What do you get when you put one of the world’s most famous designers and a forward-thinking boat builder together? Answer: A cool-looking hybrid-electric catamaran that blends art and technology.
Italian custom yacht builder Rossinavi introduced Solsea at Design Miami, which is being held alongside Art Basel Miami. The concept is the result of a three-year collaboration with designer Yves Béhar. The 141-foot catamaran, plus its electric-hybrid propulsion and AI-powered systems, is designed for sustainability. Béhar’s designs add understated elegance across the yacht.
“It’s been an incredible journey to see how Yves Béhar reimagined the naval platform of our hybrid-electric catamaran,” says Federico Rossi, chief operations officer at the shipyard, during the launch event. “He brought a style that is both fresh and refined.”
Features like the bow pool, with delicate, crisscrossed mechanical supports that raise and lower the hardtop, or the artistic curving arches beside the bar on the flybridge, or the stylized wooden walls in the salon all demonstrate the designer’s subtle flourishes.
Béhar’s work is part of the permanent collection at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, and he has had solo exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the other at the Musee de Design et D’arts Appliques Contemporains in Lausanne, Switzerland. He has designed hundreds of beautiful, functional objects, including chairs and lighting for Herman Miller, frames for Samsung televisions, sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastic and even underwater research centers.
“When working with clients, my philosophy is to connect emotionally through ideas and content rather than style,” says Béhar. “It’s less about this or that aesthetic and more about meaningful conversations where people come to agreement in terms of approach and direction.”
That’s certainly apparent in his first yacht. Rather than bold statements, there is a timeless look throughout Solsea, bolstered by natural matte wood and bouclé textiles across the interior. The designer also employed recycled ocean plastics and solar panels to enhance sustainability. “For me, Solsea is a return to simpler, more respectful ways to enjoy the oceans while integrating the future of efficient propulsion, and cutting-edge technologies,” says Béhar.
Of course, without the recent launch of Rossinavi’s Sea Wolf X, another 140-foot catamaran, Solsea would be just another fancy concept. But that vessel, which the shipyard showed at the last Monaco Yacht Show, would form a baseline for the technology and design for a future Solsea, if any owner comes forward.
It is also a hybrid electric yacht with batteries, electric engines, and diesel generators, but also contained artificial intelligence software to enhance performance as well as the owners’ and guests’ experiences. Robb Report was the first to exclusively tour the yacht following its delivery in August.
The artificial intelligence system, named Rossinavi AI, hones in on performance and efficiency. It continuously monitors the vessel’s operations, learning from observation and even anticipating guests’ needs. “[The AI] will be able to self-learn, surely surprising even us in the future,” Federico Rossi, chief operating officer of Rossinavi, tells Robb Report.
The AI works in tandem with a series of sensors that are fitted throughout the yacht. These include checking when guests are present in their cabins to prevent unnecessary use of air-conditioning and to switch off TVs that have been left on. When they return, the AI recalls the guests’ exact preferences for temperature and powers up, as if it had continued running the entire time.
The interior lighting throughout the yacht also automatically brightens or dims depending on the time of day and exterior sunlight. It even interacts with the crew to encourage lower-impact behaviors. It also highlights interesting landmarks along the cruise. Presumably, Solsea’s AI system will be even more advanced.
Of course, another advantage of large catamarans is the wide beam, which dramatically increases the internal volume. Solsea’s full-beam master suite has about the same space as a 229-foot superyacht. It also offers a 180-degree view and direct access to a private external balcony that sits across the twin hulls and connects to the bow.
Perhaps its best feature is the hybrid-electric system. It will power the boat on just the batteries for full-day trips, and even cross the Atlantic at 80 percent electric mode. That whisper-quiet experience is a game-changer not for power cats but for the whole superyacht world.
