall. Fans swooned over the idea of fuel‑free freedom, while skeptics sharpened their oars. One commenter even pitched it as a “drone platform” for long‑term intel, dropping a YouTube link like a flare. Others were busy roasting the site itself: “Infinite scrolling blogs are disgusting,” which, honestly, set the vibe.
The big brawl? The word forever. A numbers‑nerd demanded basic stats—“how many watts?”—and guessed 4,000 from photos, while a salty vet shrugged, “been done… many times,” basically nodding to sailboats that already run on wind. Then the doom crew arrived: “Forever. Or until your charge controller dies. Or your batteries fail. Or your plywood yacht hits a storm.” Meanwhile, believers waved receipts: it cruises at about 7 knots (a sailor’s speed) using less juice than a blender, has backup sails, and the next version, Helios 15, aims for faster, lighter, and powering everything from Starlink (space‑internet) to a sauna. The inventor says you don’t need millions—just sunlight and grit. The comments say you might also need spare parts, good weather, and a sense of humor.
Key Points
- •Helios 11 is a 35-foot solar-powered explorer yacht built by a Finnish inventor in about 200 days.
- •The vessel runs solely on solar energy, with a small electric motor, cruising at 7 knots and reaching 8.5 knots top speed.
- •It uses off-the-shelf solar panels, lightweight materials, and includes backup sails for stability and auxiliary propulsion.
- •Interior design emphasizes efficiency and minimal weight, using plywood controls and compact fittings.
- •A larger Helios 15 is planned with custom lightweight solar panels to power systems like Starlink internet and a sauna.