Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Nova Luxe announces partnership with Aventura Catamarans

by Nova Luxe 2 Apr 2021 04:14 PDT

We are excited to announce our latest partnership with Aventura Catamarans!

The forward thinking builder believes its latest A14 (14 meter, 46 foot) power catamaran should have an electric option and has requested that Nova Luxe provide them with such. We were happy to oblige and in addition to the electric system, we will also provide an alternative, solar array top. The top will generate in excess of 7kw per hour and should all but eliminate the need to have and run a generator. It will be available for both the diesel and electric models.

Sea trials of the Aventura will be completed in April and after understanding the fuel burn we will provide performance numbers on both of the electric systems that are available.

The "A14 powered by Nova Luxe" will be available with either a parallel hybrid system which has both a diesel motor and electric motor on the shaft or 'Full Electric" which only uses electric motors to drive the shaft but will include a large DC generator to run the electric motors for extended periods.

Solar arrays

We have faced some valid criticism that our solar arrays are too large and will blow off in high winds. To combat this, we are working with wind experts and our eventual goal is a hurricane proof top. While it may not hold up for 157 mph winds category 5, we expect to handle winds in excess of 74 miles per hour sustained. To solve this problem we took the following steps.

First off, our 50' yacht is about 40,000 lbs. So if the structure was made of metal, and the connection points were rated for a total 40,000lbs then the yacht would fly before the top separated. Knowing this is the upper limit, we worked backwards. Because that type of roof would be too heavy, our design uses fiberglass. Instead of building a solid structure we added large cutouts for air to flow easily from the underside of the roof to the topside.

This is especially important as the pressure above and below the top will remain the same. Wind is one thing, however pressure differences will cause the most severe damage. The cutouts also allow proper cooling of the solar panels which increase efficiency and we use bi-facial panels that will receive some refracted light from the surface of the water. Also, the panels look great from the bottom side!

In addition, we designed a water capture system into the roof which can direct fresh rain water into a separate holding tank. The water that first hits the solar array will wash dirt and debris off the roof. So, to keep things simple for the captain, we include a flow meter. This will turn green after a specified number of gallons have passed through the system. When the meter is green the captain can direct the clean water into the holding tank. If the captain chooses, the water can be added to the freshwater supply and would then pass through our cleaning system as water from the water maker does.

Spring is here in New York, and it's time to be thinking about boats (if you weren't already), see our lineup at NovaLuxeYachts.com!

Related Articles

Middle Sea Race set to attract exceptional fleet
Royal Malta YC has 118 entries already At midnight on Friday, 19 September the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race had amassed a fleet of 118 yachts. The entrants represent 30 countries and territories: from Australia and New Zealand to Finland and Norway, and from the United States to Romania. Posted on 23 Sep
52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo day 1
Solid Sled earn early lead in Sardinia Takashi Okura's Sled lead the 52 SUPER SERIES - Porto Cervo - Range Rover regatta after the first two windward leeward races. Posted on 23 Sep
Melges 24 Worlds 2025 at Trieste, Italy Day 1
No racing possible on the first day Good things are worth waiting for, and that was the adage at the opening day of the Melges 24 Worlds, which ended without any races in the scoreline. The weather in Trieste proved too unstable, with storms in the morning followed by a lack of wind. Posted on 23 Sep
Formula Kite Worlds Quartu Sant'Elena preview
9th Sardinia Grand Slam is the first major step towards Los Angeles 2028 Next September 28th to October 5th, the Poetto beach will host the event that crowns the new World Champions. Among the top contenders: Maeder, Vodišek, and Pianosi in the men's fleet; Nolot, Aldridge, and Kampman among women Posted on 23 Sep
SailGP, TOR Europe, Women's Match Racing Worlds
Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity. Such was the case for the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank squad when they notched their first-ever SailGP event win at last weekend's Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix. Posted on 23 Sep
A Q&A about the 2025 Hobie 16 North Americans
Tom Pace, Hal Smith, and Michael McNeir discuss the 2025 Hobie 16 North American Championship Spoiler alert: The Hobie 16 is far from a new design. But that doesn't matter: When Hobie Alter's first 16-foot fiberglass catamaran hit the Southern California beach scene in 1970, the sailing world was forever changed Posted on 23 Sep
The Philadelphia Cup Regatta preview
There's still time to register Sail on or spectate along the Delaware River this Saturday, at The Philadelphia Cup Regatta presented by Sea Philly and the Independence Seaport Museum. Posted on 23 Sep
Melges 15 Fittings Guide
A breakdown of the fittings based on a complete Allen Brothers fit-out If you are looking to upgrade or replace the hardware on your Melges 15, it helps to know exactly which fittings you need and what their role is on the boat. Posted on 23 Sep
Fortaleza World Sailing Championships announced
Test event in January 2026, and the real thing in January 2027 World Sailing has confirmed the dates for Fortaleza 2027 World Sailing Championships as 22-30 January 2027, with a Test Event being held one year prior. Posted on 23 Sep
All set in Trieste for the Melges 24 Worlds
Racing set to begin at Yacht Club Adriaco The countdown is nearly over. In just a few hours, the Yacht Club Adriaco will oversee the start of one of the most eagerly awaited international sailing events of the season. Posted on 23 Sep
PredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMSea Sure 2025Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER